Commercial Lead x2

Job summary

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is an amazing place to work. DWP works on some of the most important and exciting policies in government. We are proud of our work and want to offer applicants the opportunity to get involved in our ambitious agenda to improve outcomes for millions of citizens in the UK; throughout their lives, in the workplace, and in retirement.

DWP is responsible for welfare, pensions, and child maintenance policy. Consequently, DWP impacts everyone in the UK, delivering services to help jobseekers find work, assist with a disability, or provide support for retirement.

If you like to be challenged, you’ll feel at home with us in DWP Commercial Directorate as we’re one of the largest Government Commercial functions, with stretching challenges and a real opportunity to make a difference to the lives of our customers.

Within DWP, the Commercial Directorate (CD) is an award-winning commercial function, with a unified team of culture focused on commercial excellence and continuous improvement. CD shapes how services are delivered across hundreds of third-party contractual arrangements, with some of the largest industry suppliers.

DWP’s CD is divided into several categories, which includes the Service Delivery Commercial (SDC) and Employment Categories. These Commercial Categories are based across our Leeds, Blackpool & Manchester Commercial Hubs.

These Categories provide critical services to DWP and its customers, enabling them to effectively deliver its objectives on behalf of the Secretary of State, through effective management of the end-to-end procurement lifecycle and directing the Department’s strategies for commercial delivery.

Job description

This is an exciting time to join CD, as we are seeking experienced commercial professionals to lead in the delivery of the business strategy and be responsible for delivery of key procurement and contract management outcomes within the team. This role offers attractive long-term career opportunities within supportive and engaging working environments, alongside a range of excellent employee benefits. We require driven and dynamic individuals able to achieve results in a challenging but rewarding commercial environment. You will contribute to the development of Category expertise within the team, and increase the level of commerciality, operational execution, and stakeholder/supplier engagement. Your role will be to support one of the above categories and will require you to be passionate about creating change, taking a leadership role in the development of an enhanced Category management capability. You will have the skills to challenge, inspire, and lead others in a complex landscape of departmental transformation.

Locations
The successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. When selecting your location listed in this job advert please be aware that this will be your contractual base location with a requirement to spend a minimum of 60% of your working time in this organisational workplace.

Your time spent on official duties at workplace locations other than your contractual office such as supplier, customer or partner locations required to perform your role is included in the 60% attendance.

This requirement will however take into consideration any reasonable adjustments agreed upon appointment for people with a disability, flexibilities agreed for those with specific caring responsibilities, or other similar temporary flexibilities.

Person specification

Key Responsibilities:

• Taking operational responsibility for the procurement, development, review, negotiation and execution of many concurrent large scale and/or complex contracts (existing and new), and the commercial management of related suppliers, within your area of accountability.
  
  
• Ensuring agreed supplier cost savings targets are delivered, and initiatives are delivered that increase efficiency whilst maintaining adequate performance and risk management.
  
  
• Contributing to the creation and delivery of market-leading Category and commercial strategies, influencing supply markets to meet current and future Departmental needs
  
  
• Providing commercial support and guidance to management and other stakeholders (internal and external), ensuring “best outcome” commercial solutions are delivered in line with DWP, Commercial and Category strategies, whilst developing their commercial capability.
  
  
• Ensuring accurate, comprehensive, and transparent commercial analysis, with recommendations to senior decision makers based on value and whole life costs that maintain full business ownership of the commercial outcomes.
  
  
• Leadership and line management of supporting team members aligned to your sub-category, including mentoring and coaching team members on policies, procedures, practices and techniques equipping them with the knowledge and skills to deliver.
  
  
• Through effective and proactive contract management of high value strategic contracts, creating positive supplier relationships, strong customer service ethos, and clear commercial strategies to secure optimum outcomes for the DWP and wider Government
• Make a significant contribution to the building of a culture of continuous improvement within the Category, DWP Commercial Directorate and wider Government.

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Experience of analysing complex information to make informed commercial decisions.
• Influence key stakeholders towards commercial solutions to deliver business strategy and commercial performance. Demonstrate commercial and risk management of strategic contracts, securing vfm whilst managing stakeholder needs.
• Proven resilience with the ability to manage stakeholders to achieve positive commercial outcomes, supporting projects delivering business outcomes. Resolve issues internally and help the team to deal with setbacks.
• Quickly gains the respect of, and buy-in from stakeholders at all levels, collaborating, influencing and engaging with others in delivering change with the ability to build consensus around a course of action.
• Evidence of significant procurement experience, including design and delivery of commercial strategies, plans and processes, contracts, and/or commercial management of highly complex and strategically important contracts.

Benefits

As a valued employee of the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO), you will have access to all the benefits the centre has to offer; including flexible working, generous benefits, Career Coaches, Mentors, L&D, a Commercial College, active talent management and, most importantly, access to commercial projects that will far exceed the scale and complexity on offer elsewhere in the UK.

For existing Civil Servants: For full details of the impact on any move across the civil service on your existing terms and conditions, please read the candidate pack. Please note that any move across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to continue to claim childcare vouchers.

Kindly refer to the following link for the GCF Rewards and benefits page.

https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/gcf-benefits/

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.

Your application will be reviewed by a panel and should you be successful at sift we will invite you to attend a Virtual commercial Assessment and Development Centre (VADC). The panel will review results of the VADC and determine which candidates will go through to a subsequent final panel interview.

Please be advised that the Virtual ADC is taking place on 11th May 2026 and will require a full day's attendance.

If you are invited to attend a virtual ADC, but for any reason are unable to meet the date outlined then please get in touch with the team on commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible. The ADC is booked and paid for in advance by departments, therefore it is only in certain circumstances we are able to accommodate alternative dates.

For full details of our process, and a likely timeline, please read the attached candidate pack.

Throughout our selection process, we will make decisions about your capability to do the job, based on evidence you provide against the Technical Skills (essential criteria) and your Job History (CV) that you will be asked to provide during the application process. Further help and advice on our application and selection process can be found at this web address https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/gcf-how-to-apply/

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/artificial-intelligence-and-recruitment/

IMPORTANT: If you do not receive an acknowledgement of your application within 2 working days please contact: commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Marina Dura
• Email : commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should direct this to the Head of Commercial Resourcing Hub at the following email commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk quoting the vacancy reference number (if applicable) and the details of your complaint. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission via the following web page: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

Attachments

455397 - Candidate Pack - DWP - Commercial Lead x2.docx Opens in new window (pdf, 475kB)Guaranteed Interview Schemes (GIS) Opens in new window (pdf, 70kB)