Head of Commercial, Net Zero Buildings and Industry Portfolio

Job summary

We are building a cadre of commercial talent in all Government departments; people who can manage our commercial portfolios, who can lead our most complex and novel programmes and projects, people who have the gravitas and depth of experience to work alongside our policy and operational leaders to develop innovative commercial arrangements through best-in-class contracts.

The GCO is an employer which is truly committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and are able to perform to their potential. We understand the importance of diversity and inclusion, striving for a workplace that reflects the communities which we serve. We especially welcome applications from underrepresented groups including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, candidates with a disability and candidates with gender-diverse identities. Appointments will be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.

Over the past few years, the former Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Commercial Team has been through a considerable period of positive transformation as we have grown to a team of 100+. Since a Machinery of Government change in February 2023, we have been the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). This role in the DESNZ commercial team represents a truly unique opportunity to help shape and support the DESNZ commercial function as it supports the execution of multiple high priority Government objectives.

The role of Head of Commercial for the Net Zero Buildings and Industry portfolio will:

• Act as a key member of the Commercial management team, responsible for the strategy and operation of the commercial profession within the Department, and an ambassador for the commercial function.
• Lead the NZB&I Commercial team to help them achieve their own strategic objectives to achieve the targets and outcomes set out in a number of critical Government white papers, including the Ten Point Plan for an Industrial Revolution, the British Energy Security Strategy, the Energy White Paper, the Net Zero Strategy and Powering Up Britain.
• Play a key leadership and change management role in developing a strong commercial function for DESNZ and across Government.

Job description

We currently operate a business partnering structure here in DESNZ Commercial. This means you and your team will partner with the Net Zero Buildings and Industry policy team (your primary stakeholders) and provide them with a commercial service, which covers the full procurement lifecycle, albeit currently with light touch contract management as that normally is carried out by the stakeholders themselves. You will be key in our journey to move from being seen as a procurement function to becoming trusted partners in more complex, challenging and exciting commercial work.

You will lead a team of 8 people, including 5 grade 7 direct reports, providing coaching, mentoring, direction and support across the team.

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 two days 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 two day 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

• Line manage and lead a team of grade 7 Commercial Leads, supporting and developing the needs of immediate team and wider commercial colleagues.
• Develop, maintain and manage pipeline of activity for your stakeholder customer group, managing resources to deliver priorities.
• Manage commercial risk appropriately and strive to maximise commercial opportunities for DESNZ.
• Develop productive relationships with stakeholder teams’ Deputy Directors and their teams.
• Leverage the UKSBS procurement service, channeling work between your in-house team and the shared service centre at UKSBS.

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Support the Department in delivering aspects of the Government Commercial Function’s Define, Procure, Manage Commercial lifecycle, as set out in the GovS 008 Commercial Standard and the Grants Functional Standard. Deliver commercial activity across the Energy groups, including the conduct of compliant procurement processes leading to compliant contracts. Support on grant design and delivery, MoUs with OGDs and new types of investment that might involve taking equity stakes.
• Coaching, leading, managing and mentoring grade 7 team members as they deliver a large amount of commercial work which can be complex and challenging.
• Be responsible for maintaining and improving the quality of commercial advice (i.e. from commercial strategy to contract exit) both directly and through others.
• Work collaboratively with finance, project delivery and commercial legal to offer a seamless and integrated corporate service offering.
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders to ensure the commercial team is engaged early and throughout the commercial cycle, working collaboratively with policy teams.
• Develop a strong interface between the policy teams and your Commercial team.
• Deliver cashable savings to target and other financial/non-financial benefits.
• Create an inclusive culture and a working environment where everyone’s skills and talents are recognised, developed and valued.
• Champion Diversity and Inclusion across your team, wider Commercial and across DESNZ, ensuring it is embedded into the team culture.
• Promote and implement the best practices of the Sourcing Playbook and other key Cabinet Office publications, including Procurement Policy Notes and latest case law.
• Be a senior member of the Government Commercial Function and play a role in the broader commercial reform programme led by the Government Chief Commercial Officer.
• Provide contract and supplier management assistance to policy teams where required.
• Report on your team’s performance using accurate data from Jaggaer/Power BI and make decisions on strategy based on that data.
• Lead the reporting and escalation of risks for your team.
• Lead team members and policy teams successfully through all relevant governance.
• Focus on continuous improvement.

Technical skills

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

• Experience of having had a leading role in complex commercial activities, with demonstrable experience across the commercial lifecycle.
• Works collaboratively with senior stakeholders, building strong relationships. Demonstrates effective interpersonal skills to deliver optimum outcomes in interactions, whilst respecting the needs and opinions of others.
• Builds confidence and capability in other team members. Understands and utilises the strengths of others to allocate work and deliver results, whilst also providing support to address gaps and deliver improved performance.
• Understands the wider political context of work and considers the impact on others of actions, issues and changes. Works effectively with diverse stakeholders, whilst managing the political dynamics of situations.
• Experience in the development of strategies for high value/risk, critical/complex procurements and playing a leading role in the implementation and end to end delivery of these.

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 note: Only candidates that achieve an A grade at ADC will be invited to interview for this role.

Please be advised that the Virtual ADC is taking place on the 3rd of February 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-re…
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.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).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 : Ashlene Doherty
• 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

Guaranteed Interview Schemes (GIS) Opens in new window (pdf, 70kB)441996 - Candidate Pack - Head of Commercial, Net Zero Buildings and Industry Portfolio Opens in new window (pdf, 701kB)