Senior Commercial Business Partner

Job summary

Building a strong Commercial Function in Government, and with it, the right commercial capability, is at the heart of a far-reaching programme of Civil Service reform. We are building a cadre of talented individuals who can manage our commercial portfolios; leading reviews of our most complex and novel programmes and projects; people who have the gravitas and depth of experience to work alongside multiple government departments and within the wider Cabinet Office Team.

Sitting in the Cabinet Office Strategy, Assurance and Standards (SAS) directorate, the Commercial Spend Controls team has an unparalleled level of visibility across all major commercial deals across Central Government, Arms Length Bodies (ALBs), Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), and the NHS. As one of the Senior Commercial Business Partners, you will have an opportunity to positively influence commercial outcomes across the largest and most complex procurements, by drawing on your experience and sharing best practice.

In your role you will provide commercial advice and recommendations on the cases within your portfolio to Ministers and Senior Officials. As well as working across a number of departments and having sight of their commercial portfolios, you will work closely with the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and HM Treasury, contributing to, and participating in high level NISTA reviews and Treasury decision making forums. You will drive continuous improvements across the commercial function through close collaboration with other central teams, such as Complex Transactions, Markets and Suppliers, and Government Digital Service.

The Government Commercial Organisation 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 and strive 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.

Job description

This is a high profile role, advising Ministers and Senior Officials on the most complex and high value procurements and commercial deals. As a member of the Commercial Assurance team within the Strategy Assurance and Standards directorate, you will lead on the delivery of the Cabinet Office commercial spend controls and wider functional assurance, influencing spend of approximately £300bn per annum.

As a Senior Commercial Business Partner you will have a responsibility for managing a portfolio of departments across HM Government. The role will include: proactive management of commercial pipelines and leading assurance case reviews for projects; early engagement on case submissions providing early stage specific advice; presentation of written advice to the Senior Official or Ministers; and management and resolution of related conditions.

Using your excellent verbal and written communication skills you will be responsible for establishing relationships of trust with key stakeholders within your portfolio to enable you to conduct robust and constructive assurance and secure buy-in from stakeholders.

The successful candidate will be comfortable in a reactive environment and have an ability to work at pace. This role will require you to be able to digest and distill complex commercial information in clear and succinct terms to non commercial stakeholders; work collaboratively with other Cabinet Office functional teams; as well as regular collaboration with National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and HM Treasury leads.

As a leader within the Government Commercial Function and the Cabinet Office, you will be expected to actively demonstrate positive values and behaviours. You may be required to manage one or more team members as well as mentoring and supporting new team joiners. You will also be an active member of the Commercial Assurance Senior Leadership Team, with an opportunity to directly plan, influence and shape how the work across all portfolios is carried out.

The CO Commercial Assurance team, as part of the Strategy, Assurance and Standards Directorate, is currently undertaking a change and transformation process in response to a number of initiatives, namely HMT RESET, further details of these changes can be found here. A call will be held on 25/03/26 AT 11.30am to answer questions. You can sign up using the Eventbrite link here.

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

• The first point of contact for departments and organisations within your portfolio, you will proactively manage the pipeline of live cases, proposing the appropriate assurance status to the Deputy Directors as part of regular Pipeline Assurance Reviews.
• End to end management of business cases, including early engagement with department commercial leads; review of business case documentation; departmental and external stakeholder engagement; drafting and presentation of related case submissions to senior officials or Ministers for approval decisions.
• Pro-active management of conditions set for cases, including review and assessment of submitted responses from Departments.
• Through engaging with the most senior commercial leads within your assigned portfolios, you will lead Account Management Reviews (AMRs). In these engagements, you will have the opportunity to recognise areas of excellent commercial practice, as well as identifying areas for further support and development.
• As a member of the leadership team, you will role model positive values and behaviours; identify areas for collaboration across the Cabinet Office Central Commercial Teams and the Government Commercial Agency; and manage team resources in both a direct and matrix management style. The post holder will be expected to have a key role in coaching and developing other staff within the team and wider commercial function.
• Work with colleagues across NISTA, DSIT and HM Treasury to promote functional commercial leadership and standards, and deliver effective outcomes.
• Contribute to the development of effective organisational continuous improvement tools and techniques to aid Departments in assessing, baselining and continuously improving their commercial capability.
• Provide timely and trusted advice to officials and Ministers on both programmes/projects and wider Departmental delivery of the Commercial Operating Standards.
• Support the Deputy Director and Director to achieve the business plan objectives for the commercial function and to disseminate good practice to improve overall commercial capability.
• Grow and evolve the team’s approach to commercial assurance, suggesting and implementing improvements to existing assurance processes and controls.
• Supporting and iterating Commercial Standards, wider spending controls and other outputs related to commercial assurance and commercial continuous improvement.

Technical skills

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

• Ability to analyse commercial risks and understand margins of error in developing recommendations for Customers and/or key stakeholders.
• Ability to connect strategic goals with day-to-day operations, balance competing priorities, and ensure clear communication with stakeholders.
• Take personal responsibility; challenge and hold stakeholders to account, ensuring key messages are heard and understood. Create an environment that acts as a catalyst for continuous improvement.
• Sound knowledge Government Commercial / Procurement policies & procedures. Proven commercial lifecycle / procurement experience with track record of delivering VfM across procurement projects/contracts. Can demonstrate Public Sector commercial acumen
• Be able to demonstrate experience of developing and managing relationships with senior stakeholders.

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 15th of April 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 security 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 : Lynsey Munro
• 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)20260311 OFFSEN 452910- Senior Commercial Business Partner - Candidate Pack (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 1616kB)