Commercial Lead

Job Description

As a Commercial Lead at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), you will be responsible for providing leadership and oversight to your commercial pipeline. This involves managing a small team to execute end-to-end commercial activities, including pre-market engagement, procurement, and contract management. Your primary goal will be to deliver exceptional value while aligning with the objectives of the respective Digital category team. Furthermore, you will contribute positively to the Department's operational efficiency, performance, and reputation within the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO), Government Commercial Function (GCF), and the wider Civil Service through exemplary leadership and active engagement.

Person Specification

In this role, you will:

• Support stakeholders in transforming planned business and programme objectives into defined commercial deliverables, such as Deal Memorandum of Agreements (DMAs), procurement processes, market engagement initiatives, contract management activities, and risk management.
• Maintain a precise and agreed-upon commercial pipeline with clear delivery timelines, collaborating with business units to prioritize new, unplanned, or reprioritized work.
• Assess and understand the workforce requirements necessary to deliver the pipeline, overseeing and executing commercial activities to meet these targets.
• Contribute to the Commercial Directorate's corporate scorecard targets by identifying and implementing cost-saving initiatives that add value, while maintaining robust performance and risk management.
• Ensure proportionate governance and compliance with transparency obligations related to your commercial pipeline area.
• Deliver high-quality commercial assurance and activity by embedding adherence to relevant legislative regimes, upholding data integrity and transparency, and ensuring contract management plans are in place for critical contracts.
• Publish contract notices promptly and apply commercial policy and best practices consistently.
• Cultivate strong, positive relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders through effective and proactive contract management, a customer-centric approach, and clear commercial strategies to achieve optimal outcomes for the DWP.
• Play a significant role in fostering a culture of continuous improvement and development within the DWP Commercial Directorate, guiding your team through the adoption and exploitation of new procurement legislation and the eProcurement system.
• Actively manage, motivate, and coach supporting team members within your sub-category, ensuring they deliver corporate outcomes, continuously improve, and are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills.
• Maintain your own professional development through a minimum of 30 hours of continuous professional development annually.

Technical Skills

Candidates will be assessed against the following technical skills:

• Ability to manage multiple parallel streams of activity, ensuring progress, resolving conflicts, and bringing clarity when dealing with incomplete information or explaining complex concepts.
• Proficiency in defining a commercial outcome from inception to delivery, clearly articulating benefits, opportunities, and risks, and leading a strategy that balances optimal commercial performance with business-focused results.
• Demonstrated ability to remain calm and composed in challenging situations, striving to resolve issues despite obstacles, helping others manage setbacks, and maintaining focus on objectives.
• Capacity to build strong relationships with key stakeholders and suppliers within a complex, fast-moving, commercially focused environment, leveraging these relationships to secure decisions and outcomes.
• Skill in presenting well-evaluated options and proposing approaches based on market knowledge, successfully planning and executing procurement, ensuring value for money, satisfying governance, and securing stakeholder buy-in at all stages.

Key skills/competency

• Commercial Leadership
• Procurement Management
• Contract Management
• Stakeholder Relationship Management
• Risk Management
• Cost Saving Initiatives
• eProcurement Systems
• Legislative Compliance
• Team Leadership & Coaching
• Continuous Improvement