Senior Commercial Manager

On behalf of the MOD, we are looking for x3 Senior Commercial Managers - Inside IR35 for a 12 month contract working on a Hybrid basis (days per week on site in Abbey Wood or Corsham)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is a central government department with a mission to protect our country and provide the ultimate guarantee of its security and independence , as well as helping to protect its values and interests abroad.

The MOD is one of the biggest public procurement organisations in Europe and the single largest customer for UK industry. It currently manages approximately £20 billion of spend on capital investments in equipment and infrastructure every year. Over the next decade the MOD is committed to spending over £190 billion on equipment and support. The MOD’s customers include both the armed forces and national security agencies, and it has a diverse range of requirements, including military fighting vehicles, education services, nuclear submarines and facilities management .

The MOD’s aim is to provide its armed forces with the best capabilities to enable them to protect the UK’s security and advance national interests, both now and in the long term.

To do this the MOD has an annual budget of almost £53 billion and a workforce comprising 197,000 people. of which 54,000 are civilians working for the UK MOD.

The work really matters; the MOD offers a range of engaging roles which have a direct impact on the quality of services they provide, in many locations across the UK. We support teams working in HR, Primary Health Care, Corporate Services, and many others.

Role purpose:

The Senior Commercial Manager will lead and deliver commercial activity across a portfolio of complex digital, data and technology programmes within the MOD IMAGE environment. The role will cover the full commercial lifecycle, including strategy development, procurement, negotiation, contract award, in-life contract management and exit or transition activity.

The postholder will work closely with project teams, suppliers and internal stakeholders to ensure that commercial activity is appropriately governed, delivers value for money and supports programme objectives .

The main duties and responsibilities of the Senior Commercial Manager would be to:

- Lead end-to-end commercial delivery across assigned programmes and workstreams, providing expert commercial advice throughout the procurement and contract lifecycle.
- Develop commercial and procurement strategies, business cases, negotiation strategies, commercial options papers, impact assessments and approval documentation for senior governance boards.
- Plan and deliver complex procurement activity, including the preparation of tender documentation, draft terms and conditions, contract schedules, evaluation models, supplier clarification, negotiation and contract award.
- Manage and govern a portfolio of live contracts, ensuring that contractual obligations, commercial commitments, performance expectations, licensing arrangements and agreed deliverables are effectively controlled.
- Provide commercial input into programme planning, including Project Iteration Planning events, and deliver agreed commercial outputs within defined programme increments and delivery timescales.
- Manage commercial systems, risk and compliance, including CP&F activities, commercial assurance, contract records, approvals, risk identification and the implementation of appropriate mitigation actions.
- Build effective supplier and stakeholder relationships, working collaboratively with project teams, delivery partners, senior decision -makers and external suppliers to resolve commercial issues and support successful programme outcomes.

PLEASE NOTE: SC Clearance is an essential requirement for this role, as a minimum you must be willing & eligible to undergo checks. Please note, due to the exceptional requirements of this position (short-term nature of this role and speed at which we require a postholder in situ) preference may be given to candidates who meet all of the essential criteria and hold active security clearance.

Essential:

- Significant commercial and procurement experience, with the ability to lead complex commercial activity across the full procurement and contract management lifecycle.
- Proven experience of developing commercial documentation, including commercial strategies, procurement strategies, business cases, negotiation strategies, options papers and senior-level approval submissions.
- Strong procurement delivery experience, covering tender development, terms and conditions, evaluation, negotiation, contract award and the establishment of new contractual arrangements.
- Demonstrable experience of managing complex live contracts, including contract governance, supplier performance, contractual change, licensing arrangements and delivery against agreed obligations.
- Experience of supporting complex programmes or projects, with the ability to plan and deliver commercial activity within structured delivery cycles, programme increments and demanding deadlines.
- Strong commercial governance and risk-management capability, including experience of commercial assurance, approvals, financial or procurement systems and the management of contractual and supplier risks.
- Excellent stakeholder and supplier-management skills, with the confidence to influence senior stakeholders, challenge constructively, lead commercial discussions and maintain effective relationships across multidisciplinary teams.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident

As a Disability Confident employer, the MOD encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent candidates . Applications from candidates who identify as having a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be prioritised for review. Where application volumes are high, additional role-specific and desirable criteria may be applied as part of the shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant

As a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, the MOD welcome applications from veterans, service leavers, reservists and military spouses or partners. Applications from eligible candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role will be prioritised for review. Where application volumes are high, additional role-specific and desirable criteria may be applied as part of the shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following “this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different.