Lead Commercial Manager

On behalf of the MOD, we are looking for Lead Commercial Manager - 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.

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

- Actively promote the reputation of the organisation with pride. Displaying passion and enthusiasm for the work, inspiring colleagues and stakeholders to engage with the aims and long-term vision;
- Work collaboratively with customers and delivery partners to manage , monitor and deliver agreed outcomes;
- Build trust as a leader through demonstrating credibility. Dedicating time to managing , supporting and empowering people through coaching and mentoring and sharing expertise /knowledge;
- Translate priorities into clear outcome-focused objectives for managers and teams. Maintaining focus on priorities and responding quickly to changing requirements. Provide clarity about the action required to achieve results and address unexpected developments;
- Take calculated risks in the pursuit of implementing efficient Commercial projects to deliver innovative solutions in line with policy; conducting an analysis of risks and margins of error to provide assurance on decisions ;
- Develop and implement market facing category strategies; producing and analysing data to inform category strategy and sector management ;
- Championing continuous improvement, aligning strategies with wider government commercial policies, considering internal and external forces and best practices;
- Demonstrate a relentless focus in managing costs and driving the best value out of contracts;
- Display strong motivational capabilities and applies these across the department. Identifying step changes that transform flexibility, responsiveness, and quality of services; acting as a role model for securing positive commercial outcomes across Defence Digital;
- Apply judgement and manage risks to drive value for money and ensure robust outcomes during procurement and evaluation;
- Lead negotiations with data & evidence understanding the appropriate levers available and able to develop a structured negotiation plan;
- Strategically manage high value and critical contracts/supplier relationships to mitigate risk, maximise performance and deliver continuous improvement;
- Where required, draft bespoke terms and conditions to work outside established frameworks; and/or
- Lead transition management , exit strategy and contract renegotiations, including driving value from the use of performance metrics and success criteria.

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 experience of leading complex commercial and procurement activity, applying sound commercial judgement to deliver compliant, robust and value-for-money outcomes.
- Proven experience of developing and implementing market-facing category strategies, using spend analysis , market intelligence, supplier data and wider sector insight to inform commercial decisions .
- Strong leadership and people-management capability, with demonstrable experience of setting clear objectives , managing priorities, coaching and mentoring commercial professionals, and creating high-performing teams.
- Extensive experience of leading complex commercial negotiations, including the development of structured negotiation plans and the effective use of data, evidence and commercial levers to secure positive outcomes.
- Demonstrable experience of strategically managing high-value or business-critical contracts and supplier relationships, with a focus on cost control , performance improvement, risk mitigation and the delivery of measurable value.
- Strong commercial risk-management and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess risk, make evidence-based decisions and introduce innovative commercial solutions within relevant policies and governance requirements.
- Experience of leading complex contractual change, including bespoke terms and conditions, contract renegotiation, transition management , exit planning and the use of performance measures and success criteria to improve service delivery.

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.