UK Strategic Command Commercial Manager - Defence Support
| Posting date: | 30 August 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £36,350 per year, pro rata |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 29 September 2025 |
| Location: | BS34 8JH |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Ministry of Defence |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 422478 |
Summary
Defence Support provides functional ownership and oversight of all support activities across Defence with an annual budget in excess of £14bn.
The Defence Support Commercial team is embedded within the delivery teams and is recognised as a highly competent team of professionals who provide commercial advice and support to enable the objectives of the organisation to be met.
Our portfolio of work is wide ranging and encompasses low value framework procurements through to large scale strategic programmes and activities spanning the entire procurement cycle through market analysis, procurement and contract management giving the team excellent opportunities to develop their functional skills and experience.
Defence Support is an organisation of many parts joined by the same purpose - to make Support better. To meet our ambition to deliver more effective and efficient Support, the Defence Support organisation sits under UKStratCom. This is a pivotal position as UKStratCom has been given the mandate to drive Multi Domain Integration across the other Front Line Commands, including the new domains of cyber and space.
The organisation has 2 directorates:
Joint Support
Provides strategic advice in support of current and contingent operations; influencing/informing strategic planning; and directing support policy, force development and future capability.
Major Programmes
Responsible for a portfolio of work improving the way Support operates, formalising the rules of how Support functions and introduce an operating model, as well as making changes to processes and systems that are inefficient or difficult to maintain. In this role you contribute to delivering commercial excellence for your department through analysing key supply markets to understand the characteristics of new markets, and inform whether market making or development is required, lead the procurement process, mobilising contracts, managing the delivery and performance of the contract, supplier relationship management (SRM), carrying out contract changes, managing risk within the contract and managing contract transition and exit.
You will be expected to manage complex and high value contracts and contribute to the development and implementation of organisational and departmental strategies.
The role will also require you to use your commercial expertise to identify opportunities for improvement and implement these changes at a local level by working with affected parties to identify and overcome challenges.
Typically, the key responsibilities in this role will include (but are not limited to):
Driving and leading sourcing activity, including strategic sourcing processes in support of the department’s strategic aims
Engaging stakeholders to commercialise business requirements and target outcomes
Managing demands across area of responsibility and aggregating as appropriate
Considering key financial, legal and commercial issues in the development of the contracting model and implements these conditions within the commercial strategy
Devising a suitable sourcing strategy for complex, high value purchases and procurements
Ensuring relevant issues are fed into strategy and big picture considerations
Considering the long-term resilience of supply chains and taking opportunities to mitigate the risks and develop opportunities
Drawing together and presenting reasonable conclusions from a wide range of incomplete and complex data and recognising when to bring in experts/researchers to add value to the available information
Challenging the organisational need for the purchase especially where Corporate Social Responsibility or value for money considerations suggest the procurement can be better channelled through existing assets or an existing contract
Managing and evaluating strategic and non-strategic supplier relationships
Conducting an analysis of risks and margins of error to provide assurance on decisions
Taking calculated risks in the pursuit of implementing efficient sourcing projects to deliver innovative solutions in line with policy
Providing performance and day-to-day management of a team to deliver on the category and commercial strategy and contract management activity across the commercial lifecycle
Mentoring and providing guidance to junior members of the team
Leading mediation and dispute resolution, driving value from the use of performance metrics and success criteria
Implementing structured approaches to supplier relationship management throughout their area of responsibility
Developing approaches for supplier innovation, continuous improvement, collaboration and co-operation
Working with contract managers and wider commercial colleagues to regularly review the performance of suppliers, ensuring the relevant assurance and due diligence takes place, whilst ensuring colleagues across the business are receiving strong performance from the provider
Overseeing contract management governance and reporting activities such as preparing for contract commencement, justifying and controlling contract changes
Overseeing the realisation of benefits achieved as a result of the performance management regime or change control
Ensuring control of department spend and specifically critical contracts are continually analysed in order to develop and drive value adding initiatives
Working with contract managers and wider commercial colleagues to regularly review the performance of suppliers, ensuring the relevant assurance and due diligence takes place, whilst ensuring colleagues across the business are receiving strong performance from the provider
Providing performance and day-to-day management of a team to deliver on the supplier relationship management strategy and activity across the commercial lifecycle
The Defence Support Commercial team is embedded within the delivery teams and is recognised as a highly competent team of professionals who provide commercial advice and support to enable the objectives of the organisation to be met.
Our portfolio of work is wide ranging and encompasses low value framework procurements through to large scale strategic programmes and activities spanning the entire procurement cycle through market analysis, procurement and contract management giving the team excellent opportunities to develop their functional skills and experience.
Defence Support is an organisation of many parts joined by the same purpose - to make Support better. To meet our ambition to deliver more effective and efficient Support, the Defence Support organisation sits under UKStratCom. This is a pivotal position as UKStratCom has been given the mandate to drive Multi Domain Integration across the other Front Line Commands, including the new domains of cyber and space.
The organisation has 2 directorates:
Joint Support
Provides strategic advice in support of current and contingent operations; influencing/informing strategic planning; and directing support policy, force development and future capability.
Major Programmes
Responsible for a portfolio of work improving the way Support operates, formalising the rules of how Support functions and introduce an operating model, as well as making changes to processes and systems that are inefficient or difficult to maintain. In this role you contribute to delivering commercial excellence for your department through analysing key supply markets to understand the characteristics of new markets, and inform whether market making or development is required, lead the procurement process, mobilising contracts, managing the delivery and performance of the contract, supplier relationship management (SRM), carrying out contract changes, managing risk within the contract and managing contract transition and exit.
You will be expected to manage complex and high value contracts and contribute to the development and implementation of organisational and departmental strategies.
The role will also require you to use your commercial expertise to identify opportunities for improvement and implement these changes at a local level by working with affected parties to identify and overcome challenges.
Typically, the key responsibilities in this role will include (but are not limited to):
Driving and leading sourcing activity, including strategic sourcing processes in support of the department’s strategic aims
Engaging stakeholders to commercialise business requirements and target outcomes
Managing demands across area of responsibility and aggregating as appropriate
Considering key financial, legal and commercial issues in the development of the contracting model and implements these conditions within the commercial strategy
Devising a suitable sourcing strategy for complex, high value purchases and procurements
Ensuring relevant issues are fed into strategy and big picture considerations
Considering the long-term resilience of supply chains and taking opportunities to mitigate the risks and develop opportunities
Drawing together and presenting reasonable conclusions from a wide range of incomplete and complex data and recognising when to bring in experts/researchers to add value to the available information
Challenging the organisational need for the purchase especially where Corporate Social Responsibility or value for money considerations suggest the procurement can be better channelled through existing assets or an existing contract
Managing and evaluating strategic and non-strategic supplier relationships
Conducting an analysis of risks and margins of error to provide assurance on decisions
Taking calculated risks in the pursuit of implementing efficient sourcing projects to deliver innovative solutions in line with policy
Providing performance and day-to-day management of a team to deliver on the category and commercial strategy and contract management activity across the commercial lifecycle
Mentoring and providing guidance to junior members of the team
Leading mediation and dispute resolution, driving value from the use of performance metrics and success criteria
Implementing structured approaches to supplier relationship management throughout their area of responsibility
Developing approaches for supplier innovation, continuous improvement, collaboration and co-operation
Working with contract managers and wider commercial colleagues to regularly review the performance of suppliers, ensuring the relevant assurance and due diligence takes place, whilst ensuring colleagues across the business are receiving strong performance from the provider
Overseeing contract management governance and reporting activities such as preparing for contract commencement, justifying and controlling contract changes
Overseeing the realisation of benefits achieved as a result of the performance management regime or change control
Ensuring control of department spend and specifically critical contracts are continually analysed in order to develop and drive value adding initiatives
Working with contract managers and wider commercial colleagues to regularly review the performance of suppliers, ensuring the relevant assurance and due diligence takes place, whilst ensuring colleagues across the business are receiving strong performance from the provider
Providing performance and day-to-day management of a team to deliver on the supplier relationship management strategy and activity across the commercial lifecycle