Contracts & Commercial Lead
| Posting date: | 08 October 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £56,730 to £63,472 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 19 October 2025 |
| Location: | Reading, Berkshire |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 2 days per week |
| Company: | Reading Borough Council |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | RES0731 |
Summary
The Digital and IT service within Reading Borough council is a very forward-looking Digital Service leading the in regards delivery tools and techniques available to customers and employees. We are proud of our accessibility standards and we have a great ambition to do even more through the introduction of world class standard systems, artificial intelligence and robotics.
Our service is one of the most critical roles that enables the council function and we take pride in the quality of digital and IT service delivery both internally and through our managed service suppliers.
In digital and IT, we have responsibility for the council’s web estate, software, hardware, application support, development, telephony, networks and cyber security.
We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.
We are open to flexible working patterns and can provide a hybrid working environment which utilises the best of both worlds with a mix of office working in central Reading and homeworking according to the needs of the Service.
About the role
This role is a crucial for the next phase of our digital journey in Reading as a borough. The role will be central in our ambitious to take the lead in digital innovation, customer and employee experience. This role will lead all procurement activity and contract management within the council’s digital and IT service. The role will lead negotiations and commercial processes in line with contract procurement rules for public sector.
About you
We are looking for someone with strong procurement and commercial expertise with a proactive, collaborative approach. You don’t need to have experience in every area listed, but you should be confident in your ability to learn and adapt.
The ideal candidate will have:
Experience of supplier management and principles of supplier development.
Experience and knowledge of Public Sector whole lifecycle contract management, from soft market testing and pre-procurement, through to contract exit, with the ability to exploit them through application of tactics to drive best value for money.
Experienced in negotiating to achieve and maintain the necessary level of improvement/ for extracting maximum value using appropriate commercial levers in contracts.
Experience in building strong relationships with suppliers to keep aware of product and service development and wider market trends.
Your key responsibilities will be:
Lead on all procurement activities relating to the purchase of Digital and Technology related applications and infrastructure products and services, and consultancy services related to the delivery of corporate change.
Own the strategy and roadmap for the procurement of digital, technology and change products and services with a time horizon of at least 5 years.
Design, implement and oversee embedding and maintenance of a methodical process for all contractual administration, including invoice processing and purchase orders.
Ownership of Council-driven Digital and IT contract dependencies and triggers for items such as contractual renewal and change notices including on and off boarding of suppliers.
Develop and lead the commercial processes associated with onboarding and off-boarding applications and Digital and IT vendors across the organisation.
Provide leadership to Digital and Technology supplier negotiations and relationship management.
Provide Quality assurance around requisition and invoicing of goods and services relating to Digital and ICT infrastructure around the council.
Lead the management and enforcement of contractual performance indicators relation to £18m+ IT applications across the council, including the D&IT Service Towers and organisational license model. Manage directly and through oversight, Digital and Technology infrastructure and application contracts across the organisation.
Lead negotiations on added value through Social Value and Digital Inclusion commitments by DTaC suppliers.
Our offer
We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition is strongly encouraged, and you’ll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.
A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:
Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
A wide range of flexible working opportunities
Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading
Local Government Pension Scheme(LGPS)
Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted
Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work
Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax
Closing Date: 19th October 2025
Interview Date:w/c 3rd November 2025
Our service is one of the most critical roles that enables the council function and we take pride in the quality of digital and IT service delivery both internally and through our managed service suppliers.
In digital and IT, we have responsibility for the council’s web estate, software, hardware, application support, development, telephony, networks and cyber security.
We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.
We are open to flexible working patterns and can provide a hybrid working environment which utilises the best of both worlds with a mix of office working in central Reading and homeworking according to the needs of the Service.
About the role
This role is a crucial for the next phase of our digital journey in Reading as a borough. The role will be central in our ambitious to take the lead in digital innovation, customer and employee experience. This role will lead all procurement activity and contract management within the council’s digital and IT service. The role will lead negotiations and commercial processes in line with contract procurement rules for public sector.
About you
We are looking for someone with strong procurement and commercial expertise with a proactive, collaborative approach. You don’t need to have experience in every area listed, but you should be confident in your ability to learn and adapt.
The ideal candidate will have:
Experience of supplier management and principles of supplier development.
Experience and knowledge of Public Sector whole lifecycle contract management, from soft market testing and pre-procurement, through to contract exit, with the ability to exploit them through application of tactics to drive best value for money.
Experienced in negotiating to achieve and maintain the necessary level of improvement/ for extracting maximum value using appropriate commercial levers in contracts.
Experience in building strong relationships with suppliers to keep aware of product and service development and wider market trends.
Your key responsibilities will be:
Lead on all procurement activities relating to the purchase of Digital and Technology related applications and infrastructure products and services, and consultancy services related to the delivery of corporate change.
Own the strategy and roadmap for the procurement of digital, technology and change products and services with a time horizon of at least 5 years.
Design, implement and oversee embedding and maintenance of a methodical process for all contractual administration, including invoice processing and purchase orders.
Ownership of Council-driven Digital and IT contract dependencies and triggers for items such as contractual renewal and change notices including on and off boarding of suppliers.
Develop and lead the commercial processes associated with onboarding and off-boarding applications and Digital and IT vendors across the organisation.
Provide leadership to Digital and Technology supplier negotiations and relationship management.
Provide Quality assurance around requisition and invoicing of goods and services relating to Digital and ICT infrastructure around the council.
Lead the management and enforcement of contractual performance indicators relation to £18m+ IT applications across the council, including the D&IT Service Towers and organisational license model. Manage directly and through oversight, Digital and Technology infrastructure and application contracts across the organisation.
Lead negotiations on added value through Social Value and Digital Inclusion commitments by DTaC suppliers.
Our offer
We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition is strongly encouraged, and you’ll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.
A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:
Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
A wide range of flexible working opportunities
Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading
Local Government Pension Scheme(LGPS)
Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted
Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work
Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax
Closing Date: 19th October 2025
Interview Date:w/c 3rd November 2025
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.