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Commercial Practitioner

Job details
Posting date: 04 February 2026
Salary: £44,447 to £46,547 per year
Hours: Full time
Closing date: 18 February 2026
Location: Blackpool
Company: Government Recruitment Service
Job type: Permanent
Job reference: 444290/1

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Summary

Working towards sustainable futures. Championing diversity in the workplace. At the Department for Work and Pensions, it’s all in a day’s work. From HR to Finance, Policy to Communications, this is work that sustains and supports, where everyone’s voice is heard, and our customers are at the heart of everything we do. For a career packed with possibility, a comprehensive benefits package, where we live by our values and have the opportunity to improve the lives of people across the UK, look no further.

Supporting people who need it most. That’s our purpose. Start your own career today. Find out more and apply here.

DWP is looking to fill 3 roles in Commercial Directorate.  

The roles available will be based in Blackpool Peel Park, Brunel Way, Blackpool FY4 5ES, Manchester 2 St Peter’s Square, Manchester, M2 3AA and Leeds Quarry House, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UA. 

We welcome applications from candidates who demonstrate the Essential Skills outlined below.

Visa Sponsorship

For these vacancies, we strongly recommend that applicants consult with an immigration specialist or qualified advisor to assess their eligibility for Visa Sponsorship before deciding to apply. Please note that while we consider sponsorship requests in accordance with current DWP guidance and Home Office policy, sponsorship cannot be guaranteed.


Your role will be a Commercial Practitioner within one of Commercial Categories listed below, with your role's overriding responsibility to manage commercial activity within the category team and across the full commercial lifecycle.

Employment (1 vacancy) - The Employment Services Commercial Category are based across our Leeds, London and Sheffield Commercial Hubs (to note this vacancy will be based in Leeds)

An exciting opportunity has arisen based within the DWP’s Commercial Directorate supporting the Employment Services Category.

The Employment Category has responsibility for Market Management, Commissioning, Procurement and in life running of all External Employment provision including the Restart, Work & Health Programme, Access to Work and a raft of policy Test & Learn contracts.

The role is part of the Back to Work team, which includes all the major national programmes (Restart, Work & Health Programme (WHP), Intensive Personalised Employment Support (IPES) and Test & Learn for new trials/pilots.

The role will be working in the team that oversees the successful delivery of contracts of in excess of £2Billion and with up to c 400k participants and is a critical and politically visible part of the Departments delivery of ministerial directions.

The role of the Category is to work with other stakeholders to ensure value for money and delivery of the contracts in flight supporting the most vulnerable in society. As a commissioner the Category is a lynchpin of the Employment and skills market and plays an active market shaping role.

A key element of this role will be working with Policy Colleagues to determine the shape, size, and design of future Trials, as well as supporting in life management of existing programmes.

All the national contracts are large, complex, and politically sensitive.

Here is a summary of the Categories achievements and services we manage

  • In 22/23 delivered £126.2 million cash and efficiency savings
  • Winner 2021 Government Opportunities (GO) Overall Excellence Award and Award for COVID-19 Outstanding Response Award – Central Government Organisations.
  • In 2021, the Employment team won the DWP Finance Group Working Together Award
  • Winner 2018 CIPS Europe Overall Award and Award for Digital Innovation for the Dynamic Purchasing System. 
  • Highly Commended for the prestigious GO Awards in 2017, for Team of the Year category for European Social Fund (ESF). 
  • Procurement and Delivery of the Restart Scheme, providing claimants with enhanced support to find jobs in their local area. 
  • Delivery of an innovative ‘Future Market Strategy’ jointly owned by both Policy and Commercial.
  • Strategic market Stewardship approach alongside Contract Management and Partner Delivery (CMPD) colleagues to drive the market to meet our goals through SRM, Co-Opetition and a cultural shift.
  • An opportunity to really change people's lives with our Contracted Employment Programmes to support them back into work.

Service Delivery Commercial (SDC) (2 vacancies) - The Service Delivery Commercial (SDC) Category is based across our Blackpool, Leeds, and Manchester, Commercial Hubs (to note these vacancies are based in any of these locations).

SDC provide critical services to DWP and its customers enabling it to effectively deliver its objectives on behalf of the Secretary of State. Our contracts directly enable service delivery to millions of citizens who rely on DWP services across the country, we manage commercial contracts across the following key areas:  

  • Business Process Partnering (BPP) - provide a wide range of services to DWP such as case review work, fraud error and debt contracts to support operational delivery across thousands of staff and millions of citizens. 
  • Contact Centres (CC) – provide first line Contact Services enabling customers to contact us when required and provide the right support and guidance through some of the largest contracts of this type in the UK.
  • Operational Support Services (OSS) – provide critical Print, Post and Data storage services to ensure we communicate on time with all our citizens, manage data and support millions of citizens who use our services day to day.  

The Commercial Categories have a portfolio of contracts that are intrinsic to enabling DWP’s services and delivering citizens outcomes, which you will play a part in. Your work within the Category team will be fast paced, and requires pro-active and innovative thinking, with good communication skills and an outgoing and enthusiastic approach to challenges. The post holder will be required to take on commercial management responsibilities for existing or new contracts, so strong commercial skills will enable you to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders, to deliver and achieve joint outcomes.

Key activities will include:

  • Engaging with and influencing internal stakeholders to determine commercial strategies for future delivery of services.
  • Leading and supporting procurement and buying activities to deliver the pipeline of requirements.
  • Undertaking contract management, supplier performance and relationship management to drive continuous improvement.
  • Communicate effectively with stakeholders and suppliers on a regular basis to ensure information collected is up to date, accurate and helps ensure Senior Managers are able to make informed decisions that affect the category.
  • Support their respective line managers in all the necessary commercial activity to enable best Value for Money (VFM) solutions to be realised.
  • Line management and capability building within the team.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

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.

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