Assistant Director - Commercial

Government Recruitment Service; Southampton; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension (28.97%)

25 days annual leave + bank holidays

Flexible working options

Job summary

Government Recruitment Service in Southampton is seeking an Assistant Director Commercial to join the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's Finance and Analysis Directorate. The role delivers strategic leadership for MCA’s commercial activity, with oversight of procurement and value-for-money across a c.

£500m budget. The position offers generous benefits including a Civil Service pension, 25 days annual leave (rising with service) and flexible working options.

Qualifications

• Background in Commercial, Procurement or Category Management at a strategic level.

Responsibilities

• Leading MCA’s Commercial Strategy, ensuring alignment with MCA objectives, financial plans and the Government Commercial Function Strategy.
• Leading MCA’s Commercial team, embedding continuous improvement and high performance, and ensuring effective commercial support, advice and stakeholder engagement.
• Providing strategic procurement advice and commercial challenge on high-impact, high-value and business-critical requirements, including specifications, market engagement, procurement routes, risk allocation and contract structures.
• Maintaining strategic oversight of key supplier relationships and critical commercial markets to strengthen resilience, competition, innovation and long-term value throughout the contract lifecycle.
• Leading commercial assurance across the Agency, including commercial controls, approval processes, procurement governance and assurance frameworks.

Job description

Can you provide strategic leadership and oversight of complex commercial activity, ensuring robust decision-making and value for money?

Do you have experience of leading high-value or business-critical commercial activity, managing risk and strengthening commercial governance?

Can you inspire a high-performing commercial team, build organisational capability and influence senior stakeholders to achieve successful outcomes?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is seeking an Assistant Director Commercial to join the Finance and Analysis Directorate. The MCA is an Executive Agency of the Department for Transport, providing multiple statutory functions as flag, port and coastal State and delivering international obligations for search and rescue, environmental protection and responding to major maritime incidents. The Commercial function is a key enabler for the Agency, helping ensure we can deliver against this remit.

As part of the Finance and Analysis Directorate, the Commercial team is responsible for MCA’s Commercial Strategy, managing the procurement of goods and services for the Agency, and helping ensure its c. £500m total budget is deployed efficiently and delivers value for money.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at: Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Department for Transport Careers

As the Assistant Director Commercial, you will report to the Director of Finance and Analysis and provide strategic leadership and oversight of MCA’s commercial activity, ensuring robust commercial decision-making and value for money.

As a key member of the Finance and Analysis Directorate Senior Management Team, you will provide effective and inspiring leadership to the Commercial team, fostering a high-performing culture through continuous improvement. You will also contribute to wider Agency leadership and deputise for the Director as required.

Your background and experience maybe in Commercial, Procurement or Category Management performing at a strategic level and providing effective leadership.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

• Leading MCA’s Commercial Strategy, ensuring alignment with MCA objectives, financial plans and the Government Commercial Function Strategy.
• Leading MCA’s Commercial team, embedding continuous improvement and high performance, and ensuring effective commercial support, advice and stakeholder engagement.
• Providing strategic procurement advice and commercial challenge on high-impact, high-value and business-critical requirements, including specifications, market engagement, procurement routes, risk allocation and contract structures.
• Maintaining strategic oversight of key supplier relationships and critical commercial markets to strengthen resilience, competition, innovation and long-term value throughout the contract lifecycle.
• Leading commercial assurance across the Agency, including commercial controls, approval processes, procurement governance and assurance frameworks.
• Supporting MCA’s Accounting Officer by ensuring commercial decisions and procurement activity meet requirements for regularity, propriety, value for money and feasibility, and comply with procurement legislation, delegated authorities and government policy.
• Ensuring MCA aligns with the Government Functional Standard for Commercial, relevant guidance and playbooks, and representing MCA at the DfT Group Commercial Board.
• Building organisational commercial capability through coaching, professional development, knowledge sharing and promotion of commercial best practice.
• Building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, using insight and constructive challenge to influence decision-making and secure successful outcomes.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Assistant Director - Commercial

Company: Government Recruitment Service Salary: £72,281 to £72,281 a year Hours: Full-time Location: Southampton Job type: Permanent Posting date: 19 Oct 2026 Closing date: 1 Nov 2026

Summary

Can you provide strategic leadership and oversight of complex commercial activity, ensuring robust decision-making and value for money?

Do you have experience of leading high-value or business-critical commercial activity, managing risk and strengthening commercial governance?

Can you inspire a high-performing commercial team, build organisational capability and influence senior stakeholders to achieve successful outcomes?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is seeking an Assistant Director Commercial to join the Finance and Analysis Directorate. The MCA is an Executive Agency of the Department for Transport, providing multiple statutory functions as flag, port and coastal State and delivering international obligations for search and rescue, environmental protection and responding to major maritime incidents. The Commercial function is a key enabler for the Agency, helping ensure we can deliver against this remit.

As part of the Finance and Analysis Directorate, the Commercial team is responsible for MCA’s Commercial Strategy, managing the procurement of goods and services for the Agency, and helping ensure its c. £500m total budget is deployed efficiently and delivers value for money.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at: Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Department for Transport Careers

As the Assistant Director Commercial, you will report to the Director of Finance and Analysis and provide strategic leadership and oversight of MCA’s commercial activity, ensuring robust commercial decision-making and value for money.

As a key member of the Finance and Analysis Directorate Senior Management Team, you will provide effective and inspiring leadership to the Commercial team, fostering a high-performing culture through continuous improvement. You will also contribute to wider Agency leadership and deputise for the Director as required.

Your background and experience maybe in Commercial, Procurement or Category Management performing at a strategic level and providing effective leadership.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

• Leading MCA’s Commercial Strategy, ensuring alignment with MCA objectives, financial plans and the Government Commercial Function Strategy.
• Leading MCA’s Commercial team, embedding continuous improvement and high performance, and ensuring effective commercial support, advice and stakeholder engagement.
• Providing strategic procurement advice and commercial challenge on high-impact, high-value and business-critical requirements, including specifications, market engagement, procurement routes, risk allocation and contract structures.
• Maintaining strategic oversight of key supplier relationships and critical commercial markets to strengthen resilience, competition, innovation and long-term value throughout the contract lifecycle.
• Leading commercial assurance across the Agency, including commercial controls, approval processes, procurement governance and assurance frameworks.
• Supporting MCA’s Accounting Officer by ensuring commercial decisions and procurement activity meet requirements for regularity, propriety, value for money and feasibility, and comply with procurement legislation, delegated authorities and government policy.
• Ensuring MCA aligns with the Government Functional Standard for Commercial, relevant guidance and playbooks, and representing MCA at the DfT Group Commercial Board.
• Building organisational commercial capability through coaching, professional development, knowledge sharing and promotion of commercial best practice.
• Building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, using insight and constructive challenge to influence decision-making and secure successful outcomes.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

About Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme