Commercial Practitioner

National Crime Agency; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A national law enforcement agency in the UK is seeking professionals to join their Commercial team. The roles involve contributing to the procurement process, managing supplier engagements, and ensuring compliance with regulations. Candidates must demonstrate strong communication and negotiation skills, along with the ability to manage risks and deadlines effectively. This role offers a salary of £45,326 and substantial benefits including a pension scheme and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Civil Service pension scheme

26 days annual leave, increasing to 31

Training and development opportunities

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Proven ability to work independently and manage workload.
• Experience in leading supplier engagement and managing risks.
• Strong understanding of procurement processes and regulations.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the procurement process for the NCA.
• Lead the end-to-end tendering process.
• Manage supplier performance against key performance indicators.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Communication skills

Negotiation

Project management

Cost management

Risk management

Job description

These are fascinating, challenging roles at the heart of the NCA’s Commercial team with a direct impact on protecting the public from serious and organised crime.

In these roles you will contribute to the procurement process, delivering commercial excellence for the NCA and providing a customer-focused service. The roles are varied as you will be expected to operate within relevant frameworks in order to contribute to all stages of the procurement process, from gathering requirements from across the business in line with market research, through to the handing over of the contract to
contract and supplier management.

You will work as part of a larger team, but will be expected to work independently by prioritising and managing your own workload to deliver to deadlines and to respond to changing operational demands.

Please be aware that this role will require some travel to other NCA sites and to Partner premises as needed.

Duties and Responsiblities

• Working effectively with senior staff in the supplier organisation and establishing appropriate governance and relationship arrangements.
• Applying the organisations and government-wide key performance indicators (KPIs) and measures supplier performance against them.
• Briefing and training evaluators in the use of e-sourcing tools (e.g. managing supplier correspondence).
• Developing the bidders’ packs including reviewing and clarifying the specification, drafting appropriate tools and considering optimal pricing and incentivisation mechanisms for simple low value purchases and procurements.
• Leading and managing the end to end tendering process.
• Debriefing unsuccessful suppliers.
• Participating in strategic and business negotiations in order to deliver the agreed strategy and comply with the procurement process.
• Leading supplier engagement across a variety of stages within the procurement process.
• Using methods and strategic relationships to manage risks and foster high quality, reliable and on time delivery of products and services, which are only available from one supplier.
• Working effectively with the contract management function as part of the contract management mobilisation phase.
• Applying a strong visual project management approach to procurement projects.
  Identifying and communicating perceived and relevant areas of risk (to include cyber, personnel and physical risks) and gaining agreement on how best to manage/mitigate.
• Using cost models and associated commercial and security concepts.

Person specification

The below expected skills and behaviours are from the Government Commercial Function (GCF) People Standards for the Profession:

• Works with stakeholders both internally and externally in order to understand the needs of the business and wider cross-government strategies and then building those needs into the category strategy in the area of responsibility.
• Demonstrates the importance of communication with stakeholders at different levels and ensuring they understand what progress and benefits have been achieved.
• Applies the standards to eliminate corruption, fraud and unethical behaviour in supply chains, taking appropriate actions in the event of any alleged breach of standards.
• Demonstrates resilience in resolving issues internally and in working with others in the team to manage setbacks.
• Works on own strengths, skill gaps and career aspirations and understands how to build own capability.
• Leads on knowledge sharing within the team.
• Demonstrates different communication styles with different audiences.
• Demonstrates how markets and elementary economics factors may determine a market shape.
• Demonstrates the importance of understanding the needs of the business and translating them into category objectives.
• Demonstrates the importance of ensuring the whole category management cycle is considered from the start.
• Applies understanding of how the security requirements of departments are wide ranging and applies proportionally to all contracts.
• Demonstrates how to obtain data on past patterns of spend. Identifies those parts of the organisation that have or are likely to have needs in the particular area in question.
• Applies tools and techniques that can be used to benchmark the current state of the category and to determine future requirements and is able to use some under supervision.
• Identifies the type of supplies/services required and potentially suitable suppliers and markets.
• Develops category and sourcing strategy. Applies strategies and implements agreed sourcing plans.
• Demonstrates the importance of baselining costs in order to build expected benefits into category strategies and is able to contribute to the development of sourcing plans.
• Demonstrates the benefits specified in the business case and the impact on their own role.
• Adapts to changing circumstances without losing sight of business objectives.
• Demonstrates the importance of developing effective negotiation skills.
• Applies the procurement regulatory framework and demonstrates how it links to the implementation of policy objectives

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Track record in the delivery of cost savings or service level improvements and reporting against them.
• Demonstrates the ability to communicate with stakeholders at all levels using different communication styles.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,326, National Crime Agency contributes £13,130 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

All officers in the NCA are members of the UK Civil Service. You will be eligible for:
Civil Service pension scheme 26 days annual leave rising to 31 on completion of 5 years continuous service.

• If qualifying criteria is met new joiners to the NCA from UK Police Forces or UKIC will have service with those employers taken into account for continuous service purposes for Annual Leave entitlement only, this will be up to a maximum of 31 days leave (including 1 privilege day).
• Training and development opportunities
• Special leave
• Flexible working and family friendly policies
• Cycle to work scheme
• Blue Light scheme
• A range of sporting and other activities on offer
• We can provide flexible working arrangements if the role in question is suitable. This includes flexi-time, job sharing, and compressed hours (working contracted hours over a shorter period).

For further details on benefits please visit ourbenefits and support page.

Things you need to know Selection process details

This vacancy is usingSuccess Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

If you wish to apply for this vacancy, you must submit your application by 18/08/2025, 23:55