Commercial Strategy Lead

1st Executive Ltd; Reading; On-site; Full time

Job summary

A leading company is seeking a Commercial Strategy Lead to manage high-value procurement activities in a complex environment. This role involves delivering commercial planning and strategy for a significant UK Defence project, focusing on navigating regulations and stakeholder engagement. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in commercial strategy, supply chain management, and contract law, ensuring value delivery in a hybrid working model.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience translating business needs into policy objectives.
• Strong commercial knowledge and understanding of contract law.

Responsibilities

• Devising commercial strategies for high-value procurements.
• Building relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Establishing negotiation strategies for contracts.

Skills

Stakeholder Engagement

Commercial Knowledge

Procurement Rules

Supply Chain Management

Market Data Analysis

Job description

Overview

This is an opportunity to be involved in a massive programme associated with long-term UK Defence Strategy. We are looking for people from complex high-value public procurement backgrounds who can navigate complex and strategically challenging environments.

Summary:

Delivering commercial planning, strategy, market management, and procurement lifecycle for all pre-contract activities. We need a commercial specialist who will deliver defined project outputs, enabling leadership to fully mobilise and establish a new function without compromising short-term requirements.

The Commercial Strategy Lead will deliver high-value, high-risk procurement activities, focusing on pre-contract commercial strategy. This role demands significant experience in managing infrastructure, construction, estates, liabilities, and partnership frameworks, demonstrating value leadership in delivery.

You will need to navigate a highly regulated environment governed by PCR (Public Contracts Regulations) to manage complex, multi-stakeholder procurement projects on a nuclear site, focusing on a decommissioning and demolition programme.

Role: Commercial Strategy Lead

Location: Reading, Berkshire (Hybrid working)

Salary: £700-£800 per day outside IR35

Key Responsibilities:

• Devising suitable commercial strategies for complex, high-value procurements and contracts
• Contributing to the development of business unit strategies
• Managing, developing, and maintaining commercial strategies and creating and implementing sourcing plans
• Building strong relationships with senior stakeholders, including officials and ministers across various functions
• Overseeing data collection to support the development of commercial strategies
• Combining market data analysis with strategic considerations to advise on future market changes
• Understanding the role of prime contractors in managing supply chains, security of supply, and contingencies
• Evaluating mergers and acquisitions' impacts on supply chains
• Identifying routes to market, conducting early market engagement, and assessing delivery models
• Establishing negotiation strategies with clear parameters

Key Experience:

• Extensive experience translating business needs into policy objectives
• Practical experience developing and implementing business strategies via supply chain management
• Ability to apply procurement rules and link them to policy objectives
• Strong commercial knowledge, understanding trade-offs, and applying commercial principles within contract law
• Proven ability to secure value for money and good ROI on projects

Key Behaviours:

• Ability to manage and build team confidence, resolve setbacks, and implement change
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills and ability to influence decision-making
• Ability to articulate commercial motivations and stakeholder expectations
• Commitment to standards that eliminate corruption, fraud, and unethical behaviour in supply chains, with appropriate action on breaches

If you want to work in a rapidly growing organisation undergoing significant change on one of the UK's most complex infrastructure projects, and you have the resilience and tenacity to push projects forward in a highly regulated environment, then reach out to me directly at [e-mail] or click Apply Now.