Commercial Support Team Manager – Braintree District Council

Essex County Council; Great Holland; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Hybrid working arrangements

Local Government Pension Scheme

Free Car Parking

Learning and development for all staff

Staff Discounts

Employee Assistance Programme

Staff recognition schemes

Health and wellbeing programme

Job summary

Braintree District Council is seeking a skilled Commercial Support Team Manager to lead the Sales and Markets teams, steering performance, workloads and wellbeing while delivering a high-quality, customer-focused service.

This permanent role, advertised by Essex County Council on behalf of the Council, provides hybrid working options, a salary of £37,896 to £41,541 per annum, and opportunities to shape commercial growth through data-driven insights and strong stakeholder collaboration across the

Qualifications

• Significant team-management experience and strong commercial judgement with analytical IT skills.
• Proven experience in winning new customers and developing lasting relationships.
• Knowledge of local government and waste management is desirable; travel may be required.

Responsibilities

• Manage and develop the Commercial Support Team, delivering high-quality, customer-focused services and achieving service objectives.
• Foster a high-performing, commercially aware culture through coaching, training, succession planning and continuous improvement, while overseeing employee performance and conduct matters.
• Drive the development and delivery of innovative commercial initiatives to enhance services, increase market presence and improve customer outcomes.
• Support the development and implementation of commercial opportunities using market insight and customer intelligence to grow income streams.
• Analyze market trends, competitor activity, customer behaviour and emerging opportunities to shape commercial strategy.
• Contribute to robust business cases, feasibility assessments and investment proposals to support service innovation and growth.
• Drive customer acquisition, retention and account growth through targeted business development and relationship management.
• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with businesses, developers, landlords, agents and key stakeholders.
• Work collaboratively to identify new markets, develop commercial propositions and promote sustainable growth.
• Use financial and commercial performance data to monitor income generation, forecast growth opportunities and identify initiatives to improve profitability.
• Develop and utilise commercial performance metrics and customer insights to drive continuous service improvement.

Job description

Commercial Support Team Manager - Braintree District Council

Braintree District Council

Permanent, Full Time

£37,896 to £41,541 per annum

Location: Braintree

Closing Date: 8th November 2026

Essex County Council (ECC) are delighted to be supporting Braintree Council to recruit this Commercial Support Team Manager role.

The Opportunity:

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced people manager to join our Commercial Support team.

About the Role

Taking responsibility for the management of the Sales and Markets teams, you will lead on performance, workloads and wellbeing, coach and develop staff and deal with performance or conduct issues.

You will maximise commercial income, identify new opportunities that support the Council’s wider ambitions and ensure the team delivers a high-quality, customer-focused service.

You will also drive the development and delivery of innovative commercial initiatives, identifying opportunities to enhance services, increase market presence and improve customer outcomes in line with the Council's strategic objectives, as well as using performance data to improve services and growing income and customer relationships through market insight, business development and partnerships. Job Accountabilities

• Manage and develop the Commercial Support Team, managing performance, workloads and staff wellbeing to deliver high-quality, customer-focused services and achieve service objectives.
• Foster a high-performing, commercially aware culture through coaching, training, succession planning and continuous improvement, while overseeing employee performance and conduct matters.
• Drive the development and delivery of innovative commercial initiatives, identifying opportunities to enhance services, increase market presence and improve customer outcomes in line with the Council's strategic objectives.
• Support the development and implementation of commercial opportunities, using market insight and customer intelligence to grow income streams, strengthen customer retention and enhance the Council's commercial offer.
• Analyse market trends, competitor activity, customer behaviour and emerging opportunities to shape commercial strategy, inform service development and maintain a competitive position.
• Contribute to robust business cases, feasibility assessments and investment proposals to support service innovation, commercial growth and evidence-based decision making.
• Drive customer acquisition, retention and account growth through targeted business development activity, relationship management and the continuous enhancement of commercial services.
• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with businesses, developers, landlords, agents and key stakeholders to identify opportunities, generate leads and support commercial expansion.
• Work collaboratively across internal and external networks to identify new markets, develop commercial propositions and promote sustainable economic and commercial growth across the district.
• Use financial and commercial performance data to monitor income generation, forecast growth opportunities and identify initiatives that improve profitability and long-term sustainability.
• Develop and utilise commercial performance metrics, customer insights and sales analysis to evaluate effectiveness, identify trends and drive continuous service improvement and growth.
• Provide accurate performance management information within Operations and hold responsibility for approving Pentana updates, including KPIs, on a monthly and quarterly basis and/or as required.
• Ensure all areas of the service are compliant and that all new commercial customers are appropriately regulated prior to commencement of any service.
• Ensure corporate governance, processes and practices are fully adhered to in respect of all commercial activities within the Operations department.
• Work with the Operations Waste team to provide technical advice and guidance in respect of all commercial planning applications, aligning with government requirements for non-domestic waste collections.

Experience

With significant team-management experience, you will have good commercial judgement and excellent communication, interpersonal and IT skills, with the ability to analyse commercial performance data.

Proven experience in winning new customers and developing lasting relationships is essential for this role.

A good knowledge of local government and the challenges it faces, as well as in-cab technology for waste and commercial waste experience is desirable.

Car owner/driver required (or ability to travel) due to extensive travel across the Braintree District to attend meetings and events, including occasional work outside normal office hours.

If you combine commercial thinking with great leadership and customer service skills, we would love to hear from you.

Why choose Braintree District Council?

Braintree is an ambitious and dynamic Council and is becoming one of the fastest growing Districts in the East of England with three growing towns, London just 45 minutes away and the District located directly between the international transport centres of Stansted Airport and Harwich and Felixstowe International Ports. We have a deserved track record for delivering and a strong reputation within the business community.

Braintree District Council is a great place to work. We pride ourselves on our creative and innovative approach, which is led by our employees, and are committed to having an engaged workforce who understand our strategy and how they can help deliver it. Our people see the difference they make and how the work they do actively contributes to and encourages positive change in the local community.

We also offer some great benefits, including:

• Competitive pay and benefits
• Flexible working
• Hybrid working arrangements are available in this role (home/office based) subject to business need
• Local Government Pension Scheme Defined Benefit Scheme
• Free Car Parking
• Learning and development for all staff
• Staff Discounts
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Staff recognition schemes
• Extensive health and wellbeing programme, including discounted gym membership

Closing date for receipt of applications: Midnight on Sunday 8th November 2026.

Interviews will take place during the week commencing 16th November.

Please Note – Essex County Council is advertising this role on behalf of Braintree District Council and if successful you will be employed by Braintree District Council.