Senior Commercial & Contracts Officer

Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS); Manchester; Remote; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading organization in health and social care regulation is seeking a Senior Commercial & Contracts Officer. This role involves managing contracts and supplier relationships to ensure value for money and high-quality service delivery. The ideal candidate will have strong negotiation skills and experience in procurement, with a commitment to making a positive impact in health and social care.

Benefits

27 days' leave, rising to 32.5 days with service

Free access to Headspace meditation app

NHS pension scheme with 14% employer contribution

Sports and gym discounts

Cycle to work scheme

Employee assistance service 24/7

Qualifications

• Part qualified or actively working towards CIPS level 3.
• Experience in Commercial & Contracts role with understanding of procurement legislation.
• Strong negotiation skills and effective people management.

Responsibilities

• Support savings through effective negotiation of contracts.
• Manage relationships with external suppliers for value and service.
• Ensure compliance with procurement legislation.

Skills

Negotiation

Communication

Analytical Judgment

Problem Solving

Stakeholder Management

Education

CIPS Level 3

Job description

Senior Commercial & Contracts Officer

Grade C - £32,471 (National Framework) or £38,143 (London Framework – if you are London office based or homebased and live within the boundary of the M25) – There is also an additional homeworking allowance of £581 per annum for those working from home

Contracted Hours: Full time, 37 hours per week

Contract Type: 18 Month Fixed Term or Secondment Opportunity

Location: Homebased

Closing date: Thursday, 22 May 2025 at 11.59pm

This role is NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

Are you committed to helping us regulate health and social care within England?

When thinking about what drives you every day in your job, what keeps you motivated and passionate about your work, what comes to mind? For 3,000+ people at the CQC, we end each day knowing that we have made a difference to the lives of those most in need in our communities. We make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and encourage care services to improve. We are looking for people who are caring, demonstrate integrity, and work well as part of a team to join us and share in this sense of achievement. If you would like to help us make a positive impact on health and social care within England, then read on.

Why this could be a great role for you...

The central commercial function at CQC manages all the commercial activity for the organisation. The contracts we procure and manage range from small, short-term contracts to the large multi-million, multi-year contracts, spanning a broad range of categories from professional services and consultancy to IT and technology.

You will support the achievement of savings through effective negotiation of new or existing contract arrangements and provision of services. Additionally, you will manage day-to-day relationships with a range of external suppliers, ensuring that CQC receives value for money and the best possible service from its suppliers.

What we can offer you...

Your health and wellbeing are important to us and are supported through our benefits scheme:

- 27 days' leave per year, rising to 32.5 days with length of service, plus bank holidays (usually 8 days per year).
- Opportunities and support for in-house and external training and development.
- Free, unlimited access to Headspace meditation app.
- Sports and gym discounts.
- Free employee assistance service 24 hours a day.
- NHS pension scheme, with around a 14% employer contribution.
- Discounts to high street stores, supermarkets, restaurants and more.
- Eligibility to apply for a Blue Light Card, which costs £4.99 and is valid for 2 years.
- Fleet home electronics and car leasing salary sacrifice scheme.
- Cycle to work scheme up to the value of £5,000.
- Internal reward scheme where you could win a voucher or two!

We want to make working for CQC a great experience for everyone, and to role model a diverse and representative culture. To support an inclusive environment where colleagues feel empowered to bring their whole self to work, we support a variety of staff networks, including the Race Equality Network, LGBT+ Equality Network, Carers Equality Network, Disability Equality Network and Gender Equality Network.

What you will bring...

You will be part qualified or actively working towards a minimum of CIPS level 3.

You should have experience of working in a Commercial & Contracts role, with a solid understanding of procurement legislation and public procurement management issues, as well as experience of utilising central government frameworks.

Strong negotiation skills, effective people management, and excellent communication abilities, including report writing and negotiation are essential.

You must be an effective team worker with strong analytical judgment and problem-solving skills, be IT literate, and possess robust stakeholder management capabilities.

For an informal discussion or further information on the role, please contact Tim Spensley, Deputy Director of Commercial & Contracts at [e-mail]

Individual adjustments...

We are committed to being open and transparent around our processes and we endeavour to offer every candidate the opportunity to perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. We seek to support candidates to identify potential challenges and work with them to identify and facilitate reasonable adjustments as appropriate. Should you require assistance and/or would like to request a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact a member of the team via email: [e-mail].

Note for internal candidates:

As this is a secondment/fixed term opportunity, it is important that you read our recruitment and selection policy relating to secondments and you must discuss your application with your line manager before applying. Your line manager will need to consider the implications of the release, agree whether you can be released for a specific time and that the secondment represents a development opportunity/meets business needs.

Note for external candidates:

CQC are currently working through an organisational transformation programme which includes the creation of a new target operating model. This role is offered as a fixed term contract as part of the transition process to that new model. For further information on this, please visit https://www.cqc.org.uk/about-us/jobs/information-applicants

CQC is committed to promoting a fair and inclusive workplace where all our people can flourish and reach their full potential. We know diverse teams allow for a more creative and productive environment and therefore encourage applications from everyone regardless of: age, gender/sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

Candidates must ensure that all information provided in their application is detailed in their own words and is factually accurate. Any examples provided must be taken from personal experience. CQC abides by honesty and integrity as part of its core values; if evidence of plagiarism or generating answers from other sources is found, applications may be withdrawn.

Our Values

Excellence – Meeting our challenge to be a high-performing organisation
Caring – Treating everyone with dignity and respect
Integrity – Demonstrating our passion for ‘doing the right thing’
Teamwork – Enabling us to be the best we can