Senior Commercial Lead - Supplier & Contract Mgt

NHS; Bristol; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

An opportunity at NHS, leading a Commercial Team responsible for a range of supplier contracts within the Science Goods and Services category. The role involves managing high-risk projects, developing supplier relationships, and ensuring compliance with quality standards. Applicants should have a Master's level education in purchasing and proven leadership skills, with significant experience in strategic sourcing and procurement.

Qualifications

• Proven capability in strategic sourcing and procurement management.
• Demonstrated experience managing high-value contracts and negotiations.
• Ability to lead teams and foster collaboration across functions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage large-scale supplier contracts and teams effectively.
• Develop strategic plans for procurement and contract management.
• Ensure excellent supplier performance and stakeholder satisfaction.

Skills

Leadership

Negotiation

Time Management

Problem-solving

Supplier Relationship Management

Education

Masters level education

CIPS Professional Diploma Level 6

Job description

Job summary

You will lead, manage, and be accountable for a Commercial Team with responsibility for approximately 160 supplier contracts within the Science Goods and Services category, including Blood Packs, Pathology and Managed Services for Blood Testing. You will ensure that all resources are focused on delivering sustainable, quality, and innovative commercial solutions in compliance with legislation.

As the leader of the Science Supplier and Contract Management team, you will need to bring a vision, a passion for delivery, and strong people management skills. You will provide professional expertise to formulate, develop, and implement long-term strategic plans for the category and contracts managed by the team. Additionally, you will actively engage and collaborate with internal stakeholders, suppliers, and public sector bodies to support our commercial strategies and their effectiveness.

You will continuously improve the commercial service delivered to stakeholders, enhance expertise, and build the capability and potential of the function. You will take a pivotal role in delivering significant cost improvements in a creative, innovative, and sustained manner to help us meet our financial objectives.

Main duties of the job

In this role you will support in the delivery of the planning & organisation, day to day operations, financial, quality targets and vision of the Commercial directorate within NHSBT. Your responsibilities will include:

• Developing and managing a portfolio of larger high-risk projects, typically with a high level of expenditure and/or complexity.
• Developing working relationships with key suppliers and ensuring excellent performance standards are achieved in line with contractual requirements and stakeholders expectations.
• Line managing the team and developing a culture that encourages open communication and ensures that people are managed through effective teamwork, leadership, and motivation across the team and wider Commercial function.
• Managing operational multi-stranded budgets for products and services within their category group.
• Leading and supporting in the preparation of complex tender documents, inviting tender bids from suppliers, including the selection of suppliers following pre-qualification analysis of supplier information and pre-tender commercial discussions.
• Leading and supporting category strategies, market shaping, strategic sourcing, and procurement.
• Developing long-term strategic plans for the sourcing, procurement, and delivery of contracts.

About us

It takes all types of people to deliver the kind of service that saves and improves lives. At NHS Blood and Transplant, you'll join a team of more than 6,000 people who are making a genuine difference to communities, families, friends, relatives and more across the UK. We play a unique and special role in the NHS by helping people do something extraordinary- donate blood, blood products, organs, tissues, or stem cells to save someone in need. Our three core values are what set us apart. They guide and inspire everything we do. By being caring, expertly meeting the needs of our patients and our people, and accepting nothing less than the best quality, we can do extraordinary work and help our people to do something extraordinary in their career, too.

Three small words, one big difference - Caring, Expert and Quality. Together we'll save and improve more lives than ever. You will join us on our journey to create an inclusive workplace and aim to reflect the diverse communities we work with, and we positively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

Details Date posted

21 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£64,455 to £74,896 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

006954

Job locations

NHSBT

500 North Bristol Park

Filton, Bristol

United Kingdom

BS34 7QH

NHSBT - Tooting

75 Cranmer Terrace

London

SW17 0RB

NHSBT

Holland Drive

Newcastle Upon Tyne

NE2 4NQ

NHSBT

Vincent Drive

Birmingham

B15 2SG

NHSBT

Plymouth Grove

Manchester

M13 9LL

NHSBT

14 Estuary Banks

Speke, Liverpool

L24 8RB

NHSBT - Colindale

Charcot Road

London

NW9 5BG

Job description Job responsibilities

12 months Fixed Term / Secondment Development Opportunity

Please view the attached recruitment profile which is a summary of the detailed Job Description and Person Specification for the full personal attributes we require for the role. You will need to demonstrate these throughout the recruitment process.

This vacancy will close at 23:59 on Monday 28th July 2025.

Panel interviews to be held on 7th August 2025 subject to confirmation.

For informal conversation, please contact Wendy Thorne at [e-mail] .

Job description Job responsibilities

12 months Fixed Term / Secondment Development Opportunity

Please view the attached recruitment profile which is a summary of the detailed Job Description and Person Specification for the full personal attributes we require for the role. You will need to demonstrate these throughout the recruitment process.

This vacancy will close at 23:59 on Monday 28th July 2025.

Panel interviews to be held on 7th August 2025 subject to confirmation.

For informal conversation, please contact Wendy Thorne at [e-mail] .

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Educated to Masters level or equivalent experience in a professional purchasing area.
• CIPS Professional Diploma Level 6 or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrates commitment to own continued professional development (CPD).

Experience Essential

• Experience of Market Shaping, Strategic Sourcing, Procurement Strategy, and Contract Management including negotiation of significant value contracts and/or significant risk contracts, and disputes at a senior level.
• Supply chain management and supplier relationship management experience.
• The ability to lead strategic planning and implementation processes.
• Time Management skills and the ability to meet deadlines.
• Experience in using electronic sourcing and purchasing systems.
• Change management experience including awareness of impacts on Quality when implementing new contracts.
• Decision making and problem-solving skills.
• Leadership and management experience
• Experience of working with information technology using Microsoft Office packages (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams and PowerPoint).

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Educated to Masters level or equivalent experience in a professional purchasing area.
• CIPS Professional Diploma Level 6 or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrates commitment to own continued professional development (CPD).

Experience Essential

• Experience of Market Shaping, Strategic Sourcing, Procurement Strategy, and Contract Management including negotiation of significant value contracts and/or significant risk contracts, and disputes at a senior level.
• Supply chain management and supplier relationship management experience.
• The ability to lead strategic planning and implementation processes.
• Time Management skills and the ability to meet deadlines.
• Experience in using electronic sourcing and purchasing systems.
• Change management experience including awareness of impacts on Quality when implementing new contracts.
• Decision making and problem-solving skills.
• Leadership and management experience
• Experience of working with information technology using Microsoft Office packages (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams and PowerPoint).

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details Employer name

NHS Blood and Transplant

Address

NHSBT

500 North Bristol Park

Filton, Bristol

United Kingdom

BS34 7QH

Employer's website

https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details Employer name

NHS Blood and Transplant

Address

NHSBT

500 North Bristol Park

Filton, Bristol

United Kingdom

BS34 7QH

Employer's website

https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)