Commercial Assurance Lead x2

The Department for Transport (DfT) works with our Agencies, Arms Length Bodies and partners

to support the transport network that helps the UKs businesses and gets people and goods travelling around the country. We plan and invest in transport infrastructure to keep the UK on the move.

This Commercial Assurance Lead role presents a fantastic opportunity for a commercial professional to engage and influence, through commercial assurance, commercial arrangements for the nations major transport infrastructure projects.

The role will help the successful candidate build their commercial career and enhance their CV through involvement in complex, high value transport infrastructure projects.

The role sits within the Group Commercial Directorate, specifically in the Commercial Lifecycle Assurance, Supply Chain and Category Management (ASCCM) team, and is a fantastic opportunity to become involved with our major projects and supply chains and to help ensure delivery of effective commercial strategies in support of UK growth.

The culture within DfT is friendly, welcoming and supportive. One of our strategic priorities is to Be an Excellent Department, which entails:

• Striving to be the best we can be.
• Delivering the best outcomes for the travelling public.
• Being a department that continuously improves its delivery, and where people feel well supported, are able to reach their potential and enjoy working.

Important information for applicants

We have two posts available. One is a permanent post and the second is a fixed term appointment until April 2027 for maternity cover.

The Commercial Assurance Lead will provide scrutiny and expert, robust challenge, covering all commercial affairs, ensuring that senior management and governance bodies are advised of procurement and commercial risks in the delivery of the Departments aims and objectives.

The position will involve cross functional working within the DfT Group Commercial Operating Model, undertaking commercial assurance reviews for a portfolio of projects from across the Department, and reporting to Investment Boards and the Commercial Assurance Board.

The post holder will be able to influence the commercial arrangements for some of the UKs most significant and critical transport projects through close and ongoing progressive assurance engagement, and will expose the successful candidates to a number of different commercial categories, approaches and models. The post will suit applicants with a wide range of procurement and contract management experience.

The successful candidate will:

• Lead and support the delivery of commercial assurance of a portfolio of Projects across the DfT Group, including its Arms Length Bodies and Agencies
• Identify commercial risks and present solutions to key stakeholders
• Engage with and influence senior commercial leaders on approaches to development, implementation and management of complex commercial arrangements and risks across the Department and with wider Government
• Manage the interface between Projects and the Department for Transports Commercial Assurance Board, including providing assurance briefings to the Board, and managing the outcomes of the Boards decisions
• Constructively challenge commercial approaches at Governance Boards
• Maintain a forward look of the commercial assurance pipeline
• Capture and share lessons learned across the commercial community
• Review complex, high value business cases as part of the Commercial Centre of Excellence function, and to provide briefings to the Commercial Director and Investment Committees prior to endorsement decisions
• Ensure alignment between progressive assurance and Commercial Assurance Board (CAB) reviews
• Provide reports on assurance activity and commercial considerations for each project
• Maintain a tracker for each assurance project to produce a formal review and approval stages history