About us
Providing services to over 750,000 residents, supporting those at the most vulnerable times in their lives, and working across rural and urban communities with some of the most fantastic heritage and landscapes in the country. It is a significant responsibility, and the Commercial & Procurement Service sits at the heart of the organisation. We are transforming our approach, moving away from a traditional procurement service to driving a more commercial mindset across the Council. This means finding new and innovative ways of delivering value from savings to service improvements, from innovation in delivery to shaping the environment, economy, and communities that we partner with. As part of this transformation, we're expanding our new Commercial & Procurement Service and structuring ourselves around 4 pillars.
Strategic Commercial Partnering – senior commercial experts working closely with senior stakeholders to identify and explore long‑term opportunities, scan the horizon for risks, and bring new commercial delivery models to the table such as joint ventures, Local Authority Trading Companies, and a range of investment options.
Commercial Service Delivery – the engine room of the service delivering day‑to‑day projects from insourcing, outsourcing, and re‑procurement, utilising the new freedoms under the Procurement Act 2023 to craft the most effective commercial processes to achieve the outcomes we want for our residents.
Contract & Supplier Management – setting the standard for excellent contract management across the Council, working with our decentralised contract manager community to professionalise our capability, and leading the contract & supplier management activity for our most complex and strategically critical agreements.
Commercial Excellence – from providing analytics, developing our commercial system roadmap, curating a commercial curriculum, to setting policies, developing templates and tools, and supporting the efficacy of our service as a whole, the Excellence team underpins our efforts to drive more commerciality across the Council.
Core Values
* Always learning
* Be kind and care
* Equality and integrity in all we do
* Taking responsibility
* Daring to do it differently
About the Role
Are you ready to take ownership of impactful projects and become a trusted commercial adviser? As a Commercial Specialist at Oxfordshire County Council, you’ll build deep expertise in your chosen category while developing your skills across a variety of Commercial & Procurement projects. You’ll lead initiatives from concept to delivery, drive value for the council, and help shape the future of public sector procurement.
This role is part of our Commercial Service Delivery Team and works in the People pillar, helping shape the county of Oxfordshire. You’ll work across Digital, Property & FM, Professional Services, Communications, Finance, and other resourcing directorates.
Responsibilities
* Lead Procurement Activities: Deliver end‑to‑end service for low‑risk projects, ensuring compliance with regulations and council policies.
* Support Complex Projects: Assist senior colleagues on high‑risk or complex procurements, managing processes, drafting tender documents, evaluating bids, and supporting compliance.
* Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with internal stakeholders to understand their needs and ensure procurement aligns with council objectives.
* Conduct Market Research: Identify potential suppliers, understand market trends, and gather intelligence to inform procurement decisions.
* Perform Financial Analysis: Support cost analysis, budget monitoring, and identify opportunities for savings.
* Champion Sustainability: Implement best‑practice sustainability initiatives, seeking opportunities to improve outcomes through commercial projects and working with stakeholders to deliver them.
About You
* Experience delivering commercial projects.
* Understanding of commercial policy landscape and how to implement it effectively.
* Strong communication skills, able to inform, instruct, persuade, and encourage feedback with credibility.
* Strong persuasion and negotiation skills, able to influence outcomes and constructively challenge decisions.
* Proactive problem‑solving skills, with the ability to spot opportunities and manage risk.
* Commercial awareness, with an understanding of cost drivers, value for money, and how to deliver greater value.
* Ability to connect the dots across the organisation and implement change to maximise value.
* Experience with a range of commercial models (in‑sourcing, out‑sourcing, joint ventures, etc.) and capability development programmes (desirable).
* MCIPS qualified or equivalent commercial/procurement qualification, or willingness to work towards (desirable).
* Local Government experience is a plus, but not essential.
Rewards and Benefits
* Hybrid working – typically one day per month in our Oxford office for team collaboration, with flexibility to suit your role and lifestyle.
* Culture of flexible working
* Great learning and development opportunities to support your growth.
* Technology to support agile working – including unlimited access to Copilot for smarter productivity.
* Employee Assistance Programme – including health and wellbeing support.
* Generous annual leave – 30 days plus bank holidays, and an option to buy additional holiday.
* Enhanced family‑friendly policies
* Local Government Pension Scheme – with employer contributions up to 19.9%.
* Discounts – local and national offers for shopping and travel.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education and safe spaces for all.
Guaranteed Interview Schemes
As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job, and to those leaving care without any further education for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role within three years of leaving the service.
Safeguarding
Oxfordshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.
Flexible Working
We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi‑time, part‑time working, job‑sharing, nine‑day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.
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