Role Purpose
The Commercial Director is accountable for delivering the organisation’s commercial strategy, supporting sustainable growth, strong commercial/contractual governance, commercial/contractual risk management, and driving value for money across all commercial relationships. The role encompasses all commercial/contractual activity in the business across the lifecycle of opportunities and contracts, balancing risk, compliance, and profitability as part of the Leadership team. This is a hands‑on role with support from the wider leadership team as required.
Key Responsibilities
Commercial Strategy & Leadership
- Develop, produce and deliver the organisation’s commercial strategy aligned to corporate objectives and growth plans.
- Act as a senior advisor on the Executive Team and to the Board, where required, on commercial risk, opportunity, and performance.
- Lead, develop, and inspire high‑performing commercial culture, promoting strong ethical standards and commercial discipline.
- Ensure compliance with commercial controls and performance management across partners and suppliers, products, services, and customers to optimise margin, competitiveness, and long‑term value.
Bids, Pricing & Revenue
- Ensure agreed pricing strategy, approvals, and governance process are being followed.
- Provide sound commercial inputs and support for major bids, tenders, and negotiations, including complex procurements.
- Ensure pricing models reflect qualified risk, cost to serve.
- Challenge and support business cases, investments, and new propositions.
Partner and Supplier Management
- Maximise the commercial value realised from partner and supplier relationships, through performance and commercial reviews, whilst mitigating commercial risk and owning commercial disputes.
- Responsible for supplier and partner contractual reviews, negotiations, variations and obligations.
- Maintain a robust contracts register for both Customer and Supplier base including key term summaries for each major contract.
Contracting & Negotiation
- Participate in negotiations on high‑value, complex, and strategically important customer contracts.
- Lead negotiations on high‑value, complex, and strategically important supplier contracts taking inputs from relevant relationship owners.
- Draft and structure robust contracts that manage risk, protect the organisation, and enable delivery.
- Manage the contract lifecycle, including variations, extensions, disputes, and renewals.
- Work closely with Finance and Operational teams to ensure contracts are commercially and operationally viable.
- Support any business transformation activity.
Governance, Risk & Compliance
- Provide and operate clear commercial governance, including enhancement of contract review/approval process.
- Ensure compliance with relevant legislation and policy, including public‑sector regulations and value‑for‑money requirements.
- Ensure the correct identification, assessment, and management of commercial risks.
- Drive continuous improvement in commercial controls, tools, and data quality.
Stakeholder & Customer Management
- Build strong, trusted relationships with senior customers, partners, and suppliers.
- Represent the organisation in strategic customer, partner and supplier discussions, escalations, and negotiations in conjunction with relationship owners.
- Support operational leaders in resolving commercial issues and maintaining client confidence.
Essential
Key Skills & Experience
- Hands‑on, in the detail approach, whilst being able to summarise succinctly
- Capable of operating as an individual contributor in cross functional teams
- Proven experience operating at senior commercial leadership level (Director / Head of Commercial or equivalent).
- Governance of internal commercial, sales and procurement processes.
- Law Degree or equivalent qualification.
- Deep expertise in commercial strategy, pricing, contracting, and negotiation.
- Proven to have a Win/Win approach.
- Strong supplier/vendor management experience.
- Complex and high value contractual negotiation skills.
- End‑to‑end contract lifecycle management expertise.
- Strong understanding of public‑sector or regulated environments and complex governance frameworks.
- Track record of leading and developing commercial culture across the organisation.
- Track record of personally delivering commercial outcomes as a sole, hands‑on practitioner.
- Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills at executive and board level.
- Strong financial, numeracy, commercial, and risk analysis capability.
- Effective dispute resolution skills.
- Evidence of embracing new technologies and future ways of working.
Desirable
- Experience within public services, government, or large outsourced service environments.
- Knowledge of public procurement frameworks and UK regulatory requirements.
- Experience leading major transformation or commercial capability uplift.
- Positive approach to Social Value.
Personal Attributes
- Strategic thinker with strong hands‑on, execution focus.
- Confident decision‑maker, able to balance risk and opportunity.
- High integrity, resilient, articulate and comfortable with challenge.
- Pragmatic, collaborative, and outcome focused.
