Commercial Support Officer

Job Introduction

About us

Providing services to over 750,000+ residents, supporting them 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 opportunities and risks, and bringing 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 the day-to-day projects from insourcing, outsourcing, and re-procurements, utilising the new freedoms under the Procurement Act 2023 to craft the most effective commercial processes to achieve the outcomes we want to achieve 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 our policies, developing templates and tools, and supporting driving the efficacy of our service as a whole, the Excellence team underpin our efforts to drive more commerciality across the Council.

As a service we’re committed to recruiting on potential. The details below set out the specifics of the role we’re recruiting for, and we want to encourage anyone with relevant experience to apply who is motivated by the Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) mission to support our residents and wants to be part of a transformation of a commercial & procurement service.

At OCC, you’ll be part of a team that’s not only passionate about what we do - but also about how we do it. We foster a culture of inclusion, respect, and continuous improvement, and we’re proud to offer flexible working arrangements, professional development opportunities, and a strong sense of purpose in everything we do.

Our core values are at the heart of everything we do. They shape our culture and guide how we work, lead and grow together:

• Always learning
• Be kind and care
• Equality and integrity in all we do
• Taking responsibility
• Daring to do it differently

What You’ll Do

Are you ready to kickstart your career in commercial and procurement, working at the heart of a dynamic public sector team? Working in the Commercial Excellence Team as a Commercial Support Officer at Oxfordshire County Council, you’ll gain hands-on experience across a variety of Commercial & Procurement projects, building your expertise and making a real difference to the services that support our communities. This is your opportunity to develop as a high-potential professional, learning from experts and taking the lead on meaningful work.

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Support Procurement Activities: Assist senior colleagues in preparing and managing procurement processes, drafting tender documents, evaluating bids, and ensuring compliance with regulations. 
• Assisting Supplier Management: Build and maintain relationships with suppliers, monitor their performance, and help resolve issues to ensure high standards of service delivery. 
• Supporting Contract Management: Help administer contracts, ensure terms and conditions are met, and manage contract variations or amendments. 
• Market Research: Identify potential suppliers, analyse market trends, and gather intelligence to inform procurement decisions. 
• Supply Chain Mapping: Develop a clear picture of supplier relationships and risks, providing insights to support business continuity. 
• Financial Analysis: Support cost analysis, budget monitoring, and identify opportunities for savings. 
• Compliance and Reporting: Ensure all procurement activities comply with laws and council policies, and help prepare reports and respond to FOI requests. 
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with internal stakeholders to understand their needs and ensure procurement aligns with council objectives. 
• Training & Development: Help build and deliver commercial training programmes to develop capability across the service and wider community. 
• Purchase to Pay: Support the Finance P2P team with supplier set-ups, approvals, and process optimisation.
• Wider Service Support: Support the Commercial & Procurement Service by raising shopping carts on behalf of the team, owning a Procurement card and transacting necessary purchases, and working to ensure the smooth and efficient operating of the service.

What You’ll Bring

• A passion for learning and a desire to develop expertise across commercial and procurement activities. 
• Good communication skills—able to inform, instruct, persuade, and encourage feedback with credibility. 
• Good 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 basic 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 delivering commercial projects, understanding commercial policy, or designing capability development programmes (desirable, not essential). 
• MCIPS / IACCM / WCC / NEC qualification or willingness to work towards one (desirable, not essential). 
• Local Government experience is a plus, but not essential.

Before applying, we recommend reviewing the attached job summary. It has further information and clear guidance on what we’re looking for.

Rewards and benefits

• Hybrid working – typically one day per week in our Oxford office for team collaboration plus a wider monthly team day, 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 – 28 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
• Find out more about us and our benefits: Job Benefits | Oxfordshire County Council

Application process

• If you are interested in this role, please submit your application by 29th March 2026.
• When applying, please upload a current CV and a personal statement:
  CV: Include your employment history and relevant experience.
  Personal Statement: Describe how your skills and experience align with the role, referring to the essential criteria and person specification. 
• The job description sets out our ideal, but we value diverse strengths and potential. If your experience aligns with much of what we’re looking for, please consider applying. 
• Shortlisting is expected to take place week commencing 30th March 2026.
• Interviews are expected to take place in our central Oxford office. Further details will be shared with shortlisted candidates.

For informal enquiries or further information about the role, please contact Max Button at max.button@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

Please note this job advert may close early if demand is high, so it is encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

 Our commitment to: 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.
 
Our commitment to: 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. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to helping and 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.
 
Our commitment to: Safeguarding
 Oxfordshire County Council are 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.

 Our commitment to: Flexible Working
 We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, full time and 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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 If you encounter any technical issues with the application system, please contact us at: careers@oxfordshire.gov.uk