Strategic Commercial Manager - Resources

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

If you’re ready to make a meaningful difference and lead through values, we’d love to hear from you.

What You’ll Do

Are you ready to lead strategic procurement activities for some of the most complex and high-value contracts in local government? Oxfordshire County Council is seeking a talented Strategic Commercial Manager to join our team. This pivotal role ensures our procurement strategies deliver value for money and align with the council’s objectives. You’ll work closely with Strategic Commercial Partners, drive continuous improvement, and help shape the future of procurement across the council.

This role sits as part of our Commercial Service Delivery Team, leading the Resources pillar. This encompasses all of our corporate requirements, cutting across Digital, Property & FM, Professional Services, Communications, Finance, and other resourcing directorates.

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Lead the development and implementation of strategic procurement plans for high-value and complex contracts. 
• Manage the end-to-end procurement process, ensuring compliance with all relevant regulations and council policies. 
• Negotiate and deliver commercial projects to achieve the best value for the council. 
• Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders. 
• Provide expert advice on procurement strategies and best practices. 
• Monitor and report on procurement performance, identifying opportunities for improvement. 
• Ensure procurement activities support the council’s sustainability and social value objectives. 
• Lead and mentor a team of procurement professionals, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement. 
• Ensure compliance with public procurement regulations and best practice.

What You’ll Bring

• Proven experience delivering projects across the procurement lifecycle and across multiple procurement categories, particularly including resource categories such as Digital, Property & FM, and Professional Services. 
• Strong commercial awareness, with an ability to understand cost drivers, value for money, and identify opportunities for greater value. 
• Excellent persuasion and negotiation skills, able to influence outcomes and provide constructive challenge to senior managers. 
• Strong leadership skills to inspire and deliver high performance within your team and across cross-functional projects. 
• Ability to proactively solve problems, manage risk, and look for opportunities. 
• Experience in managing staff performance and development. 
• MCIPS qualification (or equivalent), or willingness to work towards it. 
• Excellent communication skills, able to articulate complex concepts and support capability building in others. 
• Experience with a range of commercial models (in-sourcing, out-sourcing, joint ventures, etc.) is desirable. 
• Local Government experience is desirable 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.
Could this be you?

Rewards and benefits

• Hybrid working – 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

Application process

• If you are interested in this role, please submit your application by 11 January 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 12 January 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 Matt Clothier, Commercial Service Delivery Lead on Matt.Clothier@Oxfordshire.gov.uk 

 
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