Ministry of Justice

Role: Commercial Manager

Business: Office of Public Guardian (OPG)

Location: National

Grade: SEO (Senior Executive Officer)

Salary:  National – £42,914 - £46,182, London – £49,325 - £53,081

Your salary will be dependent on your base location.

Contract Type: Permanent

Minimum Hours: 29.6 (0.8 FTE)

Organisational Overview

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) protects people in England and Wales who may not have the mental capacity to make certain decisions for themselves, such as about their health and finance. We are an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), set up in 2007 following the introduction of the Mental Capacity Act of 2005.

OPG is responsible for registering lasting powers of attorney (LPA) and enduring powers of attorney (EPA) and supervising deputies who are appointed by the Court of Protection.

OPG is a fantastic place to work offering a range of development opportunities.  The OPG is a disability confident employer  and is committed to developing a supportive and inclusive environment that reflects the diverse community we serve.

OPG is currently delivering an ambitious transformation programme. This will change the way we provide services and help us meet the growing needs of our users, partners and our stakeholders. It will make sure our users experience a better level of support and will help us to respond to the changing needs of society. Transformation will ensure we can better support adults at risk and create high-quality services that are accessible and affordable.

Team Overview

This is an exciting time at the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) as we transform how we deliver our statutory services and ensure that we are fit for the future. As a Commercial Manager, you will play a key role within the newly formed Transformation Directorate, helping to drive commercial excellence for the organisation. Your role will include developing commercial strategies, understanding organisational needs and sourcing options, managing contracts and suppliers, and leading procurement activity.

Reporting to the Senior Commercial & Contracts Manager, you will work both independently and collaboratively with colleagues across OPG and the wider MoJ Commercial Team. You will be able to prioritise and manage your own workload to deliver to deadlines, mitigate and escalate emerging risks and issues, and respond swiftly to changing operational demands.

This role is well-suited to candidates with experience across the full commercial lifecycle. There will be a need to manage existing contracts, whilst also playing a key role in the procurement of relevant goods and services.

Duties and Responsibilities 

Commercial Strategy and Planning

• Contribute to the development and delivery of category strategies, ensuring alignment with OPG’s commercial strategy, market conditions, and organisational priorities.
• Forecast and plan commercial requirements in collaboration with internal stakeholders and suppliers, developing and maintaining category plans for key spend areas.
• Analyse historical and forecasted spend, market trends, and technical strategies to ensure effective routes to market that deliver required products and services.

·       Provide commercial insight during strategic planning, supporting business areas to articulate needs and embed commercial best practice in operational plans.

Procurement and Sourcing

• Lead end-to-end strategic sourcing activity, acting as a subject matter expert to ensure commercial compliance, value for money, and adherence to governance requirements.
• Work with stakeholders to develop clear business requirements and identify appropriate sourcing options, evaluating and articulating benefits and risks.
• Negotiate with suppliers to secure effective commercial outcomes and support the development of healthy, mutually beneficial relationships.
• Deliver a procurement service that drives commercial value, including supporting MoJ Commercial on larger or complex procurements where required.
• Identify opportunities for collaborative partnerships with suppliers and cost-saving initiatives across the supply base, increasing the overall value delivered to OPG and MoJ.

Contract and Supplier Relationship Management

• Support the Senior Commercial & Contracts Manager to embed and develop contract management practices across OPG.
• Act as the commercial lead for one or more complex contracts, working alongside operational contract managers to ensure effective governance, performance management, financial oversight, change control, risk management, issue resolution, and compliance.
• Build and maintain strong supplier relationships that promote high performance, transparency, continuous improvement, and innovation.
• Lead contract transition, renewal, and exit planning activities, ensuring continuity of service and maximising value throughout the contract lifecycle.
• Identify, assess, and actively manage commercial risks, ensuring appropriate mitigations are in place and escalating concerns where appropriate.

Stakeholder Management

• Develop influential and collaborative relationships with stakeholders across OPG, ensuring commercial objectives and best practice are understood and embedded within operational strategy and plans.
• Provide clear, timely, and professional commercial advice to colleagues on all aspects of commercial activity.
• Engage with senior business leads to ensure business requirements are aligned with category strategies and sourcing plans.

Leadership

• Where required, line manage staff, acting as a positive role model and supporting wellbeing, flexibility, and professional development.
• Contribute to the development of commercial capability across OPG, including supporting the induction and training of colleagues.
  

Agreed Expectations

The successful candidate will be expected to work from their base location on a weekly basis in line with current Civil Service requirements, outside of any reasonable adjustments. OPG follows a hybrid working model, requiring office attendance for 40% of your working hours.

OPG’s main offices are Birmingham (Victoria Square House), Nottingham (Embankment House), and London (102 Petty France). Successful candidates not based in these locations will be appointed to their nearest MoJ office. This will be either a HQ building, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC), or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO).

Skills & Qualifications

Essential Skills

·       Candidates must have a relevant commercial qualification (e.g., CIPS, WorldCC), or a clear willingness to work towards one (lead criteria).

·       Demonstrable experience in a commercial, procurement, or contract management role, involving responsibility for delivering commercial outcomes (lead criteria).

·       Strong understanding of end-to-end commercial lifecycle management, including sourcing and procurement methodologies.

·       Evidence of securing value for money through commercial analysis, negotiation or supplier management, with the ability to make evidence-based commercial decisions.

·       Good knowledge of public sector commercial regulations and procurement policy, and how to apply these in practice.

·       Ability to uphold high standards of commercial ethics and integrity, recognising and responding appropriately to risks such as fraud, corruption, or unethical supplier practices.

·       Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex commercial information clearly and concisely to a range of stakeholders, including senior leaders.

Desirable Skills

The below criteria are desirable only. These will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates.

·       Working knowledge of commercial systems (e.g. Jaggaer, Oracle, or similar).

·       Experience developing category plans or contributing to category strategy development.

·       Experience using market analysis tools, market engagement approaches, or supplier insight techniques to inform sourcing strategies.

·       Experience in contract transition, mobilisation, or exit planning.

·       Experience contributing to the development or continuous improvement of commercial processes, tools, or guidance.

Application process

This recruitment will follow the Civil Service Success Profile process, and will assess your Experience, Behaviours, and Strengths.

Candidates will be expected to provide a CV (3 pages of A4 maximum) plus a supporting Personal Statement of Suitability of no more than 1,000 words demonstrating your experience against the essential criteria required for this role.

In the event of a high number of applications, the lead criteria will be:

·       A relevant commercial qualification (e.g., CIPS, WorldCC), or a clear willingness to work towards one.

·       Demonstrable experience in a commercial, procurement, or contract management role, involving responsibility for delivering commercial outcomes.

Interview Process

If you are successful at sift, you will be invited to an interview which will use the Civil Service Success Profiles. At interview, candidates should expect questions on:

·       Strengths relevant to the role

·       The following Behaviours at SEO Level:

o   Communicating and Influencing

o   Delivering at Pace

o   Making Effective Decisions

o   Managing a Quality Service

·       A presentation assessing your understanding of end-to-end commercial lifecycle management (the presentation topic will be given to candidates in advance of the interview).

All interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Reasonable Adjustments

At OPG we consider all applications on the basis of merit and want you to feel able to demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any reasonable adjustments for any aspect of the selection process, do not hesitate to get in contact with us.

As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. If you are applying for a role within OPG and would like to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the selection process.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, we may offer you an alternative role at the same or lower grade should one be available.