Procure Commercial Lead

The Royal Navy is an organisation with a long and illustrious past and is in a period where it is modernising our capabilities and transforming the way we do business, while continuing to fulfil a busy tempo of operational commitments. Navy Command Headquarters (NCHQ) is the nerve centre of the Royal Navy, supporting operations around the globe and providing Ships, Aircraft and Equipment to deliver the UK’s defence policy. NCHQ supports all the Royal Navy’s activities including front-line operations to personnel, support and training, finance and governance, safety, equipment, programmes and planning and Defence engagement. Civil Servants and Armed Forces personnel work together in a wealth of interesting and challenging jobs in different specialisms.

As a senior commercial leader you will have real impact across the organisation, and within the Commercial team we are developing changes designed to make our approach to business agile, empowering our staff to reach their full potential.

Comprising approximately 60 individuals, the team manages circa 250 live contracts and a total portfolio nearing £3Bn. This breadth of activity provides a multitude of opportunities for professional development and enables us to work across all industries from digital, global firsts in research and development, cutting edge innovation, through to traditional goods and services.

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and supportive, with a high team development and retention rate. At Navy Commercial, we believe in creating a safe, productive environment where everyone can thrive, with a well-defined set of team values that outlines our commitment to collaborative working.

The Navy Commercial team is already an influential, high-performing unit that works closely with our customers. We foster a culture of learning, committed to delivering the best results for operational delivery by embracing innovation, promoting an inclusive cultural environment and pushing the boundaries of commercial practices. The team are at the forefront within Defence of exploring how we can build AI into our working practices to streamline our work and ensure we can have our people focussed on the areas where human input has the greatest impact. By joining us you also gain access to the wider Defence Commercial function, with connections spanning the entire Civil Service commercial function.

We welcome fresh perspectives and ambition. If you're eager to shape the future and make a difference, we'd love to hear from you.

This role will take on a key role in the Navy Commercial Procure function; providing dedicated support to our customers in taking their concepts from early development through to contract supported by our team of dedicated commercial practitioners.

This is an exciting time within Navy Commercial and we are seeking an individual to share their experience to influence a more streamlined and effective approach to acquisition; embracing the opportunities of Procurement Reform and building on the many successes of the team to date. We are involved in procuring a hugely diverse array of services and equipment to support every facet of Navy delivery; items that aid the front line, core back-office delivery, and innovative technological developments that will drive future operations.

The Commercial Lead for Procure will be a member of the Navy Commercial Senior Leadership Team and will work closely with them to deliver the highest standard of Commercial support to the Navy. This post provides an excellent opportunity to build on your existing skill set across a number of commercial disciplines and with the support of the GCO to raise your profile and enable you to grow.

Experience of working in or with the public sector will be an advantage for the successful candidate but is not an essential criterion – we are looking for the right person with the right skill set, and the team come from a wide variety of backgrounds which creates a rich and diverse working environment. You will be responsible for a team of commercial leads in addition to working in a matrix approach across the wider Commercial function and with other stakeholders, providing senior leadership and guidance on tendering activities.

Locations

The successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. When selecting your location listed in this job advert please be aware that this will be your contractual base location with a requirement to spend a minimum of 60% of your working time in this organisational workplace.

Your time spent on official duties at workplace locations other than your contractual office such as supplier, customer or partner locations required to perform your role is included in the 60% attendance.

This requirement will however take into consideration any reasonable adjustments agreed upon appointment for people with a disability, flexibilities agreed for those with specific caring responsibilities, or other similar temporary flexibilities.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.

Your application will be reviewed by a panel and should you be successful at sift we will invite you to attend a Virtual commercial Assessment and Development Centre (VADC). The panel will review results of the VADC and determine which candidates will go through to a subsequent final panel interview.

Please be advised that the Virtual ADC is taking place on Thursday 3rd December 2026 and will require a full day's attendance.

If you are invited to attend a virtual ADC, but for any reason are unable to meet the date outlined then please get in touch with the team on commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible. The ADC is booked and paid for in advance by departments, therefore it is only in certain circumstances we are able to accommodate alternative dates.

For full details of our process, and a likely timeline, please read the attached candidate pack.

Throughout our selection process, we will make decisions about your capability to do the job, based on evidence you provide against the Technical Skills (essential criteria) and your Job History (CV) that you will be asked to provide during the application process. Further help and advice on our application and selection process can be found at this web address https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/gcf-how-to-apply/

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/artificial-intelligence-and-recruitment/

IMPORTANT: If you do not receive an acknowledgement of your application within 2 working days please contact: commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.