Commercial Assurance Lead x2

Job summary

The Department for Transport (DfT) works with our Agencies, Arm’s Length Bodies and partners

to support the transport network that helps the UK’s businesses and gets people and goods travelling around the country. We plan and invest in transport infrastructure to keep the UK on the move.

This Commercial Assurance Lead role presents a fantastic opportunity for a commercial professional to engage and influence, through commercial assurance, commercial arrangements for the nation’s major transport infrastructure projects.

The role will help the successful candidate build their commercial career and enhance their CV through involvement in complex, high value transport infrastructure projects.

The role sits within the Group Commercial Directorate, specifically in the Commercial Lifecycle Assurance, Supply Chain and Category Management (ASCCM) team, and is a fantastic opportunity to become involved with our major projects and supply chains and to help ensure delivery of effective commercial strategies in support of UK growth.

The culture within DfT is friendly, welcoming and supportive. One of our strategic priorities is to “Be an Excellent Department”, which entails:

• Striving to be the best we can be.
• Delivering the best outcomes for the travelling public.
• Being a department that continuously improves its delivery, and where people feel well supported, are able to reach their potential and enjoy working.

Job description

Important information for applicants

We have two posts available. One is a permanent post and the second is a fixed term appointment until April 2027 for maternity cover.

The Commercial Assurance Lead will provide scrutiny and expert, robust challenge, covering all commercial affairs, ensuring that senior management and governance bodies are advised of procurement and commercial risks in the delivery of the Department’s aims and objectives.

The position will involve cross functional working within the DfT Group Commercial Operating Model, undertaking commercial assurance reviews for a portfolio of projects from across the Department, and reporting to Investment Boards and the Commercial Assurance Board.

The post holder will be able to influence the commercial arrangements for some of the UK’s most significant and critical transport projects through close and ongoing progressive assurance engagement, and will expose the successful candidates to a number of different commercial categories, approaches and models. The post will suit applicants with a wide range of procurement and contract management experience.

Person specification

The successful candidate will:

• Lead and support the delivery of commercial assurance of a portfolio of Projects across the DfT Group, including its Arm’s Length Bodies and Agencies
• Identify commercial risks and present solutions to key stakeholders
• Engage with and influence senior commercial leaders on approaches to development, implementation and management of complex commercial arrangements and risks across the Department and with wider Government
• Manage the interface between Projects and the Department for Transport’s Commercial Assurance Board, including providing assurance briefings to the Board, and managing the outcomes of the Board’s decisions
• Constructively challenge commercial approaches at Governance Boards
• Maintain a forward look of the commercial assurance pipeline
• Capture and share lessons learned across the commercial community
• Review complex, high value business cases as part of the Commercial Centre of Excellence function, and to provide briefings to the Commercial Director and Investment Committees prior to endorsement decisions
• Ensure alignment between progressive assurance and Commercial Assurance Board (CAB) reviews
• Provide reports on assurance activity and commercial considerations for each project
• Maintain a tracker for each assurance project to produce a formal review and approval stages history

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Ability to analyse commercial risks and understand margins of error in developing recommendations for Customers and/or key stakeholders.
• Experience of having had a leading role in complex commercial activities, with demonstrable experience across the commercial lifecycle.
• A broad and deep understanding of commercial approaches, management and leadership, with experience in creating, interpreting and managing complex commercial arrangements.
• The ability to challenge senior stakeholder decisions, work under pressure, and deliver multiple projects within agreed timescales.
• Experience in the development of strategies for high value/risk, critical/complex procurements and playing a leading role in the implementation and end to end delivery of these.

Benefits

As a valued employee of the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO), you will have access to all the benefits the centre has to offer; including flexible working, generous benefits, Career Coaches, Mentors, L&D, a Commercial College, active talent management and, most importantly, access to commercial projects that will far exceed the scale and complexity on offer elsewhere in the UK.

For existing Civil Servants: For full details of the impact on any move across the civil service on your existing terms and conditions, please read the candidate pack. Please note that any move across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to continue to claim childcare vouchers.

Kindly refer to the following link for the GCF Rewards and benefits page.

https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/gcf-benefits/

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

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 note: Only candidates that achieve an A grade at ADC will be invited to interview for this role.

Please be advised that the Virtual ADC is taking place on Wednesday 16th September 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 [email removed] 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 d