OR118993 – Workstream Lead Governance Procurement Transformation (Project) – Interims

PAYE Pay Rate: £538.37 per day

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Commercial Governance & Assurance Lead to design and embed effective governance, assurance and decision-making frameworks across the procurement and contract management lifecycle. The role will ensure governance is proportionate, consistent and compliant while enabling timely, value-driven commercial decisions and strong accountability.

Main Purpose of the Role

To lead the development and implementation of commercial governance and assurance arrangements, ensuring clear decision-making, appropriate controls, effective risk management and strong oversight across the end-to-end procurement and contract management lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement a comprehensive governance framework for procurement and contract management.
• Define clear decision rights, approval thresholds, roles and accountabilities across the commercial lifecycle.
• Ensure governance arrangements align with corporate governance requirements, the Council’s Constitution, relevant legislation and the Procurement Act.
• Establish appropriate controls, checkpoints and stage gates to support compliance, consistency and value for money.
• Develop and implement a proportionate, risk-based assurance model covering compliance, risk and performance.
• Align governance forums, processes and reporting with procurement pipelines, category strategies and business case delivery.
• Develop and maintain policies, standards, templates and practical guidance to support consistent governance.
• Develop governance and performance reporting for senior leadership, including value for money, savings delivery, risk and programme confidence.
• Review existing governance arrangements and identify areas of duplication, delay, weak controls or unclear accountability.
• Design and implement streamlined future-state governance arrangements to improve decision-making and delivery.
• Develop governance tools including RACI models, decision-rights matrices, approval frameworks, risk and assurance checklists and reporting packs.
• Test and refine governance arrangements through pilots, live procurements and implementation activity.
• Support the embedding of new governance arrangements into business-as-usual operations through communications, training and implementation planning.
• Monitor adoption and effectiveness, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Work closely with senior leaders and professional teams to resolve complex governance issues and secure agreement.

Essential Experience

• Significant experience leading governance, assurance or commercial transformation within a large public-sector or similarly complex organisation.
• Proven experience designing and implementing governance and decision-making frameworks.
• Strong understanding of public-sector procurement and contract management governance.
• Knowledge of relevant procurement legislation, organisational policies and constitutional requirements.
• Experience translating operating model principles into practical governance processes, controls, templates and guidance.
• Demonstrable experience developing proportionate, risk-based assurance frameworks.
• Experience reviewing and improving existing governance arrangements to reduce duplication and improve decision-making.
• Experience producing governance products such as RACI models, decision matrices, approval frameworks, assurance checklists and reporting packs.
• Experience embedding new governance arrangements into business-as-usual operations.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with experience working with procurement, legal, finance, audit, corporate governance, democratic services and operational teams.
• Ability to manage dependencies across governance, processes, data, technology, organisational design and financial benefits.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear reports, governance frameworks, decision papers and guidance for senior audiences.

Key Skills

• Commercial Governance
• Procurement & Contract Management
• Assurance & Risk Management
• Public Sector Procurement
• Decision-Making Frameworks
• Governance Transformation
• Stakeholder Management
• Policy & Framework Development
• Performance Reporting
• Process Improvement
• Change & Implementation
• Strategic Communication