Head of Commercial

Job summary

Are you an experienced Commercial leader looking for a new challenge?

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is a small government department with a big mission: to keep food safe, ensure that it is what it says it is, and that it is increasingly healthy and more sustainable. This wide-reaching remit impacts consumers across the country, and we work hard to deliver ‘food you can trust’ while also offering real value for the taxpayer.

We have an exciting opportunity to lead the Commercial function at the Food Standards Agency (FSA). This senior role sits at the heart of how the organisation delivers value from its significant third party spend, shaping how commercial expertise supports business outcomes while maintaining strong governance and risk management.

As Head of Commercial, you will provide strategic leadership to an established and capable team, embedding improvements and driving a culture focused on value for money and continuous development. You will play a central role in influencing senior stakeholders and guiding the organisation through evolving procurement legislation, while ensuring commercial practices remain efficient, effective and aligned to organisational priorities.

Job description

In this role you will take overall accountability for commercial activity across the organisation, including shaping and implementing commercial strategy, leading policy development and overseeing transformation of procurement processes. You will ensure compliance with relevant legislation, including the Procurement Act 2023 and Public Contracts Regulations 2015, while strengthening governance and mitigating risk. You will also be responsible for delivering business plans, managing budgets and representing the organisation in cross government commercial forums.

You will lead and develop the Commercial team, fostering a strong performance culture through clear objectives, robust performance measures and continuous improvement. Working closely with senior leaders, you will build effective relationships, influence decision making and support the delivery of organisational priorities. The role also requires driving professionalisation within the team, embedding best practice and ensuring the function remains responsive, efficient and easy to engage with across the business.

Working pattern guidance

Applicants who wish to work compressed hours are welcome to apply - however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

If applying as a job share partnership you should both complete separate application forms on Civil Service Jobs but should make it clear that you are applying as job sharers. Further details on job sharing can be found here JSF – What is the recruitment process for job sharers? , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)

Please read before applying

This post is a temporary Loan appointment available until the return of the substantive post holder, estimated to be 31 August 2027. There may be the potential, but no guarantee, of extension or permanency.

Candidates that are already established Civil Servants or from non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will come to the FSA on a Loan basis and will need to request permission from their Home Department for the Loan prior to applying for this vacancy.

Note for FSA employees

You must seek approval from your substantive manager before applying for any non-permanent vacancy - please refer to the ‘Temporary internal appointments framework’ on the FSA intranet for more details. Please note that if applying for a temporary post within the FSA or elsewhere on promotion, successful appointment will not automatically result in a permanent promotion - you will revert to your current substantive grade at the end of the Fixed Term or Loan period (unless funding has been approved to make the post permanent).

Person specification

Please read the attached Job Description to discover further details about the role, who we are looking for and the criteria we will assess against during the selection process.

We look forward to receiving your application and wish you every success.

Qualifications

MCIPs (or working towards Level 6)

or

comparable qualification

Technical skills

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

• MCIPs (or working towards Level 6) or comparable qualification

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £72,469, Food Standards Agency contributes £20,994 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Please take a look at the Working for the Food Standards Agency , Civil Service Careers to find out about the benefits the FSA has to offer

Please also refer to the Terms and Conditions statement attached to this advert.

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 Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Full details of the selection process can be found in the attached candidate pack.

Application and shortlisting

You will be asked to provide personal details (not seen by the Panel) and to confirm your eligibility to apply for the role.

Technical: You will be asked a question to confirm that you meet the Technical requirements of the role.

• MCIPs (or working towards Level 6)

or

• comparable qualification

If you cannot answer yes to this question – you will not be able to proceed further with your application. You will be asked to provide further detail later in the application.

You will then be asked to complete an application which will be used to assess you against the following essential criteria.

Essential criteria

Experience

• Lead criteria: Experience of leading and driving the professionalisation of a high-performing Commercial Team.

• Demonstrable experience of managing complex procurement processes and delivering value for money and delivering commercial results at pace that benefit the team and the wider organisation.

• In-depth knowledge of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, Procurement Act 2023, Mana