Commercial Officer

**Commercial Officer**:

- Inside IR35**

**Contract Term: 6 Months**
**Contracting Authority: DEFRA**
**Location: North West England - Mostly remote working**

Imagine having a talent that could benefit someone you’ve never met and solve problems you didn’t even know existed. Well, you do, and you can. And we’re here to help you do just that. At PSR we are the go-to place for talented contractors and temps for a rich variety of public sector roles.

Defra Group Commercial (DGC) is part of Defra, the central Government Department responsible for growing the rural economy; improving the environment; and safeguarding animal and plant health. DGC is responsible for providing a commercial service to organisations within the Defra Network.

This post requires the post-holder to assist customers to deliver value effectively and innovatively so that the customer organisation outcomes and objectives can be met alongside the fulfilment of key corporate targets, such as achieving Net Zero by 2030.

The post-holder will be required to award and monitor a range of value and risk contracts in accordance with Defra’s commercial policies and procedures. They will be expected to deliver propriety and value for money across the commercial life cycle.

It includes the provision of expert commercial, procurement advice to the business on commercial issues and governance and to provide operational support to the team.

**As a **(role)**your main responsibilities would be**:
The Senior Category Officer will report to a Category Manager (G7) and will entail all aspects of pre-contract commercial support. You will
- Lead or participate on procurements at the appropriate level providing functional / specialist input to improve ways of working and drive efficiency.
- Be responsible for explaining specialist commercial guidance to project teams to influence compliance with Defra policy / legislation / best practice ways of working and contribute to the delivery of business plans.
- Build and sustain effective relationships with operational customers to understand issues and provide effective response / steer for operational needs.
- Be responsible for the delivery of contracts such that sustainable impacts and opportunities are identified and managed throughout the commercial lifecycle.
- Maximise the efficient and effective use of resources (including electronic sourcing) and people to ensure that all activities are completed to time, cost, and quality targets.

**The post-holder will be accountable for**:

- the provision of day-to-day advice on commercial issues and governance, taking full account of commercial risks, exploiting commercial opportunities and maximising value of money and savings in relation to a portfolio of framework agreements
- The delivery of complex framework procurements, including
- Prepare initial sourcing strategies, and contribute to business plans
- preparing tender documents in collaboration with customers, and sometimes delivery partners
- Preparing recommendations for tender outcome
- Preparing contract management documentation in collaboration with stakeholders
- The use of leading practice commercial tools to develop and implement our commercial strategies
- The management of more complex contracts including
- Acceptance/signing of the contract including the clarification and resolution of assumptions before signing
- Engaging and training any customer stakeholders in the contract content, risk assumptions and KPI
- Preparing initial documentation such as commercial risk register, report requirements, innovation report, and advice to supplier on invoice submission etc.
- Supporting on negotiations for contract change, and implementing these in accordance with change governance procedures
- The establishment and maintenance of excellent relationships within customer organisation and wider government with key stakeholders, raising the profile of commercial activity within customer organisations.

**You’ll have relevant experience in**:

- An accomplished professional with a track record of setting high standards and delivering results in a complex and demanding environment
- Experience at influencing decisions
- Demonstrable experience within a challenging and/or complex business environment
- Working with multiple stakeholders and being able to influence and constructively challenge when necessary.
- Building and maintaining strong and productive working relationships with varied stakeholders.
- Making effective decisions from analysing information and identifying key risks and options then making recommendations to senior colleagues.
- Communicating confidently and concisely. Effectively communicating with a wide range of stakeholders (at all levels) both in a technical and non-technical environment.
- Delivering improvements to ways of working and embedding change.
- Delivering projects under NEC conditions of contract
- Commercial or procurement experience
- Experience in civil engineer