Commercial Lead - Great British Energy

Great British Energy will be a publicly owned, operationally independent energy company, designed to drive clean energy deployment, boost energy independence, create jobs and ensure UK taxpayers, billpayers and communities reap the benefits of clean, secure, homegrown energy. Setting up Great British Energy is one of government’s first steps for change and we will do this in a way that means it will have both an early impact and long-term success. Through its five functions (Project development, Project investment, Local Power Plan, Supply chains and Great British Nuclear), Great British Energy will speed up the deployment of mature and new technologies, as well as local energy projects, to support the government’s aim of decarbonising our electricity system by 2030 whilst also ensuring we can meet future demand as we further decarbonise the economy.

In this role, you will lead the delivery of commercial excellence for Great British Energy (GBE), acting as a trusted Commercial Lead for the GBE Local delivery team and ensuring a customer‑focused approach that meets business needs and stakeholder priorities. You will build strong relationships with GBE’s key suppliers, driving value for money and robust risk management across your category. You will manage and develop a team, building confidence and capability to deliver high performance and overcome challenges. Using your commercial expertise, you will identify opportunities for improvement and implement change, working collaboratively to resolve issues and embed best practice.

You will take ownership of key elements of the commercial lifecycle – from strategy and policy development, needs analysis and sourcing options, through to procurement, contract and supplier management. The role may also involve designing and delivering grants. This will include developing category management strategies, leading supplier negotiations where required, and providing timely, expert guidance to the business.

As part of establishing GBE’s new commercial function, you will ensure commercial assurance measures reflect DESNZ’s approaches and embed commercial principles from the outset. Building strong relationships across GBE will be critical to ensuring engagement in all commercial activities. Within your first 12 months, you will also be required to gain a Government Commercial Function accreditation at Commercial Lead grade. This is a nationally recognised standard that will strengthen your professional credibility and open doors to future progression.

Key responsibilities

• Lead end‑to‑end strategic sourcing activities and act as a subject matter expert.
• Work with stakeholders to define clear business requirements and commercial needs.
• Provide guidance throughout the sourcing process, evaluating models and options.
• Develop business case options, articulating benefits and preferred solutions.
• Identify opportunities for collaborative supplier partnerships.
• Deliver compliant procurement services that achieve demonstrable value for money; lead and coach others in negotiation techniques.
• Ensure sourcing compliance and adherence to frameworks.
• Contract manage key agreements for GBE.
• Manage contract and grant variations, providing strategic direction and advice.
• Evaluate contract performance and return on investment against value for money.
• Oversee benefit realisation and challenge non‑delivery, escalating where needed.
• Monitor supplier performance and report progress or issues.
• Manage risk/reward mechanisms and KPIs within contracts.
• Develop key stakeholder relationships, enabling early engagement and challenging business need and demand.
• Champion procurement and Grant best practice; work collaboratively with others to create a proactive and intelligent function.
• Develop commercial approaches that deliver requirements that are in line with business needs, category strategies and market trends.
• Develop and manage SEO(s) assigned to you, assuring their outputs and assisting on their own professional development.

Essential Criteria

• Extensive experience developing and delivering multiple procurements.
• Proven experience managing medium to high complexity/value contracts.
• Excellent knowledge of end‑to‑end commercial and grant lifecycle management.
• Strong commercial knowledge, understanding trade‑offs and applying principles within the boundaries of contract law.
• Ability to analyse risks, understand margins of error and make effective, evidence‑based decisions.
• Ability to communicate and uphold standards that prevent corruption, fraud and unethical behaviour in supply chains.
• Ability to manage and build confidence in a team, resolve issues and implement change at a local level.
• Strong skills in influencing internal and external decision‑making through clear, technical advice.

Desirable criteria

• Experience delivering under Public Contract Regulations 2015 and or Procurement Act 2023 regimes.

Benefits

• Salary of £55,105, with contributions towards Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
• A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
• An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities.
• Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.

The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK.