Commercial Manager - IT Procurement & Strategy

Salary: £55,000 – £70,000 (dependent on experience)

Grade: Band 3

Contract type: Permanent/Full Time

Location: Pier Walk/hybrid

Application closing date: 11th June at 23.59

All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory right‑to‑work checks. Candidates must be able to demonstrate their right to work in the UK. At the present time TfL is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Hybrid working within this role enables a balance of 50 per cent of time split between the office and home over a 4-week period. Hybrid working arrangements can evolve subject to business requirements.

Overview of the Role

This is a high-impact commercial role leading complex, high-value IT procurement activity within a regulated, high-profile environment. You will own and deliver end‑to‑end strategic sourcing programmes, shaping commercial strategies and driving value across £multi‑million spend areas. Acting as a trusted advisor, you will influence senior stakeholders, challenge business requirements, and ensure commercial solutions deliver measurable outcomes aligned to organisational priorities. This role requires a credible, autonomous commercial professional with the judgement to operate in complex environments, lead strategically, and deliver tangible financial and operational outcomes, not just execute process.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead delivery of £m+ IT sourcing requirements, ensuring robust, compliant procurement processes that achieve value for money
• Develop and execute commercial strategies and sourcing approaches aligned to business needs, category plans, and market trends
• Deliver end‑to‑end sourcing activity, from requirement definition through to contract award and implementation
• Act as a commercial subject matter expert, providing guidance and challenge to internal stakeholders
• Evaluate and recommend routes to market, developing commercially sound options and business cases
• Drive contract and supplier performance, ensuring delivery against contractual obligations, KPIs, and return on investment
• Manage strategic supplier and stakeholder relationships, maintaining strong commercial oversight
• Mitigate risk through dispute resolution, contract management, and exit planning
• Build and maintain senior stakeholder relationships, ensuring alignment with category strategies
• Lead and develop team members where applicable, driving performance and clarity of objectives
• Embed and deliver best practice procurement, including responsible sourcing and social value

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Strong understanding of end‑to‑end commercial lifecycle management
• Proven ability to deliver value for money in complex commercial environments
• Deep commercial expertise across pricing models, contract structures, and public sector procurement regulations
• Strong capability to influence and challenge senior stakeholders and suppliers
• Demonstrated experience in strategic sourcing, category management, and procurement methodologies
• Ability to operate effectively in regulated environments with governance and compliance requirements
• Proven experience in a procurement, commercial, or category management role
• Track record of delivering IT / technology procurement projects
• Experience managing end‑to‑end sourcing processes
• Strong understanding of public sector procurement regulations (e.g. EU / PCR frameworks)
• Ability to deliver measurable commercial outcomes and ROI
• Strong stakeholder management and commercial influencing skills
• Experience using sourcing and procurement systems/tools
• Experience operating in a highly regulated or infrastructure environment
• Experience leading or developing commercial teams
• Professional membership (e.g. CIPS or equivalent)
• Experience driving responsible procurement or social value initiatives

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We want to represent the city we serve, which will help us become a more innovative and efficient organisation. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. We are a disability confident employer who guarantee an interview to any disabled candidate who meets all of the essential criteria. We also use anonymising software that removes identifying information from CVs to make the process fair.

Benefits

• Final salary pension scheme
• Free travel for you on the TfL network
• Reimbursement of 75% of the cost of a standard class Ticket for National Rail travel from home
• 29/30 days annual leave plus public and bank holidays
• TfL is committed to work-life balance, operating a hybrid working approach where business and role requirements allow
• Private healthcare discounted scheme
• Tax-efficient cycle-to-work programme
• Retail, health, leisure and travel offers
• Discounted Eurostar travel

We will make every effort to give you as much notice as possible, however some interviews/assessments could be organised at short notice.

Vetting Process

At Transport for London, safety, trust and fairness sit at the heart of how we recruit. Our Vetting Charter explains the checks we carry out before you join us, helping ensure we create a safe, inclusive and reliable network for everyone who depends on our services. We simply ask that the information you provide is honest and accurate so we can progress your application smoothly. If something doesn’t match or can’t be verified, we may not be able to move forward with your application, but we’ll always treat you with transparency, respect, and clear communication throughout.