Head of Commercial Services in Trafford

Shape the Future of Commercial Services in One of Greater Manchester’s Most Ambitious Councils. Trafford is a borough with bold ambitions. Home to thriving communities, successful businesses, outstanding schools and a strong sense of place, Trafford combines opportunity, innovation and ambition with a deep commitment to public service. We’re now looking for an exceptional commercial leader to help shape the future of Trafford’s traded services offer. This is a rare opportunity to build on strong foundations, lead meaningful change and help ensure services remain sustainable, customer-focused and responsive to the evolving needs of schools, education settings and communities across the borough.

About the Role: Leading a portfolio centred on catering and cleaning services for schools and education settings, you will develop and deliver a clear commercial strategy that strengthens existing services, identifies opportunities for growth and supports long-term sustainability. You’ll work closely with schools, academy trusts, senior leaders, elected members and partners to shape future delivery models, improve performance and ensure services remain responsive to customer needs. This is a role where commercial thinking and public service values go hand in hand.

Trafford’s education sector is one of its greatest strengths, with long-established relationships across schools and education settings. This role provides a unique opportunity to influence services that are integral to that ecosystem, helping to create sustainable, high-quality services that support children, young people and communities for years to come. You will bring evidence, insight and clarity to decision-making, developing robust financial and performance frameworks, understanding market opportunities and helping Trafford make informed choices about where to grow, innovate and invest for the future.

About You: Trafford has strong foundations, loyal customers and committed teams. What it needs now is a leader who can bring commercial insight, strategic direction and the confidence to turn ambition into delivery. You’ll be a commercially credible leader who thrives on bringing clarity to complex challenges. This is a role for someone who can look beyond day-to-day service delivery and help shape the future direction of a portfolio that sits at the heart of Trafford’s education offer.

We need someone with a strong track record of balancing commercial opportunity with public service values. You’ll be comfortable assessing markets, understanding where services can grow, identifying where change is needed and helping organisations make informed decisions about long-term sustainability. You’ll recognise that these services are about much more than income generation. Catering and cleaning services play an important role within Trafford’s education ecosystem and are valued by schools across the borough. You’ll understand the importance of protecting those relationships whilst also providing the challenge, insight and commercial thinking needed to ensure services remain competitive, sustainable and fit for the future.

This is a rare opportunity to join a service at a defining point in its journey. If you enjoy combining commercial thinking, stakeholder engagement and purposeful leadership, you’ll find a role that offers both challenge and genuine impact.