At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead commercial strategy and build impactful partnerships for long-term success.
- Company: Join LGPS Central, a leading asset manager with a focus on responsible investment.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, generous holidays, hybrid working, and excellent development opportunities.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to transparency and accountability.
- Why this job: Shape the future of investment management while making a real difference in your community.
- Qualifications: Experience in commercial strategy, contract negotiation, and stakeholder engagement is essential.
Join LGPS Central at a pivotal moment, where investment meets long-term impact. The Head of Commercial and Strategic Partnerships will lead the company’s commercial strategy across supplier relationships, strategic partnerships and wider third party engagement. The role will ensure we secure high quality services and partnerships that meet operational, regulatory and value for money expectations, while supporting our longer-term strategic ambitions.
The postholder will build strong relationships across the organisation to understand business needs early, shape commercial options and support delivery. They will lead on assessing and managing strategic partnerships that strengthen capability, improve outcomes for Partner Funds and support the organisation’s future operating model. They will work closely with the Procurement Manager to ensure that procurement, contract management and third-party risk activity are joined up, well controlled and aligned to LGPS Central’s objectives.
This role will set the standard for how we manage our commercial relationships across the Company. It will shape a culture of commercial awareness, transparency and accountability, ensuring our approach remains robust, forward looking, focused on value for money and aligned to the expectations of Partner Funds, regulators, government and other key stakeholders.
What you’ll be doing:
- Commercial strategy and partnership leadership
- Lead the commercial and strategic partnership strategy, aligned to business priorities.
- Identify and develop partnership models that strengthen capability and improve outcomes.
- Set governance for commercial decisions, including options appraisal, due diligence and decision records.
- Strategic partnerships and external engagement
- Own key strategic relationships and ensure clear objectives, deliverables and success measures.
- Negotiate partnership terms, including governance, performance expectations and exit provisions.
- Monitor partnership health, risks and dependencies and drive continuous improvement.
- Contracting and commercial management
- Oversee contract lifecycle activity including drafting, negotiation, renewals and change control.
- Maintain visibility of key dates, obligations and commercial risks.
- Support early resolution of commercial issues and disputes.
- Supplier and partnership performance management
- Set standards for service management including KPIs, SLAs, reviews and improvement plans.
- Ensure contract owners manage performance consistently and address issues early.
- Maintain accurate performance and commercial governance records.
- Vendor oversight, operational resilience and risk
- Ensure vendor oversight meets regulatory expectations and supports operational resilience.
- Oversee due diligence, ongoing monitoring and risk actions for key suppliers and partners.
- Work with Legal, Compliance, Risk, Finance and Technology on third party controls and reporting.
- Leadership and team development
- Build strong relationships across the organisation and act as a trusted adviser on commercial decisions.
- Encourage continuous improvement and drive consistent ways of working across commercial activity.
- Promote a culture of transparency, accountability and proactive risk management.
About Us
LGPS Central (LGPSC) Ltd is the FCA regulated asset manager for fourteen local authority pension funds across the Midlands. LGPSC is jointly owned on an equal shares basis by those Partner Fund, and it is responsible for managing £100bn+ of their assets. It is one of six Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) asset pools in the UK.
LGPS Central’s Partner Funds are:
- Cheshire Pension Fund
- Derbyshire Pension Fund
- Leicestershire Pension Fund
- Nottinghamshire Pension Fund
- Shropshire Pension Fund
- Staffordshire Pension Fund
- West Midlands Pension Fund
- Worcestershire Pension Fund
- Gloucestershire Pension Fund
- Hampshire Pension Fund
- Suffolk County Council
- Wiltshire Pension Fund
- Norfolk Pension Fund
- Oxfordshire Pension Fund
The Company is committed to responsible investment and has made responsible investment a core part of the investment process in every asset class. LGPS Central offers a friendly and diverse, hybrid working environment with a range of employee benefits. The Company moved to new premises at i9, Wolverhampton Interchange in January 2022, close to local transport links.
Our objective is to be a leading investment management company working with and for our Partner Funds. With a focus on value for money and performance we want to aspire to be one of the best because this is how we will deliver the superior investment returns and low costs for our Partner Funds.
Requirements
- Commercial and partnership leadership: Experience leading commercial strategy, contract negotiations and relationship management in a complex organisation.
- Vendor oversight and governance: Strong background in supplier due diligence, ongoing monitoring, operational resilience checks and managing third party risk in a regulated environment.
- Contracting and negotiation skills: Experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial terms, managing contract lifecycles, renewals and commercial change.
- Stakeholder engagement: Strong interpersonal skills to engage senior leaders, project teams and external suppliers and partners. Able to influence and guide colleagues through commercial decision making.
- Analytical and reporting skills: Comfortable collating, analysing and presenting information on commercial activity, supplier and partner performance, risk findings and cost analysis for committees and senior stakeholders.
- Organisation and attention to detail: Ability to maintain accurate records, track obligations, monitor performance and manage multiple priorities in parallel.
- Communication: Clear communicator able to explain commercial, procurement and vendor requirements to both technical and non-technical colleagues, including senior stakeholders and committees.
Qualifications:
- A professional qualification is desirable in Procurement, Finance or another relevant field.
- Degree-level education (desirable but not essential with relevant experience).
- Must be able to meet the requirements of an FCA Certified role.
What do we offer?
We are proud to provide our people with a premium and exclusive benefits package and we are continually improving the rewards we offer. Here are a few of the valuable rewards that you will enjoy:
- Competitive salary
- An enhanced and generous Pension Scheme
- 30 days' paid holiday plus bank holidays
- 2 days paid volunteering days
- An extra paid Company Day in addition to paid holidays
- Excellent Learning & Development Opportunities
- Welfare and Family-friendly policies
- Enhanced pay for new parents
- Access to our Employee Assistance Programme - 24-7 Health & Wellbeing Support
- Vitality Private Medical Insurance
- Hybrid Working
- Company Service Awards
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Company Electric Vehicle Scheme
- Nominees of the Family Friendly Employer of the Year 2022 - Personnel Today Awards 2022
- Winner of the Cultural Awareness Initiative of the Year - FT Advisors Diversity in Finance Awards 2023
- Winner of Diversity and Inclusion Award LAPF In Investments Award 2023
- Winner of LAPF Investment Innovation
- Winner of Pool of the Year 2025
Head of Commercial & Strategic Partnerships in Wolverhampton employer: LGPS Central
At LGPS Central, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that values governance, integrity, and strategic insight. Our collaborative work culture fosters innovation and professional growth, providing our Non-Executive Directors with the unique opportunity to influence the future of public pensions in the UK while working alongside a team of dedicated professionals committed to responsible investment practices.
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