Commercial Lead for Digital & IT in Kingston upon Thames

About The BoroughJoining us, you get to work for not just one high performing London Borough, but two.Enhancements/Additional PaymentsN/AAbout The BoroughJoining us, you get to work for not just one high performing London Borough, but two.Kingston and Sutton councils have a number of shared services serving both authorities, with some teams and roles more focussed on one council than the other, but the majority are shared across both, meaning you get multiple opportunities to learn from a wider pool of activities and two different political bodies.We work flexibly in both Kingston and Sutton offices, and support working at home or flexible working patterns that enable you to tailor your working and personal life. We provide the equipment and tools to enable you to work flexibly, and in return ask you to use that flexibility to be creative and ambitious in the services we deliver.There are some really exciting things happening in both boroughs. In Sutton, we are developing the London Cancer Hub, a world leading cancer research and treatment hub that will bring together professionals from across different sectors to identify and test new treatments and therapies. Over in Kingston, we are undertaking the largest housing regeneration programme ever delivered in the borough, building new energy efficient housing that will transform some of our oldest Council owned housing. Both boroughs have publicly committed to doing what they can to tackle the climate emergency and are investing in new technologies and societal change that will help bring carbon emissions down and improve our climate impact.You should choose Kingston and Sutton if you are looking for an opportunity that will challenge you to deliver more, support you to achieve personal ambitions, and expect you to put borough residents at the heart of what you do.Kingston is a beautiful Royal borough with a historic setting on the banks of the Thames with excellent schools and a bustling retail centre, all surrounded by open green spaces such as Richmond Park and Bushy Park, former recreation grounds for Tudor Kings and Queens. The Council is controlled by a Liberal Democrat Administration and has a council plan "Greener, Fairer, Safer, Together", that sets out a vision to be a vibrant, diverse and inclusive borough where residents are active, empowered, engaged and able to remain independent and resilient. The Council engages with residents through a number of forums and events through the year, and like Sutton plays a leading role in developing the South West Region of London.Sutton is a well connected attractive part of London that has a reputation for excellent schools, green and leafy open spaces, and a history that drives a thriving heritage and culture offer through our museums and libraries. The Council is controlled by a long established Liberal Democrat Administration and has high ambitions set out in its corporate plan "Ambitious for Sutton", that will ensure Sutton remains a great place to live, work and raise a family. The Council plays a leading role in a number of local partnerships and places great emphasis on engaging effectively with its residents, listening to local voices and making their message heard across London Government.About The Role And Our Ideal CandidateThe Commercial Lead for DDAT is a permanent position dedicated to shaping and delivering the procurement, contract, negotiation, and supplier management strategy for Kingston and Sutton Councils' shared DDAT service. Acting as the subject matter expert for the technology category, you will drive the DDAT service plan, manage market engagement, and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure exceptional value for money (VFM) in commissioning spend and contract performance. Key activities include leadership, commissioning, supplier relationship management, and championing new digital ways of working.In this role, you will actively manage your assigned pipeline of procurement and contracts, working closely with DDAT team members to ensure seamless delivery. You will act as the definitive subject matter expert on procurement and contracts across the technology category, which includes providing periodic cover for the Commercial Manager. Data and robust governance are also core components of this broad-ranging position; you will be fully immersed in the procurement lifecycle, from monitoring data and developing insights to uncover new opportunities, to drafting detailed governance reports. Ultimately, this role provides the autonomy and platform to directly shape strategic outcomes and drive meaningful transformational change across both councils.Our ideal candidate is a highly autonomous professional with a minimum of three years of practical experience specifically procuring Digital, Data, and Technology solutions. You must possess the proven ability to fully draft and review complex commercial contracts, backed by excellent numerical and literacy skills to manage financial modeling, price management, and detailed governance reporting.You will bring a broad, extensive understanding of the technology market including the typical risks associated with various technology solutions and a comprehensive grasp of public sector procurement legislation, regulations, and frameworks. Strong leadership and communication skills are essential to navigate stakeholder and partner relationships effectively.About UsThe purpose of the commercial team is to lead and deliver the core DDAT requirements and develop short, medium, and long-term procurement strategy plans.The team is responsible for delivering and managing the complete lifecycle of DDAT's contracts in line with the service plan. Additionally, the team is currently transitioning to expand its expertise to provide a greater level of support to the various services for their line of business procurement and contract activities and negotiations.Because the team predominantly works remotely, candidates must possess a high level of autonomy and ownership, along with a strong focus on meeting deadlines.Our Offer To YouAs an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:A generous annual leave entitlement of 25-32 days, plus