Commercial Business Partner in Belfast

The Commercial team is an enabler for IPSA, offering vital support to internal and external stakeholders to ensure MPs have the goods and services they need for their parliamentary work. The team is responsible for overseeing end-to-end procurement, operating within a hybrid commercial delivery model in which lower value, routine procurement activity is led by business areas while the Commercial team partners on higher value, more complex activity.

As part of its five-year strategy, IPSA has an ambitious plan to offer the UK's 650 MPs access to centralised goods and services to reduce the administrative load, simplify purchasing and improve value for money and sustainability. Reporting to the Head of Commercial, the Commercial Business Partner provides commercial and procurement support through a business partnering model aligned to IPSA's purpose of supporting democracy with great service, fair rule and wise spending. The role builds strong relationships across IPSA to deliver compliant procurement, effective contract management, and practical commercial advice that supports organisational priorities. The role is responsible for ensuring procurement and contract management activity is compliant with relevant legislation, policies and controls.

The Commercial team sits within the Finance and Commercial function and works across the organisation and with external stakeholders.

Key responsibilities

• Building strong relationships with the business, engaging with key stakeholders and understanding budgets, pipeline planning, and commercial risks to ensure effective and compliant procurement performance across the end-to-end commercial lifecycle.
• Providing advice on all stages of procurement and completing administrative processes, from inception to contract management, ensuring procurement activity is compliant with legislation and policy and achieves its intended outcomes.
• Supporting procurement capability across IPSA through knowledge sharing and delivery of procurement training, while driving best practice and compliance.
• Working within IPSA's supplier management framework, supporting IPSA to realise benefits and value for money in commercial-related projects.
• Helping to manage IPSA's spend against strategic contracts, managing issues within the wider IPSA supplier base, including contract renegotiation, strategic issue resolution, and dispute or contract exit.
• Preparing and reporting timely and accurate contract and procurement information that assesses commercial performance.
• Undertaking autonomous projects and other ad-hoc pieces of work as well as contributing to wider IPSA projects, as required.
• Living IPSA's values - staying connected, seeing the bigger picture, being open, doing the right thing and making a difference through all that you do.

IPSA is a learning organisation. We constantly review our work against our strategic objectives, actively seek views from our stakeholders and assess the environment in which we operate so that we can continuously improve. Therefore, the list of key responsibilities may adapt and change over time within the spirit and nature of organisational change and the development of the role.

What we're looking for

You'll be an accomplished commercial professional, qualified at CIPS Level 5 or equivalent membership body (or through significant experience), with demonstrable knowledge of public sector procurement practices, procurement legislation, regulations and principles to keep IPSA safe. You'll care deeply about supporting democracy and delivering value for money for the taxpayer. You'll bring clarity, credibility and calm to commercial activity, working collaboratively in a complex, high-profile environment to help deliver IPSA's strategy, positively influencing how our stakeholders feel about us. You'll bring strong judgement, resilience, and curiosity and you'll be comfortable challenging assumptions to help IPSA navigate opportunities and tough decisions. With deep expertise in commercial and procurement, you'll deliver value for money and strengthen commercial capability across the organisation. You'll have an uncompromising approach to IPSA's procurement and contract management processes, working confidently across IPSA, stakeholders and with suppliers to deliver fit for purpose and best practice solutions. You'll align with IPSA's culture and be flexible and innovative in your approach to work.

Essential

• CIPS or equivalent qualification: (Level 5+) or significant demonstrable experience.
• Relationship building and business partnering skills: proven ability to build strong, collaborative relationships with a range of stakeholders, providing sound guidance, and influencing strong outcomes.
• Commercial lifecycle experience and knowledge: demonstrable experience in procurement of multi-category services, including contract processes, with practical knowledge of the UK's regulatory environment.
• Public sector procurement: demonstrable experience of public sector procurement regulations and contract management, and up-to-date professional development on the Procurement Act 2023.
• Commercial capability: excellent commercial acumen, strong judgement and decision making and negotiation skills, with the ability to apply contract management principles to drive best practice and value for money.
• Excellent data and analysis skills: to provide insight, influence decisions, manage supplier performance and realise benefits.
• Motivated to deliver results and show resilience: outcomes oriented and able to manage multiple workstreams/projects, working across diverse teams, balancing competing demands and priorities.
• Communication, engagement and influencing skills: excellent written and verbal communication, aligned to IPSA's brand and tone, with the ability to build collaborative relationships at all levels.
• Adaptable to change: possesses a flexible and positive attitude to work, change and continuous improvement.

Desirable

• Excellent IT skills including use of Microsoft Office, e-Tendering tools, and Purchase to Pay (ERP) systems.

Our commitment and values

We're committed to creating an inclusive, vibrant community and to making IPSA a brilliant place to be. At the heart of our people philosophy is our promise to engage, enable, and empower every team member to deliver excellence, learn, and develop every day. Ensuring equality of opportunity is central to this. With diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and thinking IPSA will continue to operate as a high-performing organisation with a truly diverse and inclusive culture. That's why we encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities, such as returning parents or carers who are returning from a career break, people who are LGBTQIA+, from Black, Asian, and other ethnic backgrounds, with a disability, impairment, learning differences or long-term condition, with caring responsibilities, from different geographic regions and people from all socio-economic backgrounds, and any other under-represented groups in our workforce.

As well as our Inclusion Panel we have several workplace networks that promote and celebrate diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability. Our values guide us and we demonstrate them in all our work. These are Staying Connected, Seeing the Bigger Picture, Being Open, and Doing the Right Thing and Making a Difference.

Interviews

If you're selected for interview this will be virtual and will take place on Microsoft Teams, so you'll need access to a secure WIFI network and a private space. Our interviews are competency and values-based. We'll ask you a series of questions designed to help assess your suitability for the role and for IPSA.

The closing date for this role will be 21 June 2026, so we encourage you to submit your application without delay. Shortlisting will take place in w/c 22 June 2026. Interviews will take place w/c 6 July. Please make a note of these dates in your diary as we will be operating a tight interview schedule.

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