Senior Commercial Managers in Bristol

The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) is seeking to appoint four Senior Commercial Managers to join our growing Commercial Team. These roles sit at the heart of a transformation programme that is reshaping how we procure, manage contracts and assure major investments across the region.

This is an exciting moment to join us. The team is expanding, the organisation is evolving, and the work is challenging — but the impact is real. These roles will directly support the Mayor’s priorities and help deliver better outcomes for people, places, and businesses across the West of England.

Your key responsibilities in these roles would be to ensure a focus on delivering the priorities of the Mayor by:

• Supporting the delivery of major programmes through strong commercial leadership
• Developing frameworks, strategies, and tools that drive value, transparency, and consistency
• Ensuring compliance with the Procurement Act 2023, Contract Standing Orders, and governance requirements
• Completing high‐quality reporting, assurance, and performance oversight
• Providing expert commercial advice that strengthens decision‐making and improves outcomes

The Roles

• Senior Commercial Governance & Assurance Manager: A pivotal role responsible for leading the governance, assurance, and reporting framework that underpins all procurement and contract activity across the Combined Authority. You will ensure commercial decisions are transparent, compliant, and data‐driven, providing high‐quality insight to senior leaders, committees, and auditors. You will lead the Commercial Governance Framework, oversee Commercial Board reporting, maintain audit readiness, and manage the Governance & Reporting Officer. This role champions consistency, accountability, and continuous improvement across the commercial lifecycle.
• Senior Commercial Manager – Contract Management: A senior leadership role focused on strengthening the organisation’s contract management capability and ensuring major programmes deliver value for money. You will lead the Contract Management Strategy, manage a team overseeing strategic contracts, and establish a Contract Management Centre of Excellence (CMCoE). You will embed best practice, improve supplier performance, enhance visibility of risk and value, and drive cultural change across the organisation. This role is central to ensuring that post‐award delivery is robust, consistent, and aligned with organisational priorities.
• Senior Commercial Manager – Procurement: The organisation’s strategic lead for all pre‐award procurement activity. You will set the standards for procurement excellence, lead complex and high‐value procurements, and develop category strategies that drive value, innovation, and social impact. You will provide expert commercial advice, strengthen supplier engagement, and build capability across the organisation. This role shapes how the Authority engages the market and ensures procurement activity is compliant, transparent, and aligned with the Mayor’s priorities.
• Senior Commercial Manager – Transport Infrastructure Procurement: A specialist leadership role focused on procurement for major transport infrastructure programmes — including rail assets, strategic transport corridors, and highways schemes. You will lead complex capital procurements, develop category strategies, and ensure compliance with the Procurement Act 2023, the Construction Playbook, and internal governance. You will provide expert commercial advice, strengthen supplier relationships, and support capability‐building across project teams. This role plays a critical part in enabling the region’s transport transformation and ensuring major capital investments deliver maximum public value.

Who We’re Looking For

Across these roles, we are looking for people who:

• Bring strong commercial acumen and sound judgement
• Understand public‐sector procurement, contract management, and governance
• Can build capability, coach others, and drive continuous improvement
• Communicate with clarity and credibility at all levels
• Thrive in complex, fast‐moving, and politically sensitive environments
• Are committed to delivering public value and improving outcomes for the West of England

These are high‐profile, challenging roles — but they offer the opportunity to shape how the region invests, delivers, and grows. You will join a supportive, ambitious, and expanding Commercial Team that is central to the Combined Authority’s mission.

Together, you will help deliver major programmes, strengthen commercial capability, and drive improvements that make a real difference to communities across the West of England.

If you have any questions about the role or would like to have an informal conversation with the hiring manager, please contact resourcing@westofengland-ca.gov.uk in the first instance. The selection process is likely to be two stages with the ask for an assessment or a presentation. The interviews are planned to take place from 20th May onwards. The closing date for this role is 17th May 2026 (11:59pm).

Please specify which role(s) you are applying for in your application form and tailor your application accordingly to the job description.

About the Company

Alongside the opportunity to lead change, drive strategic initiatives, and make a real difference in the West of England, we offer an excellent benefits package including:

• 26 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 31 days after 5 years continuous or reckonable service. There is also the option to increase your annual leave with our annual leave purchase scheme.
• 2 days of paid leave each year to volunteer
• Local Government Pension Scheme with an employer contribution of 13.7%
• Flexible, family friendly and hybrid working options to ensure you achieve the best work/life balance and career goals. We follow a hybrid working model with typically 2 or 3 days in the office each week
• Reduced bus fare travel across the West of England

The West of England is an amazing part of the world to live and work. We are based in a new bright and airy office, with all the latest technology, close to Bristol Temple Meads Train Station.

The salary for this role is £63,685 - £69,665. This is the full-time equivalent salary, and will be pro-rata for part-time. We advertise salary ranges for job roles, with new appointments for external candidates typically starting at the lowest salary point. In exceptional cases, where higher skill levels or experience are applicable, the salary point may be adjusted to secure the best candidate. This approach allows for potential year-on-year salary increases, offering progression and appropriate rewards to employees.

We believe in fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, empowering you to thrive in your career. We prioritise your growth and success by providing a diverse range of learning and development opportunities. Our goal is to keep you motivated, equipped with essential skills, and confident in delivering excellent services.

As a founding Member of the West of England Good Employment Charter and accredited Living Wage Employer, we’re committed to creating a diverse environment where all our employees can thrive. We make sure all qualified applicants receive consideration for employment and we particularly welcome applications from under-represented groups without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or citizenship status.

If you have an accessibility need, disability, condition or need any additional support that means you might require changes to the application or recruitment process (for example, you might need to submit your application in a different format), please get in touch with our Resourcing Team at Resourcing@westofengland-ca.gov.uk.