Associate Commercial Practitioner

Job description

Job Title: Associate Commercial Practitioner

Band: 3

Salary: £37,845 - £42,007

Location: Birmingham/Newport/Norwich/Liverpool

Contract Type: Permanent / Temporary (depending on role specifics)

Hours: Full Time/Compressed

Closing Date: 09/07/26

Interview Date(s): WC 27th July (subject to change)

Insight into GCA - Webinar 

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Advance your career at the UK’s largest public procurement organisation, where you’ll create market-leading commercial agreements that shape how the public sector buys goods and services.

Job Summary

This is an exciting opportunity to join our Category teams in a pivotal support role. You will be instrumental in the end-to-end delivery of Commercial Agreements and the management of vital customer and supplier relationships.

Current Vacancies:

• Consultancy and Audit (1 permanent post)

The Consultancy and Audit team helps public sector clients access expert professional advice and support services. In this role, you will assist with the setup and launch of new commercial agreements, coordinate with internal and external partners, and help manage ongoing supplier relationships. You will also handle routine customer inquiries, maintain accurate team records, and review data to help track performance and identify new opportunities for growth.

• Networks, Mobile and Space Technologies (1 permanent post)

The Networks, Mobile and Space team helps all Government sectors access next generation "connectivity" technologies that enable the UK public sector to stay connected whilst enabling growth, and delivering key services to the public. In this role, you will support the setup and launch of new commercial agreements, help customers with their agreement-related queries, and also be involved in Strategic supplier relationship management and KPI reporting. The role will also require Supplier compliance auditing, and involvement in setting up Catalogues and auditing service offers. You will also maintain accurate team records, and review data to help track performance and identify new opportunities for growth.

Note: These are the roles currently available; however, a reserve list will be maintained to fill any upcoming vacancies across our different categories as they arise.

Join our elite team of procurement professionals managing over £34bn in public sector spend. Across fifteen specialist teams and three core categories, we provide expert guidance and a supportive environment dedicated to delivering value for the nation.

Our Categories:

• Corporate Solutions: Empowering the public sector through expert consultancy, legal advice, and comprehensive workforce solutions—from recruitment to professional development.

• Estates: Driving a greener, more sustainable future. Our experts ensure estates requirements are met cost-effectively and compliantly, aligning with critical net-zero and social value targets.

• Technology: Accelerating digital transformation. We bridge the gap between market innovation and customer needs, ensuring the public sector accesses cutting-edge technology efficiently.

We support government projects and programmes of national UK significance - helping the public sector to build back better.

Our Commercial Team is transforming to become even more flexible. Candidates should be aware that there will be opportunities to flex into other category areas as required, either to meet business needs and/or for staff development.

Key Accountabilities:

• Agreement Support – including support for contract variations, novations, extensions and agreement maintenance (including expiry activity), overdue management information and aged debt chasers, plus support for various digital platforms and system tool demonstrations

• Stakeholder Management – including triage/resolution of customer/supplier queries; monitoring and management of team mail inboxes and triage of complaints

• Supplier Relationship Management – including supplier onboarding at framework launch (and as part of ongoing delivery of Dynamic Purchasing Systems); support for key subcontractor changes

• Compliance Activities - take ownership of supplier assurance liaising with teams across GCA including Finance, Commercial Finance, Supplier Management Unit, and Customer Service Centre to support Commercial Practitioners with agreement management  to ensure supplier financial and framework specific due diligence is maintained 

• Supporting the development of new/renewed commercial agreements – including supporting development of the necessary documentation to required quality and on time.

• Supporting delivery of growth, attracting new customers, driving customer retention and providing enhanced value for money by working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders

• Marketing and Communications – including support for marketing activity (e.g. webinars, planning customer knowledge share forums, developing case studies) and support for maintaining Website documents and improving content to support the customer and supplier journey

• Routine travel to GCA offices

Essential Criteria (to be assessed at application stage):

• Be able to demonstrate a good understanding of procurement and/or contract management with the ability to analyse and communicate data to assist commercial decisions

• An ability to build and maintain strong stakeholder relationships within a commercial environment.

• Experience in the collation, management, analysis and presentation of information/data.

• Proven ability to prioritise workload and work at a pace to meet deadlines. Well organised, able to work independently as well as part of a team.

• Proactive approach to developing solutions in order to deliver operational and commercial efficiencies and more effective ways of working.

Success Profiles (to be assessed at interview):

Experience

Behaviours:

• Working Together

• Communicating and Influencing

• Delivering at pace

• Managing a quality service

Technical

• Contract and supplier management

(A link to the Civil Service Success Profiles Framework is provided below)

Success Profiles Framework

Valuing our people:

• Competitive salary 

• Generous pension scheme

• A discretionary non-contractual performance related bonus 

• Working remotely in addition to working in advertised office location

• Flexi time scheme (available for B1-B6)

• Minimum 25 days annual leave to a maximum service related 30 days excluding bank holidays

Want to make a difference? Find out more about the rewarding work that we do in our candidate pack.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

We want to make our recruitment process accessible to everyone, so if there is any way that we can support you, please contact [email protected]

Working flexibly, delivering outcomes

GCA operates a smarter working model that balances flexibility with collaboration. Successful candidates are expected to spend at least 26 days per quarter (approximately 2 days per week, pro-rata) at their contracted office, another GCA site, or off-site for meetings. For the remainder of the time, you may work from home or another suitable location that meets business needs.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.  Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection Process

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, which the Civil Service may use to fill future suitably similar vacancies across government for candidates who are considered appointable following interview. Should you be placed on a reserve list and want to be removed please contact [email protected].

Please note that as part of this recruitment process, if you are unsuccessful at the interview stage but are close to the benchmark score you may be considered for and offered a role at a lower pay band within the same job family.

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Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. 

Complaints Procedure

 Our recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles details of which can be found at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-principles/

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact [email protected] in the first instance.

If you remain unsatisfied with the response you receive you can then contact the Civil Service Commission at [email protected]

Internal candidates should apply using their Workday account. Please use the careers hub for your application.