Commercial Lead​/Category Lead

Overview

Department: Government Property Agency (GPA)

Role

Title:

Commercial Lead / Category Manager

Location: Birmingham, Leeds, London, Manchester, Birmingham

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate.

Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leading transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme, Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme, as well as delivering modern, cost-effective real estate service solutions.

The Commercial Lead is responsible for managing procurement and contracts for the area. This requires building relationships with senior stakeholders across teams to ensure alignment and resource management. This will include creating joint business cases, developing specifications and bid packs and working closely to identify the most appropriate route to market for requirements. The Commercial Lead is also responsible for ensuring the appropriate governance has been completed before procurement activity and contract award, providing advice to stakeholders on the scope of the governance required and ensuring relevant approvers are engaged in the process.

The role requires consistent maintenance of the contracts pipeline and procurement system to ensure effective data and accurate reporting on spend and commitments for the team. There is opportunity to drive change for the GPA through the centrality of the role, and the ability to build subject-matter expertise on niche and strategic areas of GPA delivery.

• Actively manage the COO and Finance contract pipelines
• Regularly engage with senior stakeholders to assess delivery of existing contracts and managing future requirements.
• Lead on end-to-end procurement activity for any requirements that emerge in the COO and Finance teams. This may include the use of frameworks and competitive procedures under the Procurement Act 2023.
• Work closely with stakeholders from across teams to develop requirements and identify appropriate sourcing routes along with complete bid packs that are proportionate to requirements.
• Build relationships with key suppliers to ensure consistent delivery and performance management.
• Line management of team members, including fast stream placements, building commercial acumen and confidence in the commercial lifecycle.
• Contribute to commercial policy and lead on relevant policy development for the GPA Commercial team, in collaboration with the Commercial Policy team, to provide insights on procurement processes and practical guidance for use in live procurements.
• Input into reporting requirements to build and manage commercial data and ensure compliance across the contract portfolio.
• Represent the commercial team at forums, working groups and away days, creating visibility and engagement from GPA teams.

Please submit an application via Civil Service Jobs. A detailed candidate pack is also available. Closing date is before 11:55 pm on Sunday 22nd March 2026