Head of Commercial Services

Working Pattern: 36.25 hour / full time

Interview Date/Type: In person week commending 19 October 2026

SMART Working: We aim to offer flexibility wherever possible. Many of our colleagues work from home one or more days a week and/or adjust their hours. We call this SMART working - giving you the freedom to shape your working pattern around your life, whilst still delivering great outcomes. Speak with the hiring manager about the range of flexible working options available for this role.

Trafford is a borough with bold ambitions, thriving communities, successful businesses, outstanding schools and a strong sense of place. It combines opportunity and innovation with a deep commitment to public service.

We're now looking for an exceptional commercial leader to help shape the future of Trafford's traded services offer. This is a rare opportunity to build on strong foundations, lead meaningful change and strengthen sustainable, customer-focused services for schools, education settings and communities. The role will also support income generation, customer retention and the long-term commercial resilience of Trafford’s traded services offer.

Leading a portfolio centred on catering and cleaning services for schools and education settings, you will develop and deliver a clear commercial strategy that strengthens existing services, identifies opportunities for growth and supports long-term sustainability. This will include developing competitive pricing strategies and trading models that are financially sustainable and aligned to Trafford’s priorities.

You’ll work closely with schools, academy trusts, senior leaders, elected members and partners to shape future delivery models, improve performance and keep services responsive to customer needs. You will provide clear advice and assurance to senior stakeholders, helping them make informed decisions about future commercial direction.

Trafford's education sector is one of its greatest strengths, with long-established relationships across schools and education settings. This offers the change to influence services that are integral to that ecosystem, creating high-quality services that support children, young people and communities.

You will bring evidence, insight and clarity to decision-making, developing robust financial and performance frameworks, using market intelligence and performance data to inform choices about growth, innovation and investment. You will also strengthen frameworks for pricing, governance, bids and future business development.

Trafford has strong foundations, loyal customers and committed teams. It now needs a leader who can bring commercial insight, strategic direction and the confidence to turn ambition into delivery.

You’ll be a commercially credible leader who brings clarity to complex challenges and looks beyond day-to-day delivery. You will have a strong track record of balancing commercial opportunity with public service values, growing income or developing business opportunities in a customer-focused environment. You’ll be comfortable assessing markets, using financial and performance information, identifying where services can grow or change, and supporting informed decisions about long-term sustainability.

You’ll recognise that these services are about more than income generation. Catering and cleaning services play an important role in Trafford's education ecosystem and are valued by schools. You’ll protect those relationships while bringing the challenge, insight and commercial discipline needed to keep services competitive, financially resilient and fit for the future.

This is an opportunity to join a service at a defining point in its journey, combining commercial thinking, stakeholder engagement and purposeful leadership to deliver genuine impact.

Trafford is a vibrant, inclusive borough at the heart of Greater Manchester. Home to 235,000 residents, four thriving town centres, over 11,000 businesses, and 60+ parks and green spaces. We’re a place where community and opportunity meet. With…