Strategic Lead - Commercial Improvement & Assurance

Job Description

Salary £68,525 - £74,531 Per annum | Permanent, Full Time, 37 hours per week | Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom

We're looking for a Strategic Lead with drive and passion to deliver an effective and very specialist service to our stakeholders at an incredibly exciting time for both the present and future of Lancashire County Council and the community we serve.

This is an opportunity to play a key role in strengthening how highways services and investment are commercially managed, assured and continuously improved.

Working alongside the Head of Commercial, you'll help turn commercial strategy into practical improvements, bringing greater financial discipline, accountability and value for money across services, programmes and projects.

You’ll lead complex commercial improvement and assurance work, using data, benchmarking and insight to scrutinise business cases, costs, forecasts, risks, procurement approaches and delivery models. From developing gateway controls and improving cost predictability to redesigning services and assuring high-value projects and contracts, you’ll provide the constructive challenge that helps us make better, evidence-led decisions.

It's a role with real breadth and influence.

You’ll work across finance, engineering, procurement, legal and operational teams, advising senior leaders and governance forums while building strong relationships with suppliers, contractors and partners. Just as importantly, you’ll help build commercial capability across the organisation and turn improvement opportunities into measurable results.

You’ll be an experienced commercial, improvement, assurance or programme professional who is comfortable getting beneath the numbers, challenging assumptions and turning complex information into clear recommendations.

You’ll bring the credibility to influence senior stakeholders while remaining pragmatic, collaborative and focused on improving outcomes.

• A relevant degree-level qualification or equivalent experience, ideally within commercial management, finance, engineering, business or programme/project management
• Significant experience leading commercial improvement, assurance, transformation or complex programmes, ideally within highways, infrastructure, capital programmes or a comparable environment.
• Strong knowledge of commercial governance, financial control, risk, value for money and programme assurance, including gateway reviews and business case scrutiny.
• The analytical skills to interrogate costs, forecasts, performance, risk and benchmarking data and translate your findings into clear, evidence-based recommendations.
• Experience improving services, processes and delivery models, with an understanding of continuous improvement, change management and benefits realisation.
• Strong communication, influencing and negotiation skills, with the confidence to provide constructive professional challenge to senior leaders and work effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
• A relevant professional qualification or experience in project, programme, procurement or change management, with membership of a relevant professional body, or a willingness to work towards this.

At Lancashire County Council, we're committed to delivering services that make a real difference to the people and communities we serve. Our Highways Team is at the heart of that mission, helping ensure that customers are put first by delivering safe, reliable and accessible highways services that local communities can depend upon.

When you join us, you'll become part of a supportive and knowledgeable team where your expertise is valued, your development is encouraged and your contribution has a…