Senior Governance & Assurance Manager

Overview

If you’d like to be considered for this opportunity, apply promptly to avoid disappointment as high applications may close the role before the closing date.

Help us strengthen AWE’s Commercial governance and assurance. AWE is recruiting a Senior Governance & Assurance Manager to help shape, operate and evolve our Commercial function by developing governance frameworks, policies, and processes aligned with public procurement regulations and best practice frameworks. This role involves close collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to ensure transparency, compliance, and effective communication, while supporting public sector initiatives and identifying opportunities to enhance value for money across the business.

Package: £63,270 to £85,000 (depending on your suitability, qualifications, and level of experience).

Location: Reading (Green Park), with free onsite parking.

Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight. We will consider flexible working requests so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle. Just let us know your preferred working pattern on your application.

Ready to play your part?

At AWE, it’s not just a job, it’s far more than that. Our shared purpose is to help keep the nation safe. Could this role be the opportunity for you to play your part?

As the Senior Governance & Assurance Manager, you will sit within the Commercial function and focus on governance and assurance at a C2 level.

Key responsibilities include:

• Operate the Commercial governance and assurance framework and process library, ensuring policies and procedures are current, easy to access and applied consistently.
• Coordinate Commercial approval forums and assurance reviews (e.g., CRB, CAB): forward schedule, quality assurance of submissions, secretariat, action, decision and conditions tracking, and evidence packs.
• Quality‑assure commercial strategies, board papers and business cases for completeness, traceability and value‑for‑money narrative, applying the HM Treasury Green Book and 5‑Case Model, and preparing for IPA‑style gateway/assurance reviews.
• Single point of contact working in partnership with the wider commercial excellence team for supporting the production of high‑quality MI/BI on pipeline, policy adoption, risk and performance (KPIs), ensuring data quality and repeatable reporting.
• Support internal and external audits and reviews, collating evidence, responding to findings and closing actions; champion lessons learned and continuous improvement.
• Contribute to Commercial policy updates and change implementation (communications, training materials, user guidance), ensuring alignment with external government policy and AWE standards.
• Support ESG and Social Value integration into sourcing and contract management, assuring measurement and reporting through governance packs.
• Engage effectively with internal stakeholders and external bodies (e.g., MOD and other government partners) to ensure compliance and share leading practice.
• Act as the champion for learning from experience, facilitating shared learning across the function.

We’re looking for a proactive and articulate individual with strong MS Office skills and the ability to build effective relationships across all levels. The ideal candidate will confidently manage multiple stakeholders and priorities, challenge inappropriate behaviours, and thrive in a process‑led environment.

From a commercial/procurement background, you will have business case assurance experience, developing and assuring business cases using structured frameworks such as the HM Treasury 5 Case Model is highly desirable and an understanding of commercial best practice. You should have commercial acumen, understand and apply business knowledge to make sound decisions that benefit the entire organisation and a keen eye for identifying root causes and driving continuous improvement.

• Good standard of general education including Maths and English or equivalent experience.
• MCIPS or working towards the qualification would be beneficial.
• Proven experience operating governance and assurance within a…