Job Description

The Head of Commercial is a senior leader within Supply Chain, accountable for driving strategic commercial management, procurement, contract governance, and supplier relationship excellence to enable the company mission while ensuring compliance and delivering measurable value for money.

They hold shared accountability for overseeing spend across the relevant commercial taxonomy, aligned to business plan and directorate priorities. The role carries delegated financial authority in line with Sellafield Limited’s Delegated Powers of Financial Authority, subject to periodic review. Operating at Senior Leadership level, the postholder will ensure the application of established processes to deliver value for money and maintain full compliance with company and group requirements, as validated through internal and external audit. The remit spans a range of categories, contracts or frameworks, reflecting varying size, scale, complexity and technical demands, which may include areas such as IT or construction.

Principal Accountabilities

• Develop and execute integrated supply chain strategies aligned with corporate objectives to drive operational excellence and long-term value.

• Lead continuous improvement programs to optimise cost, quality, and delivery performance across the supply chain.

• Inspire and mentor a high-performing team of commercial and supply chain professionals, fostering collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning.

• Negotiate strategically with suppliers to secure favourable terms, mitigate risk, and maximise value creation.

• Monitor and manage supplier performance through structured reviews, implementing corrective actions to ensure compliance and service excellence.

• Deliver accurate financial forecasting and reporting to support effective planning, budgeting, and achievement of performance targets.

• Control budgets and drive cost optimisation initiatives without compromising quality, safety, or service standards.

• Manage complex, high-value contracts ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory, and ethical sourcing requirements, including sustainability standards.

• Embed resilience and risk mitigation strategies across the supply chain to safeguard continuity and compliance.

• Build and sustain strategic supplier partnerships to foster innovation, collaboration, and long-term value delivery.

• Communicate with influence to secure stakeholder buy-in for strategic initiatives and inform executive decision-making.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Essential Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Procurement, Quantity Surveying, Supply Chain Management or another related field or equivalent experience
• Professional certification MCIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply) or equivalent or willingness to work towards.
• Extensive experience in regulated sourcing, procurement, or supply chain management in a senior leadership role.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of the Public Contract Regulations, Utilities Contracts Regulations and/or Procurement Act 2023.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills with a focus on data driven decision making.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing successful commercial strategies.
• In-depth knowledge of market dynamics, industry trends, and insights
• Strong leadership and team development skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency in supply chain software and tools.

Desirable Skills:

• Qualified in APM Project Fundamentals or equivalent experience.
• Experience working in nuclear or other regulated procurement environments.
• Experience of working in a large complex organisation.

Additional Information

• Open VN
• Number of Vacancies: 1
• Contact/s: James Riddick

As part of your application, please include a cover letter detailing how you meet the knowledge and experience required for the role.

The date of the interviews for this position are expected to take place week commencing 22nd June.

If you choose to apply for this role and your application is shortlisted, you will be invited to an interview. In the interview, you will be assessed against the NDA Leadership Standard.

Sellafield Ltd are recognised as a Disability Confident Employer (Level 3). Disability Confident employers offer an interview to disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for a vacancy. Sellafield Ltd define the minimum criteria as the ‘essential skills’ which are listed on the vacancy notice. Whilst completing your application form, you will be able to indicate if you wish to be considered under the disability confident scheme. If you would prefer to discuss this directly with us, please contact the GBS Recruitment team on recruitment@sellafieldcloud.co.uk

Please ensure that you save a copy of this advert for future reference if you make an application for this role.

The closing date for this vacancy is Friday 5th June 2026.