UCAS is at the heart of connecting people to higher education.

UCAS is the world’s leading shared admissions service for higher education. We provide application services for UK universities and colleges as well as delivering a wide range of research, consultancy and advisory services to schools, colleges, careers services, professional bodies and employers.

We’re a successful and fast-growing organisation, which helps hundreds of thousands of people every year. We're committed to delivering a first-class service to all of our customers — they're at the heart of everything we do.

Our Finance and Corporate Services business unit is a fusion of multiple functions — financial planning and accounting, facilities and building management, procurement, corporate governance and performance, legal and compliance. The Finance Team also defines UCAS' financial strategy

Lead the commercial team, and partner with business leaders across the organisation, establishing procurement
policy and controls with commercial insight and acumen. Developing and executing effective commercial strategies
in alignment with UCAS goals and objectives.

Key accountabilities:

• Lead and manage the commercial team and commercial planning function, ensuring the
  Commercial team are efficient, effective and proactive.

• Responsible for the policies and procedures and supplier management governance

• Manage end to end tender processes from requirement, building specifications, evaluation,
  contract award through to contract management.

• Embed and develop continuous commercial management improvements

• Undertake the development, review and negotiation of large, complex contracts, ensuring the delivery
  of the commercial pipeline.

• Maintain an understanding of regulations which may impact risk and opportunity for UCAS.

• Deliver supplier cost reduction targets from new and existing contracts, identifying increased efficiencies and process improvements for all supplier categories.

• Ensure contract performance and risk management.

• Deliver commercial support utilising the organisation's tools and procedures.

• Manage relationships with stakeholders and confidently lead dialogue with these stakeholders
  throughout the procurement process.

For full job description, please see role profile attached.

• Degree qualified or equivalent in a business-related subject.

• CIPS qualified or working towards.

• Solid experience of leading a procurement or commercial team within a larger matrix management
  structure.

• Fully conversant with tendering requirements from conception through to contract delivery and
  award, through to effective relationship management.

• Capability to research markets to understand the internal and external influences to guide best
  practice procurements.

• Excellent IT skills, including Microsoft Office and eProcurement tools.

• Experience of liaising with Executive Directors and Senior Managers.

• Possess strong interpersonal, communication and organisational skills.

• Comfortable working under pressure and within strict deadlines.

• Possess a broad range of exposure to various technical environments and business areas.

• Possess strong business acumen.

• Possess superior influencing skills - able to influence and motivate others using personal rather
  than positional power.

• Ability to set expectation with IT and effectively leverage governance for a positive technology experience

• Strategic thinker focused on business value results that utilise technical solutions.

• Experienced people leader, able to develop, motivate and drive team performance.

Salary - up to £70,000

• 30 days annual leave (plus 3 concessionary days over Christmas and your bank holidays!)

• Flexibility – UCAS positively supports Hybrid working for its employees, meaning you can work between home and the office in a way that suits you and the business and also has a comprehensive Flexible Working Policy

• A generous pension scheme

• Hundreds of high street discounts and offers with Perkbox

• Internal training and development

• Subsidised gym and café

• Be rewarded for going above and beyond with our ex-gratia bonus scheme and Celebrating U, our quarterly employee recognition scheme

• Dedicated volunteer employee networks promoting wellbeing, awareness and inclusion