Commercial Support Specialist

CompanyOxfordshire County Council

LocationOxford, England, United Kingdom

Posted At3/3/2026

UK Visa Sponsorship Analytics

Analytics are greyed out due to low classification confidence (42.0%).

Occupation Type

Customer service occupations not elsewhere classified.

Occupation Code Skill LevelIneligible

Sponsorship EligibilityIneligible for Sponsorship

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Description

About the Company

Oxfordshire County Council is committed to supporting our communities through effective commercial and procurement practices. Our mission is to deliver high-quality services while fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation.

About the Role

Are you ready to kickstart your career in commercial and procurement, working at the heart of a dynamic public sector team? Working in the Commercial Excellence Team as a Commercial Support Officer at Oxfordshire County Council, you’ll gain hands-on experience across a variety of Commercial & Procurement projects, building your expertise and making a real difference to the services that support our communities. This is your opportunity to develop as a high-potential professional, learning from experts and taking the lead on meaningful work.

Responsibilities

Support Procurement Activities: Assist senior colleagues in preparing and managing procurement processes, drafting tender documents, evaluating bids, and ensuring compliance with regulations.

Assisting Supplier Management: Build and maintain relationships with suppliers, monitor their performance, and help resolve issues to ensure high standards of service delivery.

Supporting Contract Management: Help administer contracts, ensure terms and conditions are met, and manage contract variations or amendments.

Market Research: Identify potential suppliers, analyse market trends, and gather intelligence to inform procurement decisions.

Supply Chain Mapping: Develop a clear picture of supplier relationships and risks, providing insights to support business continuity.

Financial Analysis: Support cost analysis, budget monitoring, and identify opportunities for savings.

Compliance and Reporting: Ensure all procurement activities comply with laws and council policies, and help prepare reports and respond to FOI requests.

Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with internal stakeholders to understand their needs and ensure procurement aligns with council objectives.

Training & Development: Help build and deliver commercial training programmes to develop capability across the service and wider community.

Purchase to Pay: Support the Finance P2P team with supplier set-ups, approvals, and process optimisation.

Wider Service Support: Support the Commercial & Procurement Service by raising shopping carts on behalf of the team, owning a Procurement card and transacting necessary purchases, and working to ensure the smooth and efficient operating of the service.

Qualifications

A passion for learning and a desire to develop expertise across commercial and procurement activities.

Required Skills

Good communication skills—able to inform, instruct, persuade, and encourage feedback with credibility.
Good persuasion and negotiation skills, able to influence outcomes and constructively challenge decisions.
Proactive problem-solving skills, with the ability to spot opportunities and manage risk.
Commercial awareness, with an understanding of basic cost drivers, value for money, and how to deliver greater value.
Ability to connect the dots across the organisation and implement change to maximise value.

Preferred Skills

Experience delivering commercial projects, understanding commercial policy, or designing capability development programmes (desirable, not essential).

MCIPS / IACCM / WCC / NEC qualification or willingness to work towards one (desirable, not essential).

Local Government experience is a plus, but not essential.

Pay range and compensation package

Rewards and benefits include hybrid working, a culture of flexible working, great learning and development opportunities, technology to support agile working, Employee Assistance Programme, generous annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, Local Government Pension Scheme, and discounts for shopping and travel.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Before applying, we recommend reviewing the attached job summary. It has further information and clear guidance on what we’re looking for.

Find out more about us and our benefits: Job Benefits | Oxfordshire County Council