Digital Commercial Assurance Manager at UK Research & Innovation, Swindon, 9 months, £Contract Rate

On behalf of UKRI, we are looking for a Digital Commercial Assurance Manager (Inside IR35) for a remote (ad hoc) contract until March 2027, based in Swindon. 

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is the national funding agency investing in science and research in the UK.

UKRI invests £8 billion of taxpayers' money each year into research and innovation and the people who make it happen. They work across a huge range of fields - from biodiversity conservation to quantum computing, and from space telescopes to innovative health care. They give everyone the opportunity to contribute and to benefit, bringing together people and organisations nationally and globally to create, develop and deploy new ideas and technologies.

This role will focus primarily on post-contract award commercial management, ensuring supplier contracts, renewals, asset management activities and commercial processes are effectively managed in accordance with UKRI and Government standards.

As a Digital Commercial Assurance Manager, your main responsibilities will be to:

• Manage the post-award commercial lifecycle of IT and technology contracts.
• Support IT Asset Management activities, including contract renewals, variations and procurement requirements.
• Maintain accurate contract registers, supplier records and commercial reporting documentation.
• Monitor supplier performance, ensuring contractual obligations, value for money and service expectations are achieved.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders, including IT, Finance, Procurement and Delivery teams.
• Support procurement assurance processes and ensure compliance with UKRI and Government commercial policies.
• Provide commercial guidance, templates, processes and best-practice materials to support stakeholders.
• Support financial management activities including invoicing, forecasting inputs and purchase order management.
• Identify commercial risks and escalate issues appropriately.
• Support contract review meetings and governance forums, including quarterly contract reviews.
• Work closely with platform leads to ensure technology contracts remain aligned to business requirements.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives by reviewing and enhancing commercial processes, policies and ways of working.

Essential:

• Experience within IT Asset Management or Digital Delivery environments.
• Strong understanding of PCR/UCR regulations, commercial governance and assurance requirements.
• Proven experience managing contracts through the full post-award contract lifecycle, including renewals, variations and supplier management.
• Experience working with IT, Digital or Technology contracts and suppliers.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams, contract data, reporting and governance activities.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with experience working across IT, Finance, Procurement and senior business stakeholders.
• Strong Excel skills and experience maintaining contract registers, repositories and commercial reporting.
• MCIPS qualified or qualified by experience (QBE).

Desirable:

• Experience developing or improving commercial processes, policies and best practices.
• Knowledge of risk and issue management within commercial or project environments.
• Experience using JIRA or similar workflow/reporting tools.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident 

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, UKRI guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant 

UKRI guarantees to interview veterans or spouses / partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates / military spouses or partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different.