IT Commercial Practitioner at Department for Education, Manchester, 6 Months, £Contract Rate

Role Profile:

This team plays a key role in supporting schools across England by delivering innovative software and hardware procurement solutions that make purchasing easier, more efficient and provide better value for money for schools.

You will be responsible for supporting and leading end-to-end IT procurement activities within a public sector environment, ensuring compliance with procurement regulations and delivering commercially effective solutions.

Working closely with stakeholders across the Digital and Technology Directorate, you will contribute to market engagement activities, procurement strategies, tender processes and contract award recommendations.

As a IT Commercial Practitioner, your main responsibilities will be to:

• Deliver end-to-end procurement activities across IT, software and technology categories.
• Develop procurement strategies and sourcing approaches.
• Lead market engagement activities and supplier interactions.
• Produce and manage Invitations to Tender (ITT) documentation.
• Support requirements gathering and specification development.
• Ensure compliance with Procurement Regulations including PCR 2015 and Procurement Act 2023.
• Manage procurement activity through approved public sector procurement routes.
• Engage with stakeholders across the Department and education sector.
• Support contract award processes and procurement governance.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of procurement solutions that support schools.

Essential:

• Proven experience delivering end-to-end procurement and sourcing activity across IT and Digital categories.
• Demonstrable experience operating within a public sector procurement environment.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage and influence both technical and non-technical audiences.

Desirable:

• Experience using Jaggaer
• Familiarity with the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework
• Previous Department for Education or wider education-sector experience
• Experience delivering digital transformation or technology procurement projects

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, DfE 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.

Armed Forces Covenant 

DfE 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.