Head of Commercial

The DSIT Commercial and Grants Team are responsible for supporting DSIT Policy and digital colleagues to deliver high profile and exciting initiatives UK Wide, from setting up policies promoting investment to protecting national security, to teams deliver grants and commercial arrangements that enable innovative and exciting policy outcomes.

You will join the Commercial Innovation Hub (CIH). The commercial team supports x-Whitehall within and will benefit from a broad portfolio of commercial activity delivering commercial pathfinders.

The Government announced the Commercial Innovation Hub in the National Procurement Policy Statement launching the Procurement Act 2023. The CIH aims to unlock the power of innovation within the public sector and support the UK’s most innovative firms to grow. Integrating innovative solutions into government processes is critical to achieve the five missions and deliver the milestones in the Plan for Change.

The CIH is a centre of excellence for pioneering new approaches to service design and procurement. The Hub will facilitate a structured process of market engagement to identify more innovative ways to tackle government challenges while using the full flexibility introduced by the new Procurement Act. By doing so, we aim to foster a culture of strategic procurement that supports diverse innovations and enhances the delivery of public services.

Job description

This role will be responsible for delivering the CIH and be a critical enabler x-gov to deliver innovation measures in line x-Whitehall agreed objectives. The role reports to DD Commercial - Innovation and regularly advises the CIH’s sponsors: the National Technology Adviser (SRO), DSIT Commercial Directorate SLT, Government Chief Commercial Officer, and ministerial sponsors Vallance and Ward, and the Financial Secretary to the Treasury

This individual will also be responsible for ensuring alignment of the CIH with the new Government Commercial Agency and providing direction and strategy on commercial innovation across the GCF. The CIH core objectives and MVP which requires Head of Commercial Innovation leadership and FTE commitment to deliver.

Person specification

Procurement of Innovation Agenda (measures & actions):

Budget/Entrepreneurship Prospectus Measures

1. Appoint Procurement Innovation Champions in all departments
2. Establish a new Innovation Marketplace
3. Review the government’s internal controls to remove common barriers to buying from innovative scaling companies
4. Explore changes to the procurement system to make it more friendly to innovative companies

PAC/NAO Measures

1. Letter from HMG, NAO & PAC to secretaries of state on managing risk appetite to enable the purchasing of innovative solutions.
2. HMG and NAO to explore partnership model where NAO representatives work directly with teams on initial innovative procurement projects
3. CIH and NAO to co-develop guidance framework to assess innovative procurement proposals
4. HMG and NAO to agree on a timetable to introduce proposed changes. This could be supported by practitioner training offers, such as seminars, which can facilitate shared learning of practical experiences.

X-Whitehall Innovation Strategy Subgroup Measures (FST)

1. Advice to FST on a separate innovation in procurement organisation to drive the innovation agenda.
2. Explore using AI legislation to create a procurement for innovation sandbox.
3. Advice to CX and PM on % spend targets to depts on procurement of innovation.

Commercial Innovation Hub core objectives:

• Accelerating Innovation: Accelerate innovation, investment and productivity through world-class science, research and development
• Technology for Good: Ensure new and existing technologies are safely developed and deployed across the UK, with the benefits more widely shared
• Realise the benefits of the Procurement Act: Making effective use of Procurement Act to leverage the new flexibilities for expertise and innovation to deliver improved public services and unlock growth and VFM.

Commercial Innovation Hub Minimum Viable Product – MVP

• Pathfinder Pipeline: Support up to four Pathfinder projects (subject to demand) by developing challenge statements and procurement strategies, leveraging department-funded CTT support.
• Understand the Commercial Innovation Landscape: Conduct a discovery reviewing existing funding models and assessing the implications of the Procurement Act, PPNs, and governance frameworks on innovation procurement.
• HMG IP Evaluation: lead the output of those recommendations to implement new IP positions and strategies when contracting with innovation focussed organisations. Building on previous advice provide by DSIT Advice on IP terms in government procurement.
• Document the Public Sector Innovation Ecosystem: Create a visual representation of the current state of innovation within the public sector, alongside recommendations for Year 2 activities, focusing on opportunities for collaboration, simplification, and digitalisation.
• Lead the development of an Innovation Marketplace Concept: Collaborate across government to design and build an Innovation Marketplace digital solution which provides a platform for innovation opportunities generated by the CIH to be connected to innovative organisations for engagement

In addition to this the Head of Commercial Innovation role will be leading a team of c. 12 FTE (FY26 onwards) including multiple disciplined roles across the GCF, DSIT, and Secondees from Scottish Government and industry.

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Identifies delivery and fraud risks, working with stakeholders to manage or eliminate them. Communicates risks effectively to ensure colleagues inside and outside commercial are cognisant of risks in their chosen approach.
• Experience of developing commercial policy, which meets government objectives. Applying commercial judgement, with an understand of markets, and leading complex procurement under the Procurement Act.
• Evidence of building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders, through compelling messaging, collaborative working and effective delivery of commitments.
• Experience coaching, developing capability and shaping commercial skills in teams; developing and delivering culture changing learning and development programmes.
• Experience of working in a commercial environment developing innovative routes to market.