Commercial Support

Job description

Job Title: Commercial Support

Band: 2

Salary: £30,837 - £33,921

Available Locations: Liverpool

Contract Type: 1 x Permanent Apprentice and 2 x Fixed Term Appointments until September 2027

(The contracts will be offered in merit order with the top scorer being offered the permanent post)

Hours: Full Time

Closing Date: 05/11/26

Interview Date(s): WC 23/11/26 (subject to change)

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Do you want to progress your career in the UK’s largest public sector procurement organisation? If so, you will have the chance to help procure market leading commercial agreements that help shape how common goods and services are bought across the public sector.

Job Summary

This opportunity sits within the Commercial and Procurement Operations directorate, which delivers compliant, high-quality procurement activities for internal and external customers, adhering to public procurement regulations.

The successful candidate will provide administrative operational and project support to enable the delivery of compliant procurements for GCA and departments across Government using various procurement routes and commercial agreements.

They will assist with day-to-day delivery tasks, learn to manage commercial data and develop strong collaborative relationships across internal teams and stakeholders.

Apprenticeship Details

As an apprentice, you will complete the Level 4 Commercial Procurement & Supply Apprenticeship—a fully funded, work-based program designed to develop key commercial skills.

What We Offer

• Fully Funded Training: Gain a recognised qualification at no cost to you.
• Dedicated Learning Time: At least 20% of your paid working hours are set aside for study.
• Community & Support: Benefit from mentorship and a strong peer network.

Apprenticeship Expectations

This challenging scheme demands commitment to balancing your day-to-day responsibilities alongside academic commitments, including modules, examinations, and an end-point assessment. Further details regarding skill development can be reviewed in the Apprenticeship Standard and Assessment Plan.

Apprenticeship Eligibility Criteria:

This is a development role so to be eligible to apply, the training and development you receive during this apprenticeship must provide you with significant new skills and learning. This is an essential requirement for apprenticeship funding and means you must not already be over-qualified or over-experienced in this type of work.

Key Eligibility Criteria

Because this is a development role, this apprenticeship must deliver significant new learning. You cannot be over-qualified or over-experienced in this field.

To apply, you must:

• Be aged 18 or over by the start date.
• Have the permanent right to work in the UK and have been ordinarily resident in the UK/EU/EEA for the past 3 consecutive years.
• Have left full-time education before starting and not be receiving funding for other learning programs (including another apprenticeship).
• Not hold or be studying toward a Level 4 or higher qualification in a similar subject area.
• Hold 5 GCSEs (Grade 4/C or above) including Maths and English (or equivalent).
• Hold 2 A-Levels (or equivalent).

Important: Applications that do not meet all criteria above cannot be considered.

Key Accountabilities:

• Support procurement delivery and major projects by working collaboratively and assisting colleagues within a structured team.
• Build positive, professional relationships with internal colleagues and external customers to clearly exchange and clarify routine information.
• Take responsibility for the management of compliance checking and verification of suppliers tenders.
• Assist with administrative, research, and project tasks required throughout the procurement life cycle.
• Monitor and report on core procurement metrics, including timescales and supplier compliance status.
• Maintain shared network drives and procurement folder structures to ensure version control.
• Organise your own daily tasks and manage your timelines effectively
• Use internal IT and digital eSourcing systems to complete tasks in line with standard policy and regulatory guidelines.
• Input into the continuous improvement of processes, procurement templates and guidance based on feedback to streamline compliance and verification checks.
  

Essential Criteria (to be assessed at application stage):

• The ability to support projects by working collaboratively and assisting colleagues within a structured team.
• An ability to build positive, professional relationships with internal colleagues and external customers to clearly exchange and clarify routine information.
• To be able to assist with administrative, research, and project tasks required throughout project life cycle.
• Experience of Organising your own daily tasks and managing your timelines effectively.
• Experience of using internal IT and digital systems to complete tasks in line with standard policy and regulatory guidelines.
  

Success Profiles (to be assessed at interview):

You will be assessed against the following Behaviours:

● Working Together

● Delivering at Pace

● Communicating & Influencing (Lead Success Profile)

You will also be assessed against Experience and Strengths.

(A link to the Civil Service Success Profiles Framework is provided below)

Success Profiles Framework

Valuing our people:

• Competitive salary
• Generous pension scheme
• A discretionary non-contractual performance related bonus
• Working remotely in addition to working in advertised office location
• Flexi time scheme (available for B1-B6)
• Minimum 25 days annual leave to a maximum service related 30 days excluding bank holidays

Want to make a difference? Find out more about the rewarding work that we do in our candidate pack.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

We want to make our recruitment process accessible to everyone, so if there is any way that we can support you, please contact recruitment@gca.gov.uk

Working flexibly, delivering outcomes

GCA operates a smarter working model that balances flexibility with collaboration. Successful candidates are expected to spend at least 26 days per quarter (approximately 2 days per week, pro-rata) at their contracted office, another GCA site, or off-site for meetings. For the remainder of the time, you may work from home or another suitable location that meets business needs.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection Process

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, which the Civil Service may use to fill future suitably similar vacancies across government for candidates who are considered appointable following interview. Should you be placed on a reserve list and want to be removed please contact recruitment@gca.gov.uk.

Please note that as part of this recruitment process, if you are unsuccessful at the interview stage but are close to the benchmark score you may be considered for and offered a role at a lower pay band within the same job family.

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Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

Complaints Procedure

Our recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles details of which can be found at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-principles/

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact recruitment@crowncommercial.gov.uk in the first instance.

If you remain unsatisfied with the response you receive you can then contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk

Internal candidates should apply using their Workday account. Please use the careers hub for your application.

About Us

Government Commercial Agency (GCA) is the largest public procurement organisation in the UK. With over 800 staff, we help thousands of public and third sector buyers in the UK with billions of pounds of spending each year. We have a wide range of commercial agreements to help our customers buy what they need, when they need it - saving time and money.

Why join GCA? We offer fantastic benefits as well as career development opportunities, have an inclusive culture that values work-life balance and offers flexibility in how you work.