Full job descriptionJoin us at the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) as a Contract and Management Supplier Lead. The Contract and Supplier Management Lead serves as the primary assurance for the platform’s supplier contract execution.Ensuring appropriate financial stewardship, and value-for-money (VfM) frameworks are realised. Reporting directly to the Corporate Director for Pensions Platform and working with MaPS’ Commercial team, you will hold accountability for the contractual lifecycle of the multi-million-pound Integrated Service Provider (ISP) and other associated contracts. Ensuring the provider’s commercial drivers remain strictly aligned with MaPS’ delivery milestones and regulatory obligations and executing MaPS’ Third-Party risk management controls.
You will bring a sophisticated commercial mindset, acting as an objective quality gatekeeper for supplier delivery. Beyond day-to-day contract administration, you will oversee the strategic execution of the platform’s Knowledge Transfer (KT) via a dedicated Knowledge Transition Manager, leveraging contractual mechanisms to enforce supplier compliance and ensure MaPS regains the full control, data sovereignty, and intellectual property ownership required to secure this critical national asset.
Key Responsibilities:


Role boundaries:
*Operates within the overall technology and commercial strategy, standards, and governance set by the CDIO, central MaPS Commercial team, and the Corporate Director.
*Accountable for contract performance, budget management, and value-for-money optimisation across the Pensions Dashboards digital infrastructure.
*Collaborates effectively with the Head of Platform Delivery (who provides technical verification of KT deliverables), the Head of IT Service (who provides live operational SLA data), the Pensions Dashboards Service Owner (who aligns spending with business outcomes), the MaPS Commercial team, and MaPS Finance teams.
*Identifies, manages, and mitigates material commercial, financial, and vendor lock-in risks, escalating to executive governance as appropriate.
Person Specifications:
*Commercially Astute: Sharp-minded and highly analytical, with an exceptional grasp of commercial risks, financial value protection, and long-term asset security.
*Objective Gatekeeper: Remain objective despite delivery velocity or external pressure, with the determination to hold suppliers to strict compliance standards.
*Strategic Diplomat: Highly adept at managing high-stakes supplier conversations, navigating commercial tension, and driving win-win outcomes without yielding on organisational sovereignty.
*Clear Communicator: Exceptional capability to translate dense legal terminology and contractual mechanisms into plain, actionable risk assessments for technical and business leadership.
Key accountabilities
1. Commercial Contract Leadership & VfM Enforcement
Responsible for the proactive commercial stewardship of the platform budget and the overarching ISP contract. Aggressively utilise contractual performance levers, financial incentives, and value-for-money frameworks to maximise supplier efficacy and protect the public purse.
2. Strategic Knowledge Transition Governance
Oversee the end-to-end Knowledge Transfer (KT) framework via the dedicated Knowledge Transition Manager. Ensure the suppliers fulfil their contractual obligations especially phased handovers while minimising operational friction.
3. Commercial Lever Management & Quality Assurance
Serve as the objective contract gatekeeper with the authority to withhold milestone payments, pause stage gates, apply financial service credits, or escalate contract disputes when the supplier fails to meet technical definitions of done or handover criteria.
4. Financial Management & Variation Governance
Managing the contract’s operational budget, leading the commercial execution of Statements of Work (SoWs), contract indexation reviews, and formal contract variations to maintain the flexibility required for agile operational and data exchange requirements.
5. Communicate contractual performance & Supplier Diplomacy
Translate complex contractual clauses, supplier performance metrics, and financial risks into clear, actionable, and trusted strategic advice for the Corporate Director and central MaPS Commercial teams.
Essential & Desirable Skills and Experience:


Essential:


*Commercial Contract Management: Significant experience in senior commercial contract management, with a proven track record of holding major technology vendors or Managed Service Providers (ISPs) to account within high-value infrastructure frameworks.
*Contractual Lever Management: Experience using performance points, and service credits to drive value for money and supplier accountability.
*Outsource to Insource Transition: Demonstrated success in managing the contractual mechanics of complex digital transitions, contract exit strategies, "knowledge extraction" protocols, and de-risking vendor lock-in.
*Financial Stewardship & Budgeting: Expertise and experience in managing large-scale operational budgets, understanding vendor cost models, and executing formal contract variations and Statements of Work (SoWs).
*Matrix Stakeholder Management: Experience operating within a matrixed agile environment, successfully partnering with technical delivery leads, legal specialists, and senior executives to protect organisational sovereignty.
Desirable:


*Experience managing complex technology or data utility contracts within central government, arm’s-length bodies (ALBs), or regulated financial services/pensions sectors.
*Familiarity with public sector procurement guidelines (e.g., Public Contracts Regulations) and central government commercial standards.
*A baseline understanding of digital delivery models (Agile, SIAM, ITIL) to effectively bridge the gap between contractual text and technical reality.