View Vacancy - Commercial Capability Manager (PRT26-001998)

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer.  We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow. The FCDO operates an agile workforce and to facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time, as we may reasonably require.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Operations and Corporate Services)
Commercial Diplomacy

The British Embassy in Lisbon is part of a worldwide network representing British political, economic, security and consular interests overseas. From Lisbon, we are now seeking a high calibre Commercial Capability Manager to support the FCDO’s commercial function globally, working with teams in the UK and across our overseas Posts.

In this role, you will contribute to delivering commercial excellence across the FCDO by supporting commercial capability, learning and development, capacity and competency management, and aspects of budgeting and planning. Your work will help ensure that commercial teams have the skills, tools and capacity they need to deliver complex programmes effectively.

You will work closely with a wide range of stakeholders, including FCDO Commercial Directorate colleagues in the UK and commercial teams at overseas Posts, to promote best practice, support continuous improvement, and strengthen commercial professionalism across the organisation.

Although based at the British Embassy in Lisbon, this is a cross cutting role with an international remit. You will work as part of a wider commercial capability network and will also be expected to operate independently, using your judgement and experience to manage priorities, drive performance, and respond flexibly to changing operational demands.

Core Responsibilities

1. Commercial Capability Improvement

  • Lead defined workstreams to strengthen commercial capability and awareness across the organisation.
  • Coordinate the department’s commercial capability review, analyse findings, and translate these into clear improvement initiatives.
  • Ensure best practice is applied across the full commercial lifecycle, supporting colleagues to embed consistent standards.


2. Performance, Talent and Compliance Management

  • Coordinate commercial performance management, talent planning and succession pipeline activities within the wider team.
  • Support the department’s commercial qualification and licensing approach, ensuring accurate tracking and reporting.
  • Oversee the management of commercial and corporate records, ensuring compliance with relevant governance, audit and data‑handling requirements.


3. Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration

  • Build and maintain effective relationships with internal stakeholders, other government departments, external training providers, and the Government Commercial Function.
  • Understand stakeholder motivations and behaviours to communicate commercial messages clearly and support informed decision‑making.
  • Bring together best practice and identify opportunities to enhance capability offers across the organisation.


4. Change, Communications and Training Delivery

  • Coordinate end‑to‑end change, capability, communications, engagement and training activities for the commercial function.
  • Manage commercial, finance and compliance records with a strong visual project management approach, using tools such as SharePoint and other delivery platforms.
  • Ensure consistent messaging, accessible learning materials and alignment of capability activity with wider organisational change programmes.


5. Continuous Improvement and Reporting

  • Lead and support the development and delivery of commercial continuous improvement plans and reporting cycles.
  • Define and maintain approaches for driving capability improvements, ensuring these are evidence‑based and measurable.
  • Support cost estimation, budget management, and control of forecasts and actual spend.


6. Agile Workforce Contribution

  • Contribute flexibly to priority work across the department as required under the FCDO’s agile workforce model.
  • Undertake additional duties that support delivery of strategic commercial objectives, in line with grade and capability.


7. Professional Standards

  • Maintain up‑to‑date professional knowledge of commercial best practice, government commercial standards and department policies.
  • Where applicable, affiliate with the relevant specialist network or professional body (e.g., CIPS, CIPD).

Our ideal candidates shows:

  • Full professional proficiency in English  written and spoken C1 level for the CEFR framework*.
  • Ability to develop others through coaching, mentoring and sharing technical/commercial knowledge, with a clear understanding of the commercial environment.
  • At least 3 year's experience in staff Development/L&D roles
  • At least 3 year's experience in procurement
  • At least 3 years' experience in project management, including delivery against agreed specifications, delegations and timelines.
  • A minimum of 3 years' experience producing clear summary dashboards by analysing and manipulating information, using Microsoft tools (e.g., Excel, Power BI) and SharePoint.
  • Confident communicator able to engage stakeholders at all levels, adapting style to influence, explain benefits delivered, and support effective governance and relationship management.
  • Ability to identify, articulate and communicate cyber, personnel and physical risks, securing agreement on appropriate mitigations.
  • Strong teamworking skills, with the ability to support team performance, handle setbacks constructively and resolve issues collaboratively.

Nice to have:

  • Awareness and understanding of public sector commercial principles and legislation  
Changing and Improving, Communicating and Influencing, Managing a Quality Service, Seeing the Big Picture
11 May 2026
Senior Executive Officer (SEO)
Full-time, Permanent
35
Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia
Portugal
Lisbon
British Embassy
1
EUR
60,021.19
yearly
29 June 2026

This is a permanent, full-time contract (35 hours net per week) subject to 240 days probation period. 

The British Embassy in Lisbon aims to offer an attractive working environment and remuneration package for this role of €60,021.19 gross annual salary paid in fourteen instalments; plus a monthly meal allowance of €193.60. This salary is payable if the successful candidate is subject to individual income tax (IRS) in Portugal on the employment income in question. If the successful candidate is not subject to individual income tax (IRS) on their employment income in Portugal, and/or is not taxable elsewhere on such income, he / she will receive the above salary minus a reference amount approximate to the level of Portuguese tax that would be applicable if the income were subject to tax locally. Further information on this will be given to candidates during the recruitment process. 

All staff recruited locally by the British Embassy in Portugal are subject to local Portuguese employment law as well as internal regulations in force at any given time. 

The successful candidate will be subject to a professional background and security clearance and must have pre-existing work authorisation for Portugal in order to apply. 

All applicants should have the right to live and work in Portugal. The British Embassy does not sponsor work permits.

The Embassy will not consider applications from existing staff who have not successfully completed their probation period or, in the case of staff on temporary contract who have not yet completed two thirds of their contract.

British Embassy Lisbon offers a supportive environment for its team, including flexible working opportunities, a rich learning and training offering and a focus on individual development.

Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.

We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

Please be advised that the British Embassy will not be able to meet the travel costs incurred when travelling to the interview, nor the costs connected with relocation if offered a position. 

*Please note for more information on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment  levels  please click on the following link CEFR. Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your language skill is going to be assessed.

Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.

This opportunity is closed to applications.