Job Description

If you’d like to be considered for this opportunity we encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment as if applications are high the role will close before the closing date given.

Commercial Governance & Assurance Manager

Location: Reading, with free onsite parking.

Package: Starting from £47,760 to £65k (depending on your suitability and level of experience).

Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight, with every other Friday as a non-working day. This role is eligible for hybrid working, meaning employees typically spend three days on site in a long week and two days on site in a short week. We support flexible working where possible, including part-time and varied working hours, so please let us know if you would like us to consider an alternative working arrangement when you apply.

Ready to play your part?

At AWE, it’s not just a job, it’s far more than that. Our shared purpose is to help keep the nation safe. Could this role be the opportunity for you to play your part?

Let us introduce the role.

We are looking for an experienced Commercial Governance & Assurance Manager to join AWE and play a key role in ensuring our commercial activity is robust, compliant and delivers value.

Supporting a Commercial function responsible for approximately £2bn of annual spend, you will provide governance advice, assurance and challenge across the commercial lifecycle, helping to ensure commercial strategies and board submissions meet regulatory requirements and quality standards.

Working collaboratively across Commercial, Policy, Governance, Risk and Legal teams, you will support progressive assurance reviews, internal controls and functional audits, identifying opportunities to strengthen processes and drive continuous improvement. You will also provide guidance and coaching to colleagues, helping to embed best practice and maintain high standards of commercial governance across AWE.

Experience we are looking for

We are interested in your experience, judgement, and approach, not only formal qualifications. You will have practical experience in some of the following:

• Proven professional experience within a Commercial, Procurement, Governance or Assurance environment.
• Experience of commercial governance, assurance and compliance, ideally within operational and/or capital spend environments.
• Experience of audit activity and action management, including identifying and supporting required improvements.
• Demonstrable experience of implementing governance and process improvements to strengthen controls and drive operational efficiency.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail, with the ability to review complex commercial information and identify risks or areas for improvement.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the confidence to provide constructive challenge and guidance.
• Ability to manage changing priorities and ambiguity while maintaining high standards of quality and compliance.

Work hard, be rewarded:

We ask a lot and set the bar high because our work truly matters. In return we offer balance, with award winning benefits including:

• 9-day working fortnight – meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave.
• Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions).
• Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave - 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave - 4 Weeks Full Pay.
• Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body.
• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services.
• Life Assurance (4 x annual salary).
• Discounts – access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending.
• Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring.

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Next steps:

Everyone who works at AWE brings unique skills and perspectives to the table. We recognise that great people don’t always ‘tick every box’. That’s why we focus on your potential, your fit with our values, your transferable skills as well as your experience. Even if you don’t meet every point above, but you feel that this role and AWE are a great fit for you, please go ahead and apply, we’d love to receive your application.

Important things you need to know:

• We encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment if applications are high and the role therefore closes.
• You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.
• We want you to feel comfortable and able to shine during our recruitment process. Please let us know on your application form if you need any adjustments/accommodations during the process.
• Our interviews typically take place over Teams and for most roles are a 1 stage process.

Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants. Any inclusion information you provide will be stored in accordance with GDPR and kept separate from your application form and CV, and the information will not be shared with anyone involved in interviewing or making hiring decisions.

Please note that you must be a British Citizen to apply for a role with us.