Salary £80,401 - £87,928 Per annum | Permanent, Full Time, 37 hours per week | Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom
We're looking for a Head of Service with drive and passion to deliver an effective and very specialist service to our stakeholders at an incredibly exciting time for both the present and future of Lancashire County Council and the community we serve.
This is an exciting opportunity to shape the commercial approach behind highways services across Lancashire.
As Head of Service – Highways Commercial Delivery, you’ll lead a team of more than 80 colleagues and take strategic responsibility for the commercial and contractual management of a significant highways portfolio, ensuring our contracts, suppliers, procurement activity and financial controls deliver strong performance and genuine value for money.
You’ll lead the development of commercial strategies and oversee the full commercial lifecycle, from market engagement and procurement through to mobilisation, contract management, cost assurance and supplier performance.
Providing expert advice to senior leaders and elected members, you’ll use your commercial judgement to manage risk, challenge performance and expenditure and help us make well-informed decisions about how services are delivered.
You’ll also have the opportunity to develop new commercial and partnership models, including mixed-economy approaches, while driving improvement through digital innovation, business intelligence and customer insight.
You’ll be an experienced commercial leader who understands how strong commercial thinking can improve both services and outcomes.
You may bring a background in quantity surveying, commercial or supplier management, civil engineering, infrastructure or a related discipline, but crucially you’ll have the confidence and experience to operate across complex, high-value contracts and programmes and provide credible professional challenge when it matters.
You’ll combine commercial expertise with strong leadership skills and the ability to see the bigger picture.
Whether you’re assessing risk, scrutinising costs, improving supplier performance or exploring a different delivery model, you’ll be comfortable using evidence to make decisions and influence others. You’ll also know that successful commercial leadership is about relationships as much as contracts, bringing people together across operational, technical and commercial disciplines to achieve shared outcomes.
Ideally, you’ll bring:
At Lancashire County Council, we're committed to delivering services that make a real difference to the people and communities we serve. Our Highways Team is at the heart of that mission, helping ensure that customers are put first by delivering safe, reliable and accessible highways services that local communities can depend upon.
When you join us, you'll become part of a supportive and knowledgeable team where your expertise is valued, your development is encouraged and your contribution has a direct impact across the organisation.
In return, we offer:
Please refer to the job description and personal specification for further information regarding the scope of work and responsibilities for the post.
Please ensure you address and evidence all the essential criteria from the person specification at the application stage in your supporting evidence. Some criteria will also be addressed further at the interview stage.
Please take care to upload your supporting documentation before submitting your application. No additional documentation will be accepted after the closing date.
If you're already a Lancashire County Council employee, you must apply via the internal vacancies option on Oracle Fusion. You can do this by logging into Oracle Fusion and then going to Me - Current Jobs.
We reserve the right to close down a vacancy early, before the closing date, if we receive sufficient applications.
The Government has confirmed that local government across Lancashire will be reorganised, with the current 15 councils being replaced by four new unitary councils covering North, South, East and West Lancashire from April 2028.
If you are successful in your application, you will initially join Lancashire County Council. However, as part of the planned transition, your employment will transfer to one of the new unitary councils from April 2028, subject to the implementation of the reorganisation and relevant employment legislation.
Throughout this period, our focus remains on delivering excellent services to our communities. By joining us now, you'll play an important role in shaping the future of local government and helping to build a strong new organisation that will serve residents for years to come.
Lancashire County Council is committed to improving the quality of life for everyone in Lancashire. We believe that all our citizens have the right to be treated fairly. We recognise that some people do not get an equal chance in life.
For some of our children and young people this can have a lasting impact on their future. We will play our part in helping to narrow the gaps that exist between different parts our communities and improving the quality of life of those who have less advantages and are in danger of poor outcomes.
As a community leader, employer and provider of services we want to make sure that everyone in Lancashire has the opportunity to achieve their potential, no matter where they live or what their background, individual characteristics or personal circumstances might be.
