Commercial Specialist  

Hello! Thanks for stopping by. Let us tell you about all the great reasons to join us here at Yorkshire Water: 

• We offer a competitive salary, depending on experience (£48,598 - £60,747) 
• Annual incentive related bonus (£1000 maximum bonus opportunity for the performance year)
• Attractive pension scheme (up to 12% company contribution) 
• Development opportunities in line with the Commercial Specialist progression plan
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays – plus an extra wellness day! 
• Life assurance cover of 4 times pensionable salary 
• A great benefits package – choose from health cash plan scheme, critical illness insurance, dental insurance, life assurance flex and partner cover.  
• Retail savings scheme  
• Online GP service, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discounts and many more! 

Location: West Yorkshire / Hybrid Working (2 days in the office a week – Bradford – Relocating to Leeds)

Work type: Permanent. 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday. 

We have multiple roles for a Commercial Specialist across the Supply Chain supporting Operations including Capital Delivery and Direct Procurement for Customers (DPC) Categories.  Join the Commercial team at Yorkshire Water and be a part of helping Yorkshire Water to provide the best service to our customers. Could this be you?

What we do:

Everyone has an idea of what a water company does. Here in Yorkshire, we make sure that over 5.4 million people living in the region and the millions of people who visit our region each year, can rely on our services, and have clean and safe drinking water on tap and that their wastewater is taken away. But for us, it’s so much more than this. We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire’s water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region, and play a key role in the region’s health, wellbeing, and prosperity. New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers means that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry. 

The Commercial team are a key part of how we plan to meet the changing expectations of customers and regulators. As a Commercial Specialist you’ll provide commercial expertise to  make sure we achieve compliance, outperformance and value from our suppliers and partners.  Proactively working and collaborating with others to develop and deliver sustainable commercial outcomes to meet our Business Commitment.If this sounds like you and you enjoy influencing decisions while building strong supplier relationships, this role offers the chance to make a meaningful impact for our customers, communities and the environment.

Where you fit in:

Working in a regulated business environment , you will provide a key role within a Category team to ensure resilience within the Supply Chain.  Focusing on Contract and Supplier Relationship Management across multiple engineering and construction categories to support delivery of operational assets.

• Provide key commercial advice and guidance to internal and external stakeholders to influence and deliver high quality outcomes across the Supply Chain.
• Take ownership of multiple contracts, building strong supplier relationships to ensure contracts deliver value, strong performance, and compliance with policies and standards. 
• Ensure robust contract management processes and procedures are put in place, and provide data insights  through accurate reporting of  KPIs and commercial metrics
• Ensure compliance with the Utilities Contracts Regulations (UCR2016) and Procurement Act 2023 (PA23) and Internal Governance, including ensuring robust auditing and delivery of contract obligations.  
• Deliver change control and contract administration  including management of commercial metrics focussed on incentivisation and mini-competitions outcomes.
• Provide strategic input to procurement activities and implement Supply Chain management
• Provide key Commercial advice  and assurance activities in the execution of construction based contracts including some NEC contracting 

What skills & qualifications you will need:

• Commercial leadership with the ability to manage strategic contract management approach for the category, ensuring best value for money, delivery of YW performance and compliance with regulatory requirements.  
• Wide ranging experience in commercial contract management in a commercial environment, ideally within a regulated or infrastructure environment.
• Strong Stakeholder management with the ability to lead engagement with different business leads ensure successful delivery of the contracts.  
• Strong supplier relationship management (SRM) skills and experience.
• Knowledge of the administration associated with construction contracts with knowledge of NEC4 Contracts or enthusiasm to undertake training and develop expertise.
• Experience of managing complex KPIs across multiple frameworks.
• Ability to identify, quantify and control commercial risk.
• Commercial assurance of financial and contractual aspects of works.  
• Strong dispute resolution skill with the confidence to lead and secure positive outcomes.

You will also benefit from having:

• Knowledge associated with developing procurement processes and procedures
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Comprehensive understanding of relevant Procure to Pay systems (SAP/ARIBA)  
• MCIPS/Business Degree 
• Experience/accreditation in NEC contracts  
• Experience in water / utilities (or wider infrastructure sector)

Although we operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it’s important to us that we support flexible working patterns and job share options (when we can), to help you make the best of both your work and home life. We know that juggling childcare responsibilities or getting that ideal work/life balance isn’t always easy! 

Do we sound like your cup of tea?   

If you’ve got experience in framework management and want to help us deliver great service for our customers whilst looking after the environment, then be sure to apply today to find out what a career with Yorkshire Water can offer you.   

If successful for the role, you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks that will include a Basic Disclosure Check, carried out through a Third-Party Company, prior to commencing employment. Depending on the role, you may also be required to go through the security vetting process for either a Counter Terrorist Check or Security Check clearance. All our roles are subject to a medical questionnaire, and further medicals when required.

We are committed to removing barriers and ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible.

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition that requires changes to the recruitment process, please include this information in your application. We will then discuss any reasonable adjustments required.

Kelda Group reserve the right to close this position before the published closing date, should the need occur. We therefore advise that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

Closing date is 25th March 2026

No agencies please.