Capability Manager - Commercial Capabilities

Job title: Capability Manager - Commercial Capabilities

Salary:  Circa £55,000 - £60,000

Grade: Band 3

Contract type: TfL

Reference: TBC 

Team: P&C Capability

Contract details: Permanent

Location: Palestra/Hybrid

Application closing date: 2nd April 2026 @ 23:59

All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory right to work checks.  Candidates must be able to demonstrate their right to work in the UK.  At the present time TfL is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.  

Hybrid working within this role enables a balance of 50 per cent of time split between the office and home over a 4-week period. Hybrid working arrangements can evolve subject to business requirements. 

Help Shape the Future of London’s Transport

London is a world‑class city with millions of daily journeys. Keeping it moving safely, efficiently and sustainably requires smart commercial thinking, strong supplier partnerships and forward‑looking procurement.

Overview of the Role

Our Procurement & Commercial (P&C) team plays a critical role in delivering this mission. Through effective sourcing and strong collaboration, we support safer, greener and more inclusive transport for London.

We offer:
• A supportive environment where you can make a real impact
• Clear career progression and development opportunities
• A new category‑led operating model that gives you exposure across the business
• An inclusive culture that values diversity and a healthy work–life balance

Drive Commercial Excellence for London

In this role, you will strengthen the commercial capability of our P&C team by designing practical, user‑friendly processes, guidance and tools that help colleagues deliver high‑quality commercial outcomes. You will play a key part in building skills, confidence and consistent best practice across the function.

Bring Your Expertise and Passion

We’re looking for someone who embodies our core values:
• Caring – about colleagues, customers and the work we deliver
• Open – to collaboration, new ideas and continuous improvement
• Adaptable – responsive to change and willing to innovate

You will be a commercially-minded professional with a passion for developing people, growing capability and driving strong commercial performance. You’ll build trusted relationships, influence stakeholders at all levels and feel motivated by work that impacts the lives of millions across one of the world’s most dynamic cities.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development of commercial capability across your area, ensuring processes, tools and guidance support strong, consistent commercial delivery across TfL.
• Partner with stakeholders to identify opportunities for commercial and people‑focused improvements, turning these into practical, sustainable solutions.
• Lead skills assessments, workforce planning and capability initiatives that strengthen commercial competence and professional development across P&C and the wider organisation.
• Support the creation and delivery of training, standards and guidance that build commercial understanding and empower teams to deliver high‑quality outcomes.
• Provide insights, benchmarking and best‑practice recommendations to improve commercial decision‑making throughout the contract and project lifecycle.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships across P&C and the wider value chain, acting as a trusted partner who champions capability uplift and commercial excellence.
• Develop and manage performance metrics and dashboards to give senior leaders clear visibility of capability trends, risks and opportunities.
• Coach and mentor teams, sharing commercial expertise and encouraging knowledge‑sharing and best practice.
• Strengthen commercial awareness and workforce capability across all stages of the commercial lifecycle to help teams deliver greater value and improved results.

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Experience in resource planning, skills assessments and capability development with a focus on empowering teams.
• Strong commercial awareness with a solid understanding of procurement, sourcing and contract lifecycle management.
• Ability to analyse, design and implement commercial processes and capability frameworks that improve performance and drive value.
• Experience in workforce planning, capability modelling and delivering people‑focused solutions that support commercial delivery.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence behaviours and culture at senior levels.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills, using data and insights to inform commercial and people‑related decision‑making.
• Knowledge of TfL, public‑sector procurement or complex multi‑stakeholder environments.
• Experience applying continuous improvement methodologies to commercial or people‑focused processes.
• Proven ability to build trust‑based relationships and act as a credible partner to senior stakeholders.

Application Process    

• Please apply using your CV only 

• Think carefully about the skills, knowledge and experience in the advert and cover this in your CV 

• PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images 

Equality, diversity and inclusion 

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We want to represent the city we serve, which will help us become a more innovative and efficient organisation. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. We are a disability confident employer who guarantee an interview to any disabled candidate who meets all of the essential criteria. We also use anonymising software that removes identifying information from CVs to make the process fair. 
  
Benefits  

In return for your commitment and expertise, you will enjoy excellent benefits and scope to grow. Rewards vary according to the level of role but mostly include the below: 
 

• Final salary pension scheme  
• Free travel for you on the TfL network  
• Reimbursement of 75% of the cost of a standard class Ticket for National Rail travel from home or 75% reimbursement on a 28-day flexi ticket 
• 30 days annual leave plus public and bank holidays
• TfL is committed to work-life balance, operating a hybrid working approach where business and role requirements allow 
• Private healthcare discounted scheme (optional)  
• Tax-efficient cycle-to-work programme 
• Retail, health, leisure and travel offers  
• Discounted Eurostar travel 

We will make every effort to give you as much notice as possible, however some interviews/assessments could be organised at short notice. 

Vetting Process 

At Transport for London, safety, trust and fairness sit at the heart of how we recruit. Our Vetting Charter (https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/careers/our-vetting-process) explains the checks we carry out before you join us, helping ensure we create a safe, inclusive and reliable network for everyone who depends on our services. We simply ask that the information you provide is honest and accurate so we can progress your application smoothly. If something doesn’t match or can’t be verified, we may not be able to move forward with your application, but we’ll always treat you with transparency, respect, and clear communication throughout.