Principal Process & Performance Manager

Help us strengthen AWE's Commercial governance and assurance. AWE is recruiting a Principal Process & Performance Manager to help shape, operate and evolve our Commercial function by developing governance frameworks, policies, and processes aligned with public procurement regulations and best practice frameworks. This role involves close collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to ensure transparency, compliance, and effective communication, while supporting public sector initiatives and identifying opportunities to enhance value for money across the business.

Package: £63,270 to £95,000 (depending on your suitability, qualifications, and level of experience).

Location:

Green Park (Reading), with free onsite parking. Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight. We will consider flexible working requests so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle. Just let us know your preferred working pattern on your application. 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? As the Principal Process & Performance Manager, you will sit within the Commercial function and focus on governance and assurance at a C2 level.

Key responsibilities include:

Operate the Commercial governance and assurance framework and process library, ensuring policies and procedures are current, easy to access and applied consistently. Coordinate Commercial approval forums (e.g., CRB, CAB): forward schedule, quality assurance of submissions, secretariat, action and decision tracking, and evidence packs. Quality-assure commercial strategies, board papers and business cases for completeness, traceability and value-for-money narrative, applying the HM Treasury Green Book and 5-Case Model, and preparing for IPA-style gateway/assurance reviews.

Maintain risk, compliance and issue registers for the Supply Chain sub-function; ensure timely escalation and robust mitigations and controls. Lead the production of high-quality MI/BI on pipeline, policy adoption, risk and performance (KPIs), ensuring data quality and repeatable reporting. Support internal and external audits and reviews, collating evidence, responding to findings and closing actions; champion lessons learned and continuous improvement.

Contribute to Commercial policy updates and change implementation (communications, training materials, user guidance), ensuring alignment with external government policy and AWE standards. Support ESG and Social Value integration into sourcing and contract management, assuring measurement and reporting through governance packs. Engage effectively with internal stakeholders and external bodies (e.g., MOD and other government partners) to ensure compliance and share leading practice.

Who are we looking for? We're looking for a proactive and articulate individual with strong MS Office skills and the ability to build effective relationships across all levels. The ideal candidate will confidently manage multiple stakeholders and priorities, challenge inappropriate behaviours, and thrive in a process-led environment. From a commercial/procurement background, you will have business case assurance experience, developing and assuring business cases using structured frameworks such as the HM Treasury 5 Case Model is highly desirable and an understanding of commercial best practice.

You should have commercial acumen, understand and apply business knowledge to make sound decisions that benefit the entire organisation and a keen eye for identifying root causes and driving continuous improvement. We do need you to have the following:
Good standard of general education including Maths and English or equivalent experience. MCIPS or working towards the qualification would be beneficial. Proven experience operating governance and assurance within a regulated public-sector or complex commercial environment, ideally within a Commercial/Supply Chain function. Hands-on business case assurance experience using the HM Treasury Green Book and 5-Case Model; able to test need, options, commercial approach, affordability and management arrangements.

Familiarity with Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) assurance principles (e.g., Gateways) and readiness activities. Strong grasp of public procurement regulations and commercial best practice; able to translate policy into clear, usable processes and templates. Advanced MS Office skills with the ability to produce clear board-ready papers and MI/BI dashboards; confident with KPIs and data quality management. Stakeholder management and influencing skills;

comfortable coaching colleagues, challenging constructively and building consensus across functions. Risk and compliance management capability, with an eye for root-cause analysis and continuous improvement. Not to be considered a tick list, we'd like you to have experience in:

Experience of MOD/government…