Interim Head of Contracts and Commercial (Property) £700p/d Outside IR35 9 Months Initially (with strong potential to extend) Harlow District Council Hybrid Working Are you a commercially astute leader with experience in local government or housing? This role is a rare opportunity to shape and build a commercial and contracts team from the ground up. What will you do? Working closely with the Senior Management Team, you will take the lead on commercial direction, governance, and strategy across Housing and Property Services (HOPs). With no internal commercial resource currently in place, this post will lay the foundations for a high-performing in-house function. Key deliverables include: Reviewing current commercial, quantity surveying, and contract management arrangements Advising on and setting up a high-functioning commercial team (initially using interim staff) Developing robust processes, systems, and reporting frameworks for contract oversight Acting as the senior commercial advisor to the SMT Reviewing all high-value contracts to ensure alignment with best practice Creating a structure for assessing commercial capability as resources join the team What do you need? To be successful, you''ll bring: Strong experience in contract and commercial leadership within local authorities or housing/public sector environments for minimum 4 years''. A track record of building or transforming commercial functions, ideally from early-stage or fragmented setups In-depth