About the job

Job summary

This is a high-profile role supporting the MOD’s Strategic Partnering Programme with some of its largest suppliers.

The role offers the right candidate regular contact with senior leadership within government and in defence suppliers. You will have the opportunity to develop an in-depth knowledge of the defence supply chain and enhance your skills in influencing and developing policy and strategy. You will be responsible for supporting the Strategic Partnering Programme and thereby support the MOD’s supplier management process.

You will develop tools for supplier performance reporting and progress tracking towards agreed deliverables to senior leadership.  You will also be helping lead a high-profile strategic improvement programme, implementing significant improvement to existing practices.  

Job description

You will be helping to lead a high-profile strategic improvement programme. There are three aspects to the SPP which directly support the delivery of the aims of the Defence Command Paper Refresh, the Integrated Procurement Model, and the Defence Supply Chain Capability Programme.

• Aligning strategy between MOD and strategic suppliers to help ensure the UK has long term access to nationally important defence industrial capabilities. You will use your knowledge in this area to help MOD shape markets
• Supporting the improvement of systemic issues and frictions within the relationship with strategic suppliers
• Driving increased value from our strategic supplier relationships, through improving the delivery of current programmes

Our work is overseen by a Director General level Steering Group. 

Specific tasks

Manage a small team of Strategic Supplier Engagement Managers delivering support to MOD Strategic Partnering Programme and the wider MOD business, ensuing the delivery of high-quality support and advice to senior staff and Ministers.

Lead engagement between the Strategic Partnering Programme and the Defence Suppliers Forum, supporting the development and delivery of key strategies and policies.  Support delivery of DSF activity as required.  

Develop a network of internal and external contacts to provide insight and understanding of the department’s business and our strategy for managing major suppliers. 

Person specification

This role is for someone who is good at building credible relationships, has great commercial instincts, an ability to drive change and the ability to assess evidence to from a balanced view of a supplier and industry partner.

You will work closely with Strategic Partnering Managers who will offer support and guidance. You will assist Strategic Partnering Managers to:

• Develop an in-depth knowledge of strategic supplier(s) within the defence supply chain
• Provide briefing and strategic insights on suppliers and markets to customers across MOD (up to and including MOD Ministers)
• Prepare and hold One MOD/ One Government Event(s) to agree the key HMG priorities towards that supplier
• Prepare and hold Partnering Executive Meetings with the supplier, which act as the board that sets the vision for the relationship and the priorities for strategic alignment and delivery improvement on current programmes
• Establish and run workstreams with teams from the MOD and suppliers to implement these priorities, driving the delivery of benefits to the Armed Forces (such as reducing cost, accelerating delivery of new military capability or improving the availability in in service capabilities)

Additionally:

• You will work alongside and in support of senior leaders across Defence (Head Office, Front Line Commands, Defence Equipment & Support, the Submarine Delivery Agency, Defence Digital and Dstl)
• You will cultivate trusted and influential relationships with industry staff at CEO / MD level (UK and overall HQ where relevant) and their supporting executives
• You will work across government to ensure MOD’s position on high priority issues relating to strategic suppliers are understood

Important information:

The successful candidate will be expected to be MCIPS qualified or to commit to working towards MCIPS qualification

Benefits

As a valued employee of the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO), you will have access to all the benefits the centre has to offer; including flexible working, generous benefits, Career Coaches, Mentors, L&D, a Commercial College, active talent management and, most importantly, access to commercial projects that will far exceed the scale and complexity on offer elsewhere in the UK.

For existing Civil Servants: For full details of the impact on any move across the civil service on your existing terms and conditions, please read the candidate pack. Please note that any move across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to continue to claim childcare vouchers.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.Please be advised that the Virtual ADC is taking place on 21st May 2024 and will require a full day's attendance.

If you are invited to attend a virtual ADC, but for any reason are unable to meet the date outlined then please get in touch with the team at commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible. The ADC is booked and paid for in advance by departments, therefore it is only in certain circumstances we are able to accommodate alternative dates.

Details of schemes available are attached in the advert.

For full details of our process, and a likely timeline, please read the explanation provided in the attached candidate pack.

Throughout our selection process, we will make decisions about your capability to do the job, based on evidence you provide against the essential criteria for the role which are detailed in the attached Candidate Pack.

Your application will be reviewed by a panel and should you be successful at sift we will invite you to attend a Virtual commercial Assessment and Development Centre (VADC). The panel will review results of the VADC and determine which candidates will go through to a subsequent final panel interview.

IMPORTANT: If you do not receive an acknowledgement of your application within 2 working days please contact: commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.