About the job

Job summary

Building a strong Commercial Function in Government, and with it the right commercial capability, is at the heart of a far-reaching programme of Civil Service reform.

We are building a cadre of commercial talent in all Government departments; people who can manage our commercial portfolios, who can lead our most complex and novel programmes and projects, people who have the gravitas and depth of experience to work alongside our policy and operational leaders to develop innovative commercial arrangements, whether through joint ventures, outsourcing or best-in-class contracts.

The Government Commercial Organisation is an employer which is truly committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and are able to perform to their potential. We understand the importance of diversity and inclusion and strive for a workplace that reflects the communities which we serve. We especially welcome applications from underrepresented groups including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, candidates with a disability and candidates with gender-diverse identities. Appointments will be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.

We have already made significant progress through the establishment of the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO), our single employer of senior commercial talent across government. This role will sit within the GCO, but based in our UK Health Security Agency commercial team delivering departmental objectives.

Job description

This is an exciting time to join the UK Health Security Agency. UKHSA is a relatively new agency, established to protect the UK against infectious disease and other health security threats. We were central to the response to Covid-19 and Mpox and deliver all except one of the UK's national immunisation campaigns. We are building the capability to protect the UK against new and emerging threats, including future pandemics, utilising state-of-the-art technologies and ground-breaking capabilities in data analytics, vaccine development and genomic surveillance.

The Commercial Directorate is at the heart of everything UKHSA does. 80% of the agency's budget is spent through commercial partners. We maintain a complex ecosystem of contracts and partnerships that enable the agency to respond to current and emerging health challenges. We procure, store and distribute vaccines for all except on of the UK's national immunisation campaigns and maintain capability to respond to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. We manage business development partnerships that drive innovation and generate income to support core UKHSA capabilities.

This role reports directly to the Commercial Director who is a member of UKHSA's Executive Committee and reports directly to the Chief Executive, putting Commercial at the heart of decision-making.

This is a rare opportunity to shape a new commercial function and provide the commercial leadership to deliver a nationally important mission. Our challenge is to develop innovative commercial arrangements that will shape and support the agency's capabilities, preparations and response to health threats.

The successful candidate will join a Senior Leadership Team committed to building the most innovative commercial function in government, one that prizes agility, diversity and professionalism. They will have line management responsibility for a diverse team of professionals and portfolio of complex workstreams, working with industry partners, the wider UK and global health family, other government departments, and with the UKHSA's senior leadership.

You will have exemplary engagement and influencing skills, working to shape and create supply markets, connecting to our 3-year strategic vision and 10-year science strategy. You will be confident in working with ambiguity, building connections, and challenging the status-quo. You will have a strong eye for detail and be focused on the bigger picture.

You will be confident in using a range of evidence, data, and judgment to assess risks and opportunities, with the ability to identify novel approaches and take calculated risk. You will be able to prioritise issues, be a quick-thinking self-starter, good at working under pressure and ready to inform and influence the programme. You will be proactive in identifying opportunities for innovation and collaboration across the health security landscape.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leadership and oversight of all Commercial Categories (including Scientific, Clinical and Public Health, Logistics, Workforce & Corporate Services and Digital & Tech). This includes developing and managing end-to-end commercial strategies, negotiating complex deals and managing suppliers and partners.

• Leading complex and high-value negotiations and finalising major deals. Defending UKHSA and HMG;s position in response to claims and disputes with suppliers at all levels of the supply chain, developing negotiation strategies, providing advice to ministerial and executive teams, ensuring resolutions are robust, proportionate, subject to appropriate governance and independent scrutiny.

• Working closely with the Health Family, market and industry bodies to understand and shape new markets whilst ensuring that the contractual vehicles are robust against global landscape health security threats.

• Play a key role in UKHSA's pilot of Strategic Supplier Relationship Management (SSRM), ensuring that we build the most effective industry relationships.

• Identifying, appraising, and mitigating procurement and commercial risks, reducing the exposure of UKHSA, driving supply chain performance and investment, monitoring the financial health of suppliers and increasing operational resilience.

• Enabling good governance through ensuring that commitments are met with compliant, good quality and appropriate submissions to boards and ministers - including the reporting of KPIs.

• Developing and maintaining customer relationships with key internal and external stakeholders including functional and Exco leadership.

• Building, motivating, and leading a diverse team of commercial professionals so that they remain engaged and feel valued.

• Engaging and leading geographically dispersed teams to maximise performance in line with UKHSA and Government Commercial Function standards, while ensuring team members focus on continuous improvement and development so the function operates at the highest possible level and ensuring strong succession plans are in place.

• Fostering and inclusive, positive and supportive culture, where everyone feels comfortable bringing their whole selves to work.

• Contributing to the continuing development of commercial capability and good practice in UKHSA, as an active member of the wider UKHSA commercial function.

• Developing and maintaining positive working relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including Ministers and their respective special advisor and private offices. Providing robust, expert commercial advice to Ministers, Senior Responsible Officers, programme Directors and senior representatives.

Person specification

We are looking for an experienced senior leader with strong commercial acumen, relationship management skills, and a proven track record of providing inspiring and inclusive leadership to deliver high-profile and high-value programmes in a complex and evolving market. You will inspire, support and develop both the commercial specialist team and the function more widely, working in a matrix structure and facilitating the development of an ambitious and resilient organisation.

You will have experience of shaping a new and emerging market, learning from the past to design and implement long-term and enduring Category Strategies. You will be well versed in seeking maximum value from existing contracts, ensuring delivery, and mitigating risk.

The successful candidate will possess the ability to collaborate and influence a diverse range of stakeholders, including external partners, and will foster commercial relationships to secure mutually beneficial outcomes which achieve a common goal. Excellent interpersonal communication and diplomatic skills, with the ability to build strong network, influence and demonstrate credibility at executive and/or Ministerial level are essential. You will have a proven track record of success in building successful relationships across government or industry, with strong strategic vision and evidence of winning and retaining the trust of peers and senior stakeholders. You will be well versed in setting clear direction under conditions of uncertainty, drawing on a range of data, insight and evidence, and translating this into effective delivery on the ground.

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 2nd February 2024 and will require a full day's attendance. Please contact commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk in advance if you are unable to attend this date.

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.