About the job

Job summary

Strategic Command is part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and is one of 4 Front Line Commands (FLCs) the others being Navy, Air and Army. The Strategic Command Commercial Team are responsible for working closely with their military and civilian colleagues across the UK to deliver innovative commercial solutions to Defence requirements. We play a vital role in supporting Defence by contracting a diverse portfolio of requirements ranging in value and complexity from long term commitments in specialist capability areas to low value short term support contracts from a wide and varied supply-base. 

The Strategic Command Commercial Team is comprised of around 100 qualified commercial personnel across several UK and overseas locations who place around 200 contracts a year and manage £4.5bnworth of contracts.

Strategic Command is going through a significant transformation programme which aims to improve the way the Command conducts its business and delivers for Defence and the nation. As a consequence of this, all posts within Strategic Command Headquarters and in time the wider organisation, are/will be subject to review and potential changes as we continuously improve across the period of the transformation programme. These changes may be minor or could be more substantive and will generate new opportunities.  Throughout, the Command’s transformation programme is committed to following the MOD’s framework on managing and supporting people through the change process and places an emphasis on early and open consultation and engagement with the Command’s personnel and Trade Unions. 

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working.  This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements. 

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. 

Job description

Key Responsibilities: As a member of the Commercial Function in MOD you will be responsible for the end-to-end commercial activity for a wide range of requirements.

The commercial team manages the commercial aspects of the Strategic Command requirements and directly supports contingent and enduring joint operations.

• Although some of the workload is programmed, the nature of operations dictates that the post holder should expect to work in a dynamic and rapidly changing environment.
• You will work closely with project and military colleagues to deliver commercial aspects of acquisition programme objectives, managing a range of stakeholders in the commercial process within the MOD, Other Government Departments, and Industry, including input into Frameworks. Compiling, issuing, and evaluating tenders whilst reviewing work and working collaboratively with the wider Strat Com Commercial Team on best practice and lessons learned to ensure that the wider team benefit from the innovative commercial approaches you create.
• You will need to be able to initiate, develop and maintain relationships with possibly the broadest set of stakeholders and enablers in Defence and Government, often assisting in conflict resolution or creating solutions.
• Providing commercial advice and guidance, ensuring all procurement activities represent best value for money and all activity undertaken is in line with HMG procurement policy, applicable regulations, and best practice.
• Compile, issue and evaluate tenders whilst reviewing work and working collaboratively with the wider Strat Com Commercial team on best practice. • Supporting on contract management activities across the Head Quarters (HQ) contract management portfolio.
• In parallel, you will need to deliver pragmatic and swift commercial solutions to immediate, novel and often contentious activities. • Line management responsibilities for members of staff where appropriate, encouraging training and development ensuring they are given the opportunity to broaden their commercial and broader skills.
• Act as a role model, demonstrating effective communication and appropriate behaviours, while ensuring compliance with standards and policies.

Person specification

Person Specification: You should already be working in a commercial environment, building on a skillset involving procurement, stakeholder management, contract negotiation and supplier management. You should be a self-starter, who is confident with decision making, an effective communicator and is able to work effectively both independently and as part of a team. You will be confident with making decisions and have the self-drive and determination to deliver goods and services for our end users. You must have the ability to manage competing priorities, assess information rapidly, seek clarity or additional information where necessary and articulate needs or processes in a way that is understood by the stakeholder audience, bearing in mind that often such audiences have very limited or no procurement and/or requirement setting experience.

Licenced Commercial Officers are responsible for managing commercial activities across the spectrum of Acquisition and, depending on experience and level of competence, can have delegation to sign contracts of up to £2.5 Million for Pay Band C2.

Desirable Criteria

You must provide evidence of CIPS level 4/or equivalent or be willing to work towards this. Have passed the MOD Practitioner Commercial Licence assessment or be willing to undertake the assessment when agreed by line management. Successful candidates may be eligible for the Commercial Market Skills Allowance on the successful completion of CIPS Level 4 and Licencing Board.

The department is currently working from home with remote, flexible working. The role will require some travel and working from Shrivenham. This job description is a general outline of the job duties and responsibilities and may be amended as the function develops and expands. The successful candidate may undertake other duties as reasonably required.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,290, Ministry of Defence contributes £9,528 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Stage 1 - At application stage the Success Profiles elements you will be assessed against are Experience, Behaviours and Technical skills.

• CV - Candidates will be required to complete a CV including job history, full details of education and qualifications and previous experiences and skills.
• Statement of Suitability - Candidates will be required to complete a Statement of Suitability (maximum 1000 words), detailing:

1. 1. Relevant or transferable job-related experience demonstrating good management of competing priorities
   2. Relevant or transferable job-related experience demonstrating analysing and using a range of relevant, credible information from internal and external sources to support decisions and present key findings.

• Technical Experience – will be expected to give clear examples of previous experience relating to the Commercial Competency Framework. You should ensure that you read and understand the criteria within the Commercial Competency Framework [insert link] document and provide evidence of those criteria using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format:
  • Sourcing – Executing the Sourcing Strategy (Practitioner Level)

Stage 2 - If successful at stage 1, candidates will be invited for interview. During the interview you will be assessed on the Behaviours and Technical Experience relevant to the post using the same criteria set out in the Success Profiles and Commercial Competency Framework.

Behaviours - You will be expected to give clear examples of previous experience relating to the following Success Profiles behaviours. You should ensure that you read and understand the criteria within the Success Profile document and provide evidence of those criteria using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format:

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership

Technical Experience – will be expected to give clear examples of previous experience relating to the Commercial Competency Framework. You should ensure that you read and understand the criteria within the Commercial Competency Framework document and provide evidence of those criteria using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format:

• Sourcing – Executing the Sourcing Strategy (Practitioner Level)
• Contract Performance Management (Practitioner Level)

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk . 

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical.  

The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn. 

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.