About the job

Job summary

In Defra, we deal with a vast range of issues that profoundly impact on people’s lives. We are responsible for England’s environment, countryside and rural economy, the food and farming sectors and have a lead responsibility for protection from a wide range of natural threats and hazards.  The main purpose of the Technology Category Team is to provide end to end commercial support to Defra with and via our Digital, Data and Technology Services team as well as supporting group organisations such as the Environment Agency and Rural Payments Agency.

Defra has an exciting ambition and strategy to deliver on four priority outcomes: the Environment (improving the environment through cleaner air and water, minimised waste and thriving plants and terrestrial and marine wildlife); Net Zero (reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon storage in the agricultural, waste, peat and tree planting sectors to help deliver net zero); Floods and resilience (reducing likelihood and impact of flooding and coastal erosion on people, businesses, communities and the environment); Agriculture, food, fisheries, animal welfare and biosecurity (increasing the sustainability, productivity and resilience of agriculture, fishing, food and drink sectors, enhancing biosecurity and raising animal welfare standards).

There is a significant and exciting commercial challenge in delivering these strategic priorities alongside core technology transformation and efficiency saving deliverables. Technology underpins many of these priorities and our team provides the commercial support and expertise across the organisation to achieve this.  Our ambition is to build on our existing expertise and develop a commercial organisation that reaches new levels of performance and is willing to adopt innovative commercial approaches. We are expected to deliver maximum value and benefits from our expenditure. The commercial positions we are recruiting for are considered to be an essential part of successful programme delivery for the strategic priorities and core roles in achieving a number of key corporate objectives for Defra.  

This is a great opportunity to be a part of a forwarding thinking team and make a real and meaningful difference on our journey to create commercial expertise at the heart of sustainable business delivery.

Job description

You will play a key role in developing a strong commercial function for Defra and across government. In these challenging and exciting results driven roles, with a high degree of accountability you will develop market facing category specific strategies to deliver real value for technology incorporating customer and market insight. You will effectively influence customers across the organisation to deliver value for money, achieving savings targets and sustainable outcomes.

Within the Technology category we cover multiple technology subcategories including: Digital workplace, service operations, security, hosting/cloud, connectivity (WAN LAN SD WAN), unified communications, mobile, core IT platforms, technology services, application development and maintenance as well as leading key projects that support major digital programmes (e.g Farming Countryside Programme, Borders and Trade, Plant Health, Synergy (ERP replacement) etc. We work closely with Defra’s Digital Data and Technology Security team, but also support and work with the Arm’s Length Bodies such as Environment Agency & Rural Payments Agency.

These roles are likely to have some line management responsibility.

Locations

The successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. When selecting your location listed in this job advert please be aware that this will be your contractual base location with a requirement to spend a minimum of 60% of your working time in this organisational workplace.

Your time spent on official duties at workplace locations other than your contractual office such as supplier, customer or partner locations required to perform your role is included in the 60% attendance.

This requirement will however take into consideration any reasonable adjustments agreed upon appointment for people with a disability, flexibilities agreed for those with specific caring responsibilities, or other similar temporary flexibilities.

Person specification

The Commercial Manager will report to a Senior Commercial Manager (G6) and will entail all aspects of category commercial support end to end. You will:

• Provide commercial advice and deliver a large range of complex technology procurements (with some >£100m). This will involve leading commercial and procurement strategy, employing policy from the DDaT Playbook, seeking best practice techniques by developing a helpful network of contacts within other public sector bodies and wider industry which will help you deliver effectively.
• Ownership & delivery of categories / contracts within Technology end to end using and analysing data to inform strategies.
• Be responsible for all procurement activity within your category, building and maintaining a clear pipeline, ensuring full compliance with public procurement law, Defra Group Commercial procedure, policy, governance and assurance processes.
• Develop and continuously review market facing, category specific plans and framework management mechanisms delivering innovative propositions which meet the needs of Defra.
• Provide expert advice on commercial risk management and deliver mitigation plans / strategies to manage identified risks at corporate level. 
• Provide commercial assurance and contract management in-life.
• Effectively influence customers across the network to deliver value for money, achieving savings targets and sustainable outcomes. 
• Lead by example in our approach to sustainability and communicating its importance, influencing others to improve their approach. Ensure sustainability is considered throughout our work and is the responsibility of all. 
• Work with team members and customers to develop their commercial capability ensuring there is the required level of commercial expertise and capacity in delivery teams to deliver the required outputs.
• Lead on the development of team members ensuring there is resilience in teams to deliver the required outputs
• Mentor and coach team members on policies, procedures, practices, and techniques equipping them with the knowledge and skills to deliver their work in an effective and efficient manner
• Represent the Commercial Team at senior management meetings.

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.

Please note that any move across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018 may have implications on an employee’s ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Please be advised that the Virtual ADC is taking place on 23rd July 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

Security

Nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service