About the job

Job summary

UKEF’s Commercial Function sits within the Resources division which encompasses Corporate Services and ensures a smooth day-to-day operation for UKEF. The team is responsible for the delivery of all commercial activity including sourcing strategies, procurements and the implementation of government commercial standards across the organisation. This is a key function, critical to the success of UKEF’s business ventures which often rely on support from external suppliers. The key areas within the UKEF Commercial function are:

• Sourcing – developing sourcing strategies and leading the procurement of contracts to both service UKEF requirements and achieve value for money outcomes
• Projects, Partnerships & Policy – delivering commercial projects and implementing policy to embed best practice across the wider organisation and adhere to defined regulations
• Contract Management – effective contract management to maximise supplier performance and value for money

This role will sit within the Contract management Team, however, the expectation is that the successful candidate will work across multiple workstreams, supporting the over-arching strategy and vision of the wider function where required.

Job description

The Commercial Manager role is a brilliant prospect for a high performing individual who wants to build their public sector commercial career.  It will provide the opportunity to make a real difference and help shape how this newly formed commercial function will deliver an exceptional commercial service for UKEF. 

The role requires experience of contract management and the implementation of good commercial practices to drive behavioural change within an organisation.  

The Commercial Manager role will sit within the Commercial function.

This role provides an opportunity to:

• Work within an integrated commercial functional team, working on delivering innovative commercial solutions
• Drive overall functional development, encouraging teamwork and building effective relationships to deliver great commercial outcomes
• Make a real difference in the building of a new commercial function with the opportunity to Influence how commercial excellence is set up at UKEF.
• Be part of a function that directly supports many international organisations (public and or private) to win, fulfil and get paid for export contracts .

 

Should you be successful in this role, there is the opportunity to undertake an Apprenticeship (subject to course availability and candidate’s existing qualifications).

Person specification

• Provide Contract Management support to UKEF’s most strategically important contracts, ensuring performance and value are achieved whilst mitigating commercial risk.
• Support on Contract pre-procurement and mobilisation activities, ensuring that robust contract management practices are embedded from the start.
• Support the development of Commercial requirements including building specifications, defining performance measures and payment mechanisms.
• Support Commercial skilling of UKEF colleagues.
• Support the Commercial Assurance process, ensuring that contract extensions and variations are handled compliantly.
• Support the delivery of sourcing activity, ensuring compliance to Public Procurement Regulations.
• Support the delivery of performance management and reporting for the Commercial function, servicing internal strategic and external regulatory requirements
• Assist with the implementation and embedding of procurement and commercial best practice. Working with colleagues across the function and business to identify opportunities to update and improve policies, processes, governance, and systems.
• Collate, analyse, and interpret commercial data to provide Commercial Management Information which inform the priorities for the team.
• Champion the use of the procurement software (Atamis) as a Super User, upskilling the team and business users in the software where required.

This list is not exhaustive, and you may be required to carry out additional duties according to business needs.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,890, UK Export Finance contributes £11,850 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.

You will be invited to complete the online application form.  The application form must be completed by 23.55 on the day of the closing date for it to be accepted.

All applications will be sifted against our minimum selection criteria outlined in the personal specification.

You will be either asked in the relevant sections of the application form to provide examples of evidence against a range of the success profiles (refer to appendix 1).  Where applicants are asked to apply with a covering letter, you should fully articulate in 500 words how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification.

For the initial sift your application will be evaluated against:

• Experience
• Technical
• Behaviours
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service

If you are successful following the sift stage, you will be invited to an initial interview; this will include the following assessment:

• Behaviours/Technical/Experience - a formal panel interview where you will be interviewed across all three behaviours highlighted and your technical ability to successfully carry out the role.
• Technical - a short presentation (this will be on a topic determined by UKEF and will need to be prepared in advance).

Details of interview panel members will be e-mailed to all successful candidates who are invited for interview.

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

Security

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.