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 MOD commercial team delivering departmental objectives.

Job description

Defence Digital is made up of five categories, IT Hardware & Services, Military Technology, Software and Hosting, Networks and Professional Services, each individual category team varies in size but in total we are a 180-person strong team. 

For this role specifically, we are looking for a leader to join our Professional Services Commercial team as we roll out our ground-breaking £1.2Bn framework. 

This new Digital and ICT Professional Services (DIPS) framework will require extensive Stakeholder and Contract Management activity which is new to the team. Managing this new Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Framework, which has been co-designed by MOD and CCS and delivered by MOD is a significant undertaking as it underpins the delivery of substantial benefits to defence. These include savings of £120m over 4 years, and detailed MI to support the delivery of Defence Digital’s Strategic Workforce Plan. This new DIPS activity will require an uplift to our Op model of 13FTE and this role is one of three senior leadership roles.

This new team will be responsible for managing each of the 6 Lots under the framework and providing assistance to other MOD commercial teams in how to use the Framework effectively. This is critical to the ambition to drive greater consistency and performance across Defence’s Digital and ICT programs. 

DIPS is a catalyst for change in how we procure digital and ICT support by leveraging our partner’s delivery expertise upstream in the value chain though co-development and design of activity. Developing trusted productive relationships between our DIPS partners and Defence stakeholders is critical to this ambition and the DIPS PS team will be the spearhead of this activity  

Team

The candidate will have a team of 4 to 5 to lead and develop of which 1 will  be a direct report.

Person specification

• Successful roll out and delivery of DIPS 
• Leadership, development and support to the team, 
• Ownership of key Partner and Stakeholder relationships. 
• Accountable for savings delivery and effective contract management
• Become an active part of the Professional Service Category Senior Leadership Team
• Advice and leadership provision to other areas of Defence around Digital and Technology focused Professional Services
• Support to pan defence and pan government initiatives and programs as required

The main responsibilities are likely to include: 

• Stakeholder engagement and management - Building influential internal relationships to ensure that commercial objectives are fully understood and embedded.
• Category strategy - Responsible for developing and implementing market facing category strategies.
• Commercial management - overseeing large value portfolio by leading the commercial approach, ensuring commercial processes are understood by stakeholders, executing commercial deliverables, taking responsibility for the success of the commercial aspects of the overall project. Commercial delegation of up to £100M.
• Supplier relationships - To build effective relationships with current and future suppliers.  Enabling the market to better understand our requirements and ensuring that we build healthy, mutually beneficial relationships that deliver the right solutions at competitive prices.
• Contract Management - The effective management of large size, long term contracts ensuring that value is delivered over the term of the contract and that exit/recompete/extension actions are strategically planned and executed.
• Collaboration - Close working with other category, finance and project leads, within MOD and Government Commercial Function teams, to develop a strategic approach to Defence technology spend.
• Cost-saving initiatives - overseeing such initiatives across your portfolio to identify opportunities to increase the overall value delivered to Defence.
• Risk analysis - proactively anticipating potential commercial risks, mitigating actions and providing expert commercial advice.
• Leadership - taking the lead during contract negotiations including price and contract terms, understanding the appropriate levers available and able to develop a structured negotiation plan. Cognisant of contract law and able to apply in contractual discussions.
• Line management – overseeing teams, acting as a positive and proactive role model, providing coaching and support for individuals and the team.

CIPS 

All successful candidates must be or willing to work towards CIPS Level 6 accredited/hold MCIPS within three months of taking up your post. 

Clearance

All roles require SC before commencement of posts and may be required to be DV cleared once in post.

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 8th March 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.