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

Strategic Partnering Management involves working at the enterprise level (Supplier, Contracting Authority and Customer) to create and implement innovative and transformational approaches to working with strategic suppliers to Government.  Continuously strengthening relationships to drive excellence and outstanding performance, the Strategic Partnering Manager (SPM) works and communicates at Board level, across Defence and key Suppliers, to deliver this outcome.  

Collaboratively shaping commercial strategies to deliver extraordinary performance for both the Government/MOD and the suppliers, the Strategic Partnering Manager’s leadership (based on evidence, analysis, and empowerment) enables an in-depth understanding and knowledge of strategic suppliers’ business models and associated opportunities.

In this role you will lead the team of Strategic Partnering Managers who manage the relationship with the most strategic (size, criticality, spend) of Defence’s suppliers as well as being the Strategic Partnering Manager for a major supplier yourself.  The role offers unparalleled access to Government’s senior stakeholders and their decision making, providing a unique opportunity to work with an incredibly empowered, capable, and professional team.

Person specification

• Leadership, both in a traditional team context as well as more broadly across government and industry stakeholders as you cohere different positions, find common ground, and develop solutions to complex problems
• Leading the MOD Strategic Partnering Programme, a team of c.10 highly capable direct reports who manage the strategic relationships with Defence's prime strategic suppliers
• The development of mutual value (financial and more broadly) propositions in complex commercial relationships covering capital programmes and/or complex service delivery contracts
• Ownership, management and execution of the relationship map, from executive to operational levels for key, £multi-billion suppliers, as well as senior internal stakeholders
• Setting and running the strategic framework for critical services, and the associated risk management to ensure government have the quality and surety of service necessary to deliver their defence and, where relevant, wider policy agenda
• Support for key contract negotiations; an innovative and collaborative approach to getting at the mutual value in defence’s key commercial relationships
• Strategic risk management: continuity of mission critical and/or sensitive services; continuity of service for ‘sensitive’ operations; compliance and ethics; financial resilience; capability
• Strategic opportunity: quality of service; efficiency and cost savings, end to end integrated supply chain between Government/MOD & Supplier(s); continuous improvement, innovation, and best practice transfer - optimising tax-payer value for money
• Be amongst the most senior members of the Government Commercial Function and play a role in the broader commercial reform programme led by the Government Chief Commercial Officer
• Play a key leadership and change management role in developing a strong commercial function for the MOD and across government

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 22nd 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. Please note: Only candidates that achieve an A grade at ADC will be invited to interview for this role.

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.