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

In this role you will lead on MOD’s Supply Chain approach to industry collaboration, managing key engagements and forums to support Defence priorities. Your team will develop a capability to leverage strategic level collaboration as a critical deliverable between MOD and the Defence industry; working across the Defence enterprise to ensure the department is driving the delivery of what the Defence Command Paper refers to as the ‘new alliance’. You will work closely with MOD International partner colleagues and across wider Gov departments.

On behalf of Director Supply Chain, you will own the Defence Suppliers Forum (DSF) as the principle collaboration and delivery mechanism between MOD and Industry and ensure it is enabled to deliver the objectives, as set by the DSF Executive Group.

You will own and improve MOD’s approach to strategic leverage of the supply base, including; Innovation, ESG, UK Prosperity, S&T investment, Supplier Segmentation and strategic Management together with SMEs, so the department can exploit maximum additional value from its supplier relationships and help support the vibrancy of the UK Defence sector and wider UK prosperity. This will mean working across the department to design, implement and manage the standards for how we partner with suppliers large and small. You will lead the implementation of this approach and the benefit it delivers. You will also lead the MOD wide, strategic level Supplier Management Council

You will lead a team, building their confidence and commercial capability as an influential leader to shape and define optimal supply chains in a complex and uncertain context, delegating risks and issues to individuals in line with their experience and potential. The role will also require you to use your commercial expertise to take measured risks, to deliver better approaches and services to a wide range of customers.

Person specification

• Maintain MOD’s overall framework for industry collaboration & strategic supplier management. Working closely with your Defence Industrial Strategy colleagues in ensuring policy, processes, and mechanisms to engage industry across the department are coherent, efficient and effective. Ensure the need to consult Defence Industry is reflected appropriately within departmental functions and processes (such as Capability Development)

• Approach to market/sector level industry collaboration

• Drive the Defence Suppliers Forum to focus the delivery of the DSF objectives. Oversee joint MOD/industry programme management of DSF activities to achieve this aim. Ensure DSF sub-groups remain relevant and beneficial

• Own and Implement MODs Small & Medium Enterprises action plan, ensuring the department and prime suppliers support SMEs and the value they bring to MOD and the UK Defence market

• Encourage new entrants and innovation by ensuring MOD promote opportunities for companies to ‘Do Business with the MOD’ who may have unique or interesting offerings but face barriers to entry in the Defence Industry

• Own MOD’s Supplier Segmentation model, to effectively identify and prioritise suppliers of greatest importance at overall department and individual Top Level Budget level

• Improve and implement MOD’s approach to supplier management, making the case for investment in people, processes, systems and data that will enable productivity of capability delivery and upgrades

• Leading a team to deliver on the aims and broader vision of MOD’s Director of Supply Chain. Solving problems as an accountable and responsible leader, escalating strategic issues where necessary

 

• Coaching and mentoring individuals as a trusted leader and displaying strong motivational capabilities to create a department culture focused on supply chain performance and industry collaboration

• Senior Stakeholder Management across MOD, Defence Industry leaders and government, to enable the value proposition above and the associated governance

• 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 15th 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. 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.