About the job

Job summary

Sitting in the Cabinet Office Strategy, Assurance and Standards (SAS) team, the Government Major Contracts Portfolio (GMCP) Team has an unparalleled level of visibility across Government Departments. As the Government Major Contracts Portfolio Commercial Lead, you will have an opportunity to positively influence commercial outcomes and improve commercial practice pan public sector including the most complex of environments, by drawing on your experience and sharing best practice. 

In your role you will be responsible for leading the delivery and management of this high profile portfolio. 

Background

In February 2019, the Outsourcing Playbook was introduced, presenting 11 key policy reforms aimed at enhancing the manner in which the central government evaluates, acquires, and oversees public services. This initiative was initiated in response to the collapse of Carillion in 2018. To operationalize the Outsourcing Playbook, Ministers agreed upon a multi-year implementation programme starting in March 2019.

Acknowledging and capitalising on the accomplishments of the Outsourcing Playbook, it was determined that the government should possess an understanding of the risks linked with its most intricate contracts. As a result, the Government Major Contracts Portfolio was established in November 2021. This initiative aims to assist government departments in achieving superior commercial outcomes through benefits realisation, de-risking of contracts and providing targeted commercial support on HMG's most intricate and strategically vital contracts.

The Approach

To achieve this aspiration and enhance transparency, two workstreams were established: Key Performance Indicator (KPI) assurance and the Government Major Contracts Portfolio (GMCP). This team serves to increase the Government's awareness of potential risks and mitigate failures by promoting early detection and intervention. Additionally, they enable more targeted support for Departments, as well as the dissemination of best practices and lessons learned.

Where are we now

Following the successful implementation, the workstreams have now been amalgamated into a single GMCP/KPI portfolio with management transferred into the Strategy, Assurance and Standards Team (SAS). The GMCP/KPI portfolio is to undertake a next phase development with a specific focus on shaping an enhanced support & interventions and further building on the existing best practice forums to deliver additional benefits in achieving the objectives of this portfolio. 

Job description

The Cabinet Office is responsible for providing a centralised view of the risk, performance and delivery of the government's most intricate and strategically vital contracts.

As the GMCP Commercial Lead, working to the Head of the GMCP Portfolio, you will have the opportunity to apply and build on your industry and procurement knowledge alongside your collaboration and stakeholder management skills, supporting the Cabinet Office in improving commercial outcomes cross government whilst reducing the risk of contract performance. 

You will be responsible for leading the delivery and management of the KPI and GMCP portfolio within the SAS team and translating the GCF strategy into targeted objectives and achievable deliverables. 

The ideal candidate will have the ability to gather data from various sources, work with incomplete information, and identify trends and patterns to derive valuable insights. In addition, they will be responsible for leading a small team and enhancing the current portfolio to meet success criteria and promote ongoing improvements.

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

• Programme management including responsibility for leading the production of programme plans, activity charts, milestone maps, and work breakdown structures by the programme support team

• Ownership of portfolio briefing materials such as updates, progress reports and programme MI dashboards for consumption up to Perm Sec level

• Lead the secretariat function for programme governance including programme boards (Programme Review Board, Industry Forum and Steering Group)

• Lead the stakeholder management activity for the portfolio ensuring appropriate attendance at all governance meetings

• Improve cross government portfolio and all associated processes to identify, track and report on the most difficult, complex and important outsourcing projects being delivered in central government

• Provide a quarterly report on the new cross government Portfolio including appropriate suggestions for intervention

• Commission quarterly data requests to departments and support departments with their KPI returns

• Lead the analysis of KPI data from departments and publish internal KPI insights report to key government stakeholders

• Work with other teams to automate KPI data collection and reporting process to continually improve the process

• Ensure continuous improvement and development of existing processes taking advantage of available technology

• Track benefits associated with Business case and demonstrate value-add to department

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 16th August 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 on 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. 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.