About the job

Job summary

Are you a Senior Commercial professional, with experience of Contract, Category and Supplier Management? Can you analyse complex business problems and provide inspirational leadership to build teams? Would you like to advance your career in a role where you can make an impact in shaping the commercial landscape? We may have the role for you, as our Head of Commercial Capability.  

About Us

We help people, businesses, and the UK economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour. Our work is wide ranging, ambitious and often new and challenging.

You can read more about working at the CMA in our candidate pack.

Job description

As our Head of Commercial Capability you will build a strong commercial function, as it is crucial to the strategic goals of the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA), as we seek to make markets work well for consumers, businesses, and the economy.  

To achieve this, you will collaborate with the Director of Commercial and Contracts Management to shape our commercial strategy and drive alignment with the Government’s Commercial Operating Standards.  

Some of your key responsibilities will include: 

• Lead and deliver an ambitious programme of commercial transformation, by implementing and managing a contract management framework across the business, which will drive supplier performance and the delivery of savings.  
• Develop and implement a strategy for category management, optimising procurement and leveraging key supplier relationships, as well as leading the professional development of staff across the business who are involved in commercial delivery.  
• Deliver robust and highly effective commercial governance and support the Head of Commercial and Procurement in delivering operational procurement when necessary. 

Person specification

It is essential that you can provide evidence and examples for each of the following selection criteria in your application. For tips on how to make the most your application, please have a look at our guidance document.

Essential Criteria

• A proven track record as a senior commercial professional with extensive experience of contract management, category management and supplier relationship management, including in the areas of technology and property. (Lead Criteria)
• Ability to provide strong and inspirational leadership to build teams, deliver results, recognise outstanding performance, and deal effectively with under performance. (Lead Criteria)
• Excellent business acumen with the ability to analyse complex business problems and apply evidence-based thinking to strategic and operational decision-making.
• Excellent communication skills – both written and oral - with the ability to deal collaboratively with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Expert in dealing with multiple priorities and working to set deadlines and the resilience to thrive under pressure.
• Experience in delivering commercial transformation and / or major organisational change.

Desirable Qualification

• Professionally qualified (MCIPS) is desirable.
• Government Commercial Organisation accreditation, or confirmation of a willingness to work to achieve such accreditation.

Desirable Knowledge

• Delivering end to end operational procurements.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £71,300, Competition & Markets Authority contributes £19,251 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.

The selection process will comprise of the sift (CV & application review) and interview.

An initial sift based on lead criteria 1 and 2 may be held if a large number of applications are received.

If your application then progresses to a full sift, all elements of the essential criteria listed under Person Specification of the role profile will then be considered.

The sifting dates will be from 14th May to 16th May 2024. 

If your application is successful, you will be invited to attend an interview.

This will be a 45-60 minute panel interview, where you will be asked behaviour-based questions based on the behaviours, experience and technical skills specified in the role profile.

Interviews are flexible, to be held either virtually via Microsoft Teams or face to face at your local CMA office location preference. 

You will also be asked to prepare a 5 minute presentation to deliver at the start of the panel interview in advance of your interview. Details will be provided via your interview invite detail.

You will be notified via email to log-in to your Civil Service Account to book your interview slot. You will then be sent an email with full details of your arrangements for interview. 

Interviews will be held on 24th May 2024. 

Reasonable Adjustments

We want to make sure no one is at a disadvantage during our recruitment process because of a disability, condition, or impairment. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process.

For example, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you are deaf, a Language Service Professional.

You might also require additional time to complete a timed assessment or a sign language interpreter to support with the relaying of information.

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that for exceptional international candidates, we may be able to sponsor your right to work, subject to your eligibility to work for the Civil Service. Sponsorship will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

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.