About the job

Job summary

We are the biggest public procurement organisation in the UK.

With over 900 employees, we help thousands of public and third sector organisations save time and money when buying common goods and services. We currently manage more than £30 billion of spend every year across the public sector delivering commercial benefits of £3.8bn through CCS agreements including for:

• schools
• universities
• hospitals
• housing associations
• councils
• charities
• central government departments

Our culture is all about our people. The development of our people is key and though we’re all driven by different aspirations, we share the same commitment to quality and delivering value for our customers. Our people make up our family: the CCS Family!

The work we do is carried out to a very high standard in an exciting environment where success is celebrated. The expertise we offer our customers is all down to the people who work here. We realise that together we can achieve more.

Our purpose

We deliver commercial benefits for the UK central government, arm’s length bodies and the wider public sector. We do this by establishing and managing outstanding customer-focused commercial agreements for common goods and services and through our category expertise and procurement capability so that our customers can buy as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Our values, and the behaviours they require, allow us to create a positive workplace culture.

Our values

Our culture is one of inclusivity and care, where we respect each other and our differences. It’s one that supports collaboration, teamwork and innovation and one that embraces difference. We support everyone having a voice so that our people feel valued and empowered to bring their ideas and whole self to work.

We listen, respect, collaborate and trust in order to deliver with confidence.

Team

The New Products and Innovation team within the new New Product Development Unit has responsibility for 3 principle areas:

• Working with the CCS Category teams to create the next generation of CCS products and services
• With the head of portfolio management shaping the future portfolio to be customer focused and simple to use
• Creating, with external support, an innovation space for Public Sector where supplier innovation can be assessed in an agile manner for suitability to be brought into the wider CCS portfolio

Job description

This high-profile role sits in the newly created New Product Development Unit and amongst other things will focus on developing our products and services portfolio but focusing on new and emerging ‘stuff’ that could enhance CCS service offerings and bring accelerated Value for our customers.

Person specification

The main responsibilities are likely to include-

• Manage the future CCS product portfolio strategy contributing towards the commercial directorate achieving its 2-year growth target of an additional £8b of spend under influence by the end of FY 24/25  
• Support the business plan target to increase the delivery of spend related commercial benefits in excess of £3.3b each year 
• Engaging routinely with stakeholders from CCS, across government and supplier organisations to drive the CCS tail Spend strategy going forwards.  Attend various governance boards where necessary, design authority groups
• Line management of New Products and Innovation Team 
• Ensure future portfolio products and services embed channel strategies which promote supplier innovation, have senior stakeholder engagement, and market building/shaping potential
• Develop and enduring solution for low value spend for both goods and services and portfolio products that don’t meet RoE thresholds
• Engagement across CCS (inc CD and CXD) and customer groups to ensure RoE can be maintained
• Define and own the policies and processes relating to the replacement Tail Spend solution
• Manage Strategic Supplier Relationships and stay abreast of market developments across Business to Consumer, Business to Business, Purchase to Pay, Source to Pay, Marketplaces, Catalogue Management, Digital Facilitation, Spend Automation, Accounts Payable Automation and the varied related capabilities used throughout the Public Sector
• Work closely with the Head of New Product Development, the wider New Product Development unit and Commercial directorate to further define and deliver the units future operating model in line with CCS corporate strategy

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.

Please note that any move across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018 may have implications on an employee’s ability to carry on claiming 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 11th June 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 at 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.

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 counter-terrorist 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.