About the job

Job summary

The Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) is a part of the Ministry of Defence responsible for the procurement, in-service support, and disposal of the UK’s nuclear submarines. Our work is of unparalleled strategic importance nationally and internationally, ensuring the security of the UK’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent, and delivering some of the most technically complex programmes in defence.

Here you’ll find a community to belong to – whether that’s alongside project teams with a shared vision or as part of an employee network of like-minded individuals. We believe that, by celebrating different backgrounds and perspectives, together we’ll achieve the extraordinary.

Discover more about our work:

We offer 25+ days’ holiday, flexible and hybrid working, enhanced parental leave schemes, shopping discounts, and an exceptional employer pension contribution of around 27%, to help work work for you.

Job description

Are you interested in contract management, excited by the opportunity to shape and define the some of the biggest and complex defence programmes in the UK today? The Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) are currently seeking an enthusiastic and driven Assistant Commercial Officer to join our team at HMNB Clyde.

You will be part of a small Commercial team, managing a portfolio covering a number of contracts within HMNB Clyde. As an Assistant Commercial Officer, you will have the opportunity to support a range of commercial activities, including high profile and complex contracts across the Naval Base sites, working closely with stakeholders, and supporting cross functional teamwork. You will be tasked to deliver maximum value via contract management activities, influencing commercial strategies and addressing the consequences of any changes that occur.

Growing your career as part of the SDA, we will provide you with the diverse opportunities at the forefront of ensuring the delivery of crucial and significant projects. You will be supported by your manager and wider team to achieve your career goals and aspirations with mentoring available to fulfil your potential. If not already achieved, you will be expected to gain CIPS level 4/or equivalent and pass the MOD Practitioner Commercial Licence assessment within your first year of employment, we will fund and provide you the support and guidance needed to help you achieve this.

At the SDA, we champion flexible ways of working to support work-life balance. Regular in-person attendance is required at your Primary Duty Station (Clyde) however this may vary to promote the benefits of face-to-face collaboration. As such, this opportunity would be perfect for someone based in Glasgow or the surrounding areas, who is willing to commute to Faslane on a regular basis.

Please note, due to the nature of work, this vacancy is Reserved (open to UK Nationals only) and will require the successful candidate to attain SC (Security Clearance).

We strongly recommend tailoring your CV in line with our CV guidance before applying, with specific sections to highlight Key Achievements, Relevant Experience, and Applied Skills & Knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Provide assurance and due diligence for commercial activity to provide confidence in commercial outcomes.
• Communicate in a timely manner with a range of internal and external stakeholders including suppliers and Subject Matter Experts.
• Negotiate terms and pricing, place and manage contracts and contract amendments up to a maximum delegation of £0.25M in accordance with set guidelines and conditions outlined in the individual’s delegation letter and MOD policy.
• Depending on project value, assist or lead in the portfolio management for contracts ensuring contract obligations are met in line with the contract and business requirements.
• Determine the appropriate commercial actions for requirements including supply market analysis, draft strategy plans, contract management plans and facilitate key aspects of the delivery.
• Draft Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ), Invitation to Tender (ITT) and contract documentation in accordance with MOD policy and legislation.
• Support and provide advice to Commercial Assistant.
• Provide support and assistance to commercial enabling teams to assist delivery of SDA continuous improvement projects.

Person specification

To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Experience in stakeholder management and the ability to communicate and influence across different levels of the organisation both internally and externally.
• Have proficient IT skills including Microsoft Office, Excel, and the ability to use IT systems and programmes.

In addition to the responsibilities above, the following technical competences and behaviours will be assessed at interview:

• Tender and Bid Process - Supervised Practitioner
• Contract Management - Supervised Practitioner
• Communicating and Influencing CSBC 3
• Working Together CSBC 3

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,800, Ministry of Defence contributes £7,506 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

Your application will go through the following stages of assessment:

1. Pre-sift - We will check that you meet any essential or eligibility criteria that are listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. On your CV, please clearly show how you meet the essential criteria.
2. Sift - Your CV will be assessed against the following categories, using a simple numerical scoring system: Key Achievements; Relevant Experience; Applied Knowledge and Skills

Please follow our guidance on CV writing for best chance of success.

3. Interview - If you're invited to interview, you'll be assessed against the Sift categories listed above, as well as the Technical Competences and Behaviours listed in the Person Specification section of this advert.

Security

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

Open to UK nationals only.

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.