About the job

Job summary

This is a National Role

Job description

Senior Contract Manager

Location: National*

Closing Date: 05 July 2024

Interviews: From 16 July 2024

Grade: Grade 7

(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)

Salary: London: £58,847 - £66,670; National: £54,358 - £61,585

Working pattern: Full-time, part-time, flexible working

Contract Type: Permanent

Vacancy number: 88261

*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP

The Role

We’re recruiting for a Senior Contract Manager here at Justice Digital, to be part of our warm and collaborative Strategy & Operations team.

These are exciting times at Justice Digital. We have a clear vision to develop a digitally enabled justice system that works more simply for users, and we’re looking for talented people to help us achieve it.

We are making things better by building adaptable, effective services and making systems that are simple to use for staff and citizens. It can be challenging but it’s also important and rewarding.

The design, delivery, and support of Digital, Data, & Technology services is heavily dependent on collaboration between the MoJ and members of its extensive supplier ecosystem. On behalf of the wider MoJ organisation, Justice Digital invest over £450m per annum in supplier capability and solutions – many of which are critical to the operation of MoJ.

The contract management team exists to ensure that the money spent with suppliers is well managed. The team ensures that all contracts are established based on the best information available and managed for long-term value, while facilitating the development and maintenance of longer-term strategic partnerships.

To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital please take a look at our blog and our Digital and Technology strategy 2025

Key Responsibilities:

Supporting, and where applicable, leading end to end Contract and Supplier Management activity across a portfolio of contracts. Dependant on the supplier / contract classification to include:

Providing Contract and Supplier Management Leadership across a portfolio of contracts.

• Providing guidance, support and training to Contract Managers, ensuring consistent application of good practice Contract and Supplier Management across a portfolio of contracts;
• Be an expert advisor in good practice Contract and Supplier Management, and contribute to the continuous improvement of the Contract and Supplier Management Framework;
• Working with the Head of Contract and Supplier Relationship Management to understand and embed the organisational vision, values and culture;
• Acting as team leader with responsibility for working collaboratively with peers to define and deliver team objectives in line with the organisational vision and strategy;
• Promote the value and benefits of good practice Contract and Supplier Management across Justice Digital;
• Acting as the first point of escalation for any Contract and Supplier Management issues raised by the Contract Manager(s);
• Providing portfolio wide strategic contract and supplier insight to key stakeholders;
• Ensuring consistency and the sharing of best practice across the Contract Managers within the portfolio;
• Leading and direct management of a team of Contract Managers.

Working with colleagues from Commercial and across Justice Digital to implement and mobilise new contracts across the portfolio, to ensure contracts are administered effectively and where necessary to support transition and exit activity.

• Establishing governance to support effective management of the contract and the overall supplier relationship;
• Leading key contract and supplier management meetings, ensuring they meet the specified objectives and deliver value;
• Establishing clear roles & responsibilities to support effective management of the contract and supplier relationship;
• Supporting creation and execution of mobilisation, transition and exit plans;
• Supporting on-time and accurate supplier payment in line with the contracted processes, providing operational data and approvals as required;
• Managing the contract pipeline, management of data systems and records, facilitating activities in support of procurement activity.

Leading contract and supplier performance management across a portfolio of contracts.

• Developing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across the portfolio of contracts and suppliers which align to MoJ strategic objectives;
• Become the Justice Digital contract SME for the portfolio of contracts;
• Developing and shaping along with strong forward planning to ensure that the Contract and Supplier Management schedule is delivered on time and to the required quality;
• Managing the contract and supplier performance management activity, including reporting, communication, and the delivery of joint improvement plans with the supplier, where applicable;
• Ensuring consistency of approach, and facilitating best practice sharing across Contract Managers within the portfolio.

Ensuring risks and issues are effectively managed across a portfolio of contracts;

• Supporting identification and effective management of contract and supplier risk, and own mitigating actions as required;
• Supporting conflict and issue resolution with suppliers and stakeholders, as a result of escalations from the Contract Manager;
• Ensuring compliance with governance, legislative and policy requirements as appropriate;
• Ensuring good practice risk management is applied by Contract Managers across the portfolio of contracts and suppliers.

If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!

Person Specification

Essential

• Extensive contract management, procurement, or commercial experience in a complex organisation;
• In depth knowledge and experience of negotiating with suppliers and stakeholders to achieve satisfactory outcomes;
• Significant experience of performance managing suppliers to maximise contract value;
• Hold or have a willingness to work towards gaining a suitable related qualification such as CIPs, World CC (formerly IACCM) or Contract Management Capability Programme accreditation. Continuous development will be encouraged through continuous investment in learning;
• Demonstrable experience building and leading a high performing team.

Willingness to be assessed against  the requirements for BPSS clearance

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

Terms & Conditions

Please review our Terms & Conditions which set out the way we recruit and provide further information related to the role and salary arrangements.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact recruitment@digital.justice.gov.uk

Person specification

Please refer to attached Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £54,358, Ministry of Justice contributes £15,165 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

How to Apply

Candidates must submit a CV and Cover Letter which describes how you meet the requirements set out in the Person Specification above.

In Justice Digital, we recruit using a combination of the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability and Success Profiles Frameworks. We will assess your Experience, Technical Skills and the following Behaviours during the assessment process:

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Developing Self and Others
• Managing a Quality Service

A diverse panel will review your application against the Person Specification above.

Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a 1-hour panel interview held via video conference.

Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based on ‘extensive contract management, procurement, or commercial experience in a complex organisation’ will be conducted prior to the sift.

Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrate the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and offer you the position without needing a further application.

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.