About the job

Job summary

There has never been a better time to join our highly recognised Strategic Supplier Relationship Management team. 

We are recruiting a SSRM Senior Relationship Lead, to support the delivery of our IT Strategic Supplier Relationship Management Programme.

Over the last five years HMRC Commercial Directorate have been at the forefront of implementing the Strategic Supplier Relationship Management framework with our strategic suppliers.  

In the last two years we have increased the number of suppliers from 12 to 24 and built a team of Supplier Relationship experts to support our long-term ambition. Strategic Supplier Relationship Management has been effective at resetting relationships, and expectations with our key suppliers. It has driven additional value and facilitated appropriate conversations at the right levels.  

Reporting to the Deputy Director of SSRM, you will be accountable for developing and managing the ongoing relationship with key strategic supplier(s) in the IT space, vital for maintaining the platforms our business operates on. 

You will provide support and guidance to multiple business owners across HMRC, working collaboratively across multiple functional areas.

You will be joining a team which has been benchmarked as “best in class”. The team has been shortlisted for a number of industry, CIPS, and Government Commercial Function awards in recognition for the work we have done in this area.

Job description

Strategic Supplier Relationship Management (SSRM) is defined as “the practices and behaviours adopted to engage more collaboratively with strategic suppliers to improve delivery of Government objectives and increase mutual value beyond that originally contracted”. 

The purpose of our SSRM function is to develop deeper long-term collaboration with a small group of strategic partners.

Over the last five years HMRC Commercial Directorate have been rolling out Strategic Supplier Relationship Management (SSRM) best practice approach advocated by the Cabinet Office to support delivery of HMRC’s strategic objectives, and deliver incremental value with our strategic partners.

SSRM has been effective at resetting relationships, and expectations with our key suppliers. It has driven additional value and facilitated appropriate conversations at the right levels.  

Reporting to the Deputy Director of Strategic Supplier Relationship Management, you will be accountable for implementing and managing the ongoing relationships with key strategic supplier(s), primarily in the IT sector, vital for enabling HMRC to collect the money that pays for the UK’s public services and individuals with targeted financial support.

You will be responsible for proactively leading and coordinating all associated SSRM activities, ensuring the governance process is followed at all three levels; operational, relationship and strategic.

You will provide support and guidance to multiple business owners across HMRC and be able to operate at all levels from ExCom level and below. Working collaboratively across multiple functional areas, and across government.

You will be the trusted advisor to all internal stakeholders of your relationship; providing expert knowledge of your supplier(s) and market(s) to support strategic decision making across HMRC. Your expertise should inform both the category strategies applicable to your supplier(s) as well as the key ongoing risks and issues associated to relationship, and commercial contract management.

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

The successful candidate will:

• Be proactive in providing clear and expert advice to senior stakeholders on how the issues with IT strategic suppliers should be resolved whilst protecting HMRC’s reputation
  

• Proactively lead on the creation of the Joint Business Plan and agreed value initiatives to support HMRC’s strategic objectives
  

• Proactively lead and facilitate workshops with key commercial, business and supplier stakeholders
  

• Proactively mobilise work streams. You will be expected to either lead key workstreams or be part of the work stream team while maintaining oversight of all reported progress through the relationship scorecard
  

• Lead or support in problem solving where appropriate and act as the key escalation point for issues that cannot be resolved at the operational, commercial or relationship level. You will manage escalations with senior stakeholders, working with your commercial and operational colleagues
  

• Monitor the relationship health based on the output from the 360-relationship assessment, the relationship element of the scorecard and be pro-active in testing the strength of the relationship day to day
  

• Spend time exploring opportunities for continuous improvement and innovation. Increase your understanding of the challenges faced by both the Department and the function and use your knowledge of supplier and markets to deliver strategic objectives
  

• Ensure the Joint Business Plan remains aligned to Government, Departmental, and functional objectives through regular refresh activities, linked to category strategies
  

• Provide regular updates to the SSRM Best Practice Lead and Deputy Director of Strategic Supplier Relationship Management, Commercial Directors, and key stakeholders including ExCom, Director Generals, Chief Financial Officer, CIO, Programme Directors, Senior Responsible Owners and CDIO SLT as required

• Represent HMRC’s interests linked to key strategic suppliers, including liaising with the Markets and Suppliers Team, Strategic Partnership Managers and Crown Representatives
  

• Have expert understanding of the role your supplier(s) and markets play within commercial categories, enabling you to work with Category Leads to inform key supplier elements of Category Strategies
  
  
• Provide clear and meaningful updates to Deputy Directors at the SSRM Programme Monthly calls to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of key relationship activity, risks, issues, opportunities, value creation (tangible/intangible) and cost savings captured. 

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 8th 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 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.