About the job

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity to join the largest and most complex Commercial function in government at a time of fundamental change, when the focus is on designing a new future state and making a real difference in creating and delivering value for the MOD, protecting the nation and helping the UK prosper.

The MOD spends over £20bn per year across c 6000 contracts.  The Supply Chain Directorate operates pan MOD and is responsible for the Defence Enterprise Supplier Management strategy, the MOD Strategic Partnering Programme, management of the Defence Suppliers Forum, Supply Chain architecture, analytics and resilience and Industry shaping and collaboration. 

This role sits within the Strategic Partnering Programme. We are a small but extremely high profile and high performing team which is multi-talented, fun and highly motivated to make a difference.   We work with senior leadership in MOD, across HMG and in some of the largest companies in the UK.  It is an opportunity to shape and deliver how MOD collaborates with and leverages its most strategic suppliers and plays a major part in the delivery of the Defence Command Paper 2023.

Job description

The Strategic Partnering Manager (SPM) delivers the transformational relationship between a Strategic Supplier and Government/the MOD. The SPM’s ultimate objective is to deliver extraordinary performance for both the Government/MOD and the Supplier. This leadership will be delivered through an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the Supplier’s business model, and through a precise, disciplined and continuous application of this knowledge to the Government/MOD’s needs.

The SPM will coordinate the provision of Government/MOD resources to deliver continuously improving services in all areas where the Department contracts with the Supplier.

Key Accountabilities

Working in tandem with the MOD Relationship Lead, the SPM is required to develop and then execute the Government and Ministry of Defence strategy and plan with the Strategic Supplier, notably delivering:

• The development of mutual value proposition in each key service area
• The relationship map, from executive to operational levels
• The performance standard setting and delivery monitoring
• Support for key contract negotiations where appropriate
• Strategic risk and opportunity identification management.

Success will lie in developing a truly strategic approach to the Strategic Supplier to transform the risk and value creation profile as follows:

• Strategic risk management: continuity of mission critical and/or sensitive services; continuity of service for ‘sensitive’ operations; compliance and ethics; financial robustness; capability.
• Strategic opportunity: quality of service; efficiency and cost savings, optimising tax payer value for money; end to end integrated supply chain between Government/MOD & Supplier(s); continuous improvement, innovation and best practice transfer.

Key Relationships

The SPM develops and coordinates extensive external and internal relationships.

• External- Supplier’s senior leadership; leaders in the supplier organisations selected on their importance to the overall relationship performance; Supplier departments that support the end to end delivery of the service to the MOD, leaders and officials in other government departments as appropriate.
• Internal Leadership– Ministry of Defence and Cabinet Office leadership; Top Level Budget owners and Commercial Directors; Key relationships may also be with the Crown Representative who acts as advisor and sounding board, and the MOD Relationship Lead.
• Internal Organisation- Leaders and key operators involved in the relationship; key service area experts. As such, the SPM provides support, guidance and direction to a great multiplicity of other full or part time roles across the MOD.

The Opportunity

In return, as well as the generous benefits package on offer, and the career development and management support you receive through being part of the GCO, you will have the opportunity to take so much more from this role.

You will take on accountability on a grand scale, being responsible for the delivery and performance of some of the largest suppliers to the UK Government. Your level of impact, targets and measures of achievement compare to those of a CEO, with you delivering through the supplier’s business.

You will get to work with some of the most senior politicians, civil servants and industry leaders. The relationships and professional credibility you develop during this time, both within government and outside in the supplier market, will last throughout your career.

You will get insight and build knowledge and expertise into the way the MOD and government works, with a new experience and learning around every corner.

Finally, you will have the chance to work on high profile programmes and relationships, with the ability to make an impact on a significant scale, bringing benefits to the taxpayer and supporting the core role of the MOD.

The Person

First and foremost, you will be a team player, used to focusing on collective outcomes rather than individual gains. You will have experience of leading strategic commercial relationships, performance and delivery at a senior level, in a complex and political stakeholder environment.  Given the dynamic nature of Defence, and senior roles more broadly, you will have exceptional resilience to deliver at pace under pressure.

Significant commercial and broader strategic experience will be at the heart of your professional portfolio with the skillset to bring that experience to bear and deliver the team’s demanding benefits targets.  A self-starter, you will require only light direction around principles and priorities to produce high quality engagement plans and product.  Mentally agile and professionally curious, you will be entirely comfortable with the level of ambiguity that often features in senior roles within dynamic environments. With these characteristics as your foundation, you will bring your experience, confidence and proactive focus on results to bear in a role requiring equal measures of hard delivery focus and softly nuanced political skill.  

You may only have a few years in a senior role but are senior nonetheless - a high achieving star performer, looking for the chance to consolidate your experience of strategic relationships and managing performance through commercial constructs with your next big move. You would find a platform in this role to take your credentials, network and impact to the next level.

You will need to be comfortable working at all levels within an organisation – from the strategic to the operational, and have the energy, motivation and drive to deliver outstanding results over the next few years as the transformation in performance you will drive begins to bear fruit.

You will thrive under the microscope, understanding the importance of performance measures and reporting – taking pride in your achievements and not shying away from the challenge.

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 development of mutual value (financial and more broadly) propositions in complex commercial relationships covering capital programmes and/or complex service delivery contracts
• Ownership, management and execution of the relationship map, from executive to operational levels for key, £multi-billion suppliers, as well as senior internal stakeholders
• The leveraging of the relationship with suppliers to deliver the wider MOD and HMG policy agenda
• Support for key contract negotiations: using an innovative and collaborative approach to getting at the mutual value in defence’s key commercial relationships
• Strategic risk management: continuity of mission critical and/or sensitive services; continuity of service for ‘sensitive’ operations; compliance and ethics; financial resilience; capability
• Strategic opportunity: quality of service; efficiency and cost savings, end to end integrated supply chain between Government/MOD & Supplier(s); continuous improvement, innovation, and best practice transfer - optimising tax-payer value for money

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.

For existing Civil Servants:  For full details of the impact on any move across the civil service on your existing terms and conditions, please read the candidate pack.  Please note that any move across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to continue to claim 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 3rd July 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 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.