Building a strong Commercial Function in Government, and with it the right commercial capability, is at the heart of a far-reaching programme of Civil Service reform.

We are building a cadre of commercial talent in all Government departments; people who can manage our commercial portfolios, who can lead our most complex and novel programmes and projects, people who have the gravitas and depth of experience to work alongside our policy and operational leaders to develop innovative commercial arrangements, whether through joint ventures, outsourcing or best-in-class contracts.

The Government Commercial Organisation is an employer which is truly committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and are able to perform to their potential. We understand the importance of diversity and inclusion and strive for a workplace that reflects the communities which we serve. We especially welcome applications from underrepresented groups including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, candidates with a disability and candidates with gender-diverse identities. Appointments will be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.

We have already made significant progress through the establishment of the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO), our single employer of senior commercial talent across government. This role will sit within the GCO, but based in our UK Health Security Agency commercial team delivering departmental objectives.

This role sits in the complex programmes team within UKHSA’s Commercial Directorate. The complex programmes team leads on UKHSA’s major programmes, with a specific focus on its capital construction programmes and estates and infrastructure requirements. We’re a small, agile team managing a wide range of complex contracts and work closely with programme teams to deliver complex commercial solutions.

This specific role will cover the contract management leadership of a wide range of construction, estates and infrastructure contracts that are essential to the running of the estate. This will be a fast-paced role, working across multiple sites and dealing with a range of stakeholders and suppliers.

The main duties of the role will include:

• Leading on the contract management of a large portfolio of contracts in estates and capital programmes.
• Drafting, evaluating, negotiating and executing contract variations and issuing contract instructions (working closely with project managers).
• Establishing and maintaining supplier relationships by serving as a single point of contact for contractual matters.
• Managing record keeping for all contract related correspondence and documentation.
• Providing both internal and external contract related issue resolution.
• Monitoring and completing contract close-out, extension or renewal, as appropriate.
• Communicating contract related information to all stakeholders.
• Identifying and following through on contract management improvements, to ensure value for money, efficiency and effectiveness.
• Delivering robust relationship management, maximising your own and your team’s engagement with / influence over customers and suppliers alike.
• Delivering the end-to-end contract management and supplier management engagement.
• Developing business cases, approval reports and presenting to various senior approval boards.
• Delivery of cashable savings and other financial/non-financial benefits.

The Commercial Lead will have a range of responsibilities including but not limited to:

Contract Management:

• Deliver and embed UKHSA contract management processes and procedures, in line with the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO) standards across the programme portfolio of contracts.
• Manage aspects of contract negotiations and renewals.
• Work with project managers to manage instructions under the contracts to ensure compliance with internal governance and approvals.
• Support the development and management of commercial contracts, ensuring they are up to date and compliant.
• Deliver and embed robust supplier relationship management processes and procedures, in line with GCO standards.

Process, Policy and Risk Management:

• Support, implement and maintain adherence to the department and programme’s risk management framework.
• Oversee risk register to establish risk owners across all levels of the programme and ensure relevant controls are in place.
• Lead on continuous improvement activity, supporting the design and implementation of new policies and procedures.
• Ensure that effective financial management arrangements are in place for all contracts.

Leadership:

• Manage stakeholders and communicate with impact, using different communication styles depending upon the needs of the audience.
• Build collaborative relationships and be seen as a trusted commercial expert. Able to communicate technical considerations in easily understandable language.
• Build confidence in teams, encouraging them to develop and improve.
• Work with stakeholders and communicate standards to eliminate corruption, fraud and unethical behaviour in supply chains, taking appropriate actions in the event of any alleged breach of standards.
• Work with senior project managers in the programmes delivery space to support delivery of requirements, as required by the design teams.

Commercial governance and approvals:

• Support the management of the investment approval processes for UKHSA.
• Lead on content for business cases and further full business case content.

Essential Criteria:

• Proven track record of managing large commercial contracts, ideally in estates and/or construction.
• Experience of the application and use of construction form of contracts, i.e. NEC/JCT.
• Experience of operating in a politically sensitive environment or organisation.
• Ability to analyse complex problems and support and facilitate the development of partnerships that can develop and deliver shared solutions.

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Risk Mindset: Evidence of mitigating and managing risk in high value procurements and the ability to offer expert commercial advice in risk management, being aware of the latest risk management processes and initiatives.
• Manages Complexity: Experience of managing large contracts, specifically construction/estates contracts, to ensure value for money is achieved.
• Commercial Focus: Proven track record of achieving results (both financial and other) through management of contracts.
• Builds Relationships: Ability to build effective relationships with a diverse range of senior stakeholders. communicate effectively at all levels with stakeholders, including other government departments.
• Coaching Manager: Experience of coaching a commercial team and individuals.
• Contract and Supply Management: Experience in managing the supply chain, demonstrating highly effective influencing and negotiation skills.

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.

Job contact :

Name :
Hayley Parfitt
Email :
commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team :

Email :
commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk