Government Chief Commercial Officer

Government Commercial Function

Apply before 11:55 pm on Tuesday 15th October 2024

 
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Details

Reference number

370417

Salary

£250,000
GCO Pension, GCO Terms. Up to 20% performance-related-pay.

Job grade

SCS Pay Band 3
Senior Commercial Specialist

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

GCF - Cabinet Office

Type of role

Commercial
Senior leadership

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

Glasgow, London, York

Job summary

Based within the Cabinet Office, the Government Chief Commercial Officer (GCCO) leads the Commercial Function across the entire Civil Service, partnering and advising at the most senior levels. Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer of the Civil Service, the role is accountable for evolving and implementing the commercial strategy for the Civil Service, positioning the commercial function as a key delivery partner in all commercial relationships and helping departments realise efficiency savings.

The GCCO is responsible for implementing professional standards for circa 6,000 Commercial professionals, as well as leading and building strong commercial expertise across all Government Departments. Commercial resources overseen by the Function consist of;

  • a number of core interlocking central teams working together on Policy, Standards and Continuous Improvement, Complex Transactions, Markets and Suppliers (that will build pan-government relationships with key suppliers) and Commercial Capability;
  • colleagues in the Commercial Directorates within Departments and Agencies, and;
  • the Crown Commercial Service, a trading fund sourcing common goods and services for the Civil Service and the wider public sector, managing spend of circa £30bn in 2022/23.

This role will also have oversight and direct management of the Government Grants Function (GGMF). Grants are a vital funding tool for government, key to the delivery of government priorities including Net Zero, Levelling Up as well as stimulating innovation and rebuilding the economy.  The Government Grants Function (GGMF) is focused on unlocking the greatest value from grant funds for citizens and the economy improving capability and driving delivery excellence to secure better outcomes. 

The GGMF supports government departments and their Arms Lengths Bodies to achieve increased efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of government grants, from the design of a grant scheme to evaluation of outcomes. Government grant spend in 2022/23 totalled £156bn. As Director General across both grants and commercial you will actively drive the close partnership between the GGMF and GCF to achieve greater effectiveness in the design and delivery of commercial contracts and grant schemes.

Job description

Please see the Candidate Information Pack further information.

Person specification

Please see the Candidate Information Pack further information.
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.

Selection process details

The recruitment process is being undertaken by Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA) on behalf of the Cabinet Office. Please submit the following, by email, to responses@russellreynolds.com. Please quote the role title and assignment code 2404-063L in the subject heading of the email. All applications will be acknowledged. The closing date for applications is no later than 23:55 on the 15th October. 

  • Your CV, with educational and professional qualifications and full employment history, including an explanation of any gaps in your employment history, and details where possible of budgets and numbers of people;
  • A short covering statement of no more than two A4 sized pages (1000 words) explaining why this appointment interests you and how you can evidence your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the ‘what experience will you need’’ section on page 8;
  • A completed diversity monitoring form;
  • A declaration of interest form.

Please note that references and open-source due diligence checks (including into social media accounts) may be undertaken for all short-listed candidates. This vacancy is part of the A Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. For further information on whether you are eligible to apply under this scheme please follow the link.

Cabinet Office is an accredited ‘Disability Confident Employer’ under the government's Disability Confident Scheme, which denotes organisations that have a positive commitment towards disabled people. We guarantee to interview anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the role, as outlined on page x of this pack. If you wish to claim a guaranteed interview you should declare so at the point you submit your application.



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 developed vetting (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.

Diversity and Inclusion

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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

  • Name : Russell Reynolds
  • Email : responses@russellreynolds.com

Recruitment team

  • Email : responses@russellreynolds.com

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact sarah.vale@cabinetoffice.gov.uk in the first instance.

Attachments

Candidate Information Pack - Government Chief Commercial Officer.pptx (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 2431kB)

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