Assurance Team Lead - Professional Services
Government Commercial Function
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 10th November 2024
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About the job
Job summary
Thank you for your interest in the roles we are offering.
I joined the Home Office in 2016 to lead the delivery of the Collaborative Law Enforcement Programme. With the team we were able to deliver £320m of cashable savings and transform the way policing delivers commercial activity. Prior to this I was Commercial Director at the Metropolitan Police Service, where we transformed the department into a key strategic function through drive, commercial insight, and ambition. Ensuring operational policing had the tools available to support the stakeholder community everyone served, whilst at the same time, achieving best value for the public purse through innovative techniques.
The Home Office works to keep our citizens safe and our country secure. As well as working to reduce crime, enforce the law and protect our borders, it also works to protect the most vulnerable and is at the cutting edge of public policy making - our work is among the most challenging and rewarding in Government. Our commercial teams have been at the forefront of the Department’s responses to the COVID 19 pandemic, the protection of our borders and society.
The Home Office spends approximately £3bn yearly with third party suppliers and this is managed by Commercial Directorate, a team of around 300 procurement and contract management professionals. The range of goods and services acquired is huge and includes services to complex programmes that are unique in Europe with multi-million-pound contracts.
At the Home Office, you will have the chance to make a real and tangible positive impact to the country’s future structure, impacting lives across the UK and work on a broad range of Missions from Borders and Migration, Public Safety and our Homeland security, the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme, Digital Data & Technology.
What we do matters and the opportunity to turn policy into reality is at the forefront of the commercial work we do and seeing the difference it makes to our country is hugely rewarding.
We are part way through a programme of change to introduce a category strategy approach to our work and we are seeking enthusiastic individuals at all levels who can help support the delivery of Commercial’s objectives. This role description is Commercial Lead level. Commercial Leads are leaders and managers who will help us to build Commercial’s reputation as a strategic partner, improving business outcomes and delivering value for money through the contracts we source.
Job description
This role is within the Professional Services team which supports the whole of the Home Office to secure external resources and services such as Contingent Labour and the Consultancy services which partner with our teams to deliver key activities and programmes. Professional Service is a fast paced and high-profile category of spend which comes under regular scrutiny from senior officials, Ministers and external bodies.
We are seeking a hard-working individual to work at Commercial Lead level to establish an assurance framework and build a team to drive value from Consultancy and Managed Service contract. Working alongside the wider Professional Services team, this role will be key to the government commitment to reduce spend on Consultancy by 50% and to implementing a new system and processes to enhance the value delivered from Home Office external resources.
This is an exciting time to join the Professional Service team, which is undergoing a significant change programme, including the introduction of new automated ways of working and a move to a category management approach.
This role would be of interest to a commercially experienced individual who has experience of delivering Professional Service arrangements.
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
- Establish processes and policy to put in place a post-award assurance function for the Professional Services team which aligns to wider team activities.
- Implement a new system to capture the end to end commercial lifecycle of managed service and consultancy requirements. Lead on communications and guidance to support launch and embed the new system.
- On an ongoing basis, update the guidance and approach to ensure commercial teams are engaged and are operating to standards.
- Lead the team of 2 x SEOs and 1 x HEO who are all new to role. Set the direction for their engagement with business contract monitors and suppliers, managing any escalations as required.
- Manage any risks identified by the team and highlight any emerging issues and trends contributing to reports or requests for information as required.
- Seek and share opportunities to continually improvement ways of working within the assurance sub-team and wider Professional Services Team.
- Identify savings and value for money opportunities throughout the assurance process.
- Comply with all Departmental controls relating to commercial practice and otherwise, including strict adherence to their delegated authorities, governance, legislation, and policy as appropriate
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Assertive – Able to articulate commercial motivations and expected behaviours of stakeholders, suppliers and networks even when presented with challenge
- Commercial Focus – Able to influence decisions and lead discussions with suppliers, engaging on technical issues and T&C's. Be trusted for commercial advice and able to put technical considerations in plain language
- Resilient – Able to work in a demanding environment, covering a wide portfolio and able to deliver successful outcomes at pace and within a changing environment, demonstrating resilience in resolving issues
- Builds Relationships – Involves the right stakeholders in making recommendations or decisions. Build confidence in the team, striving to develop and improve. Understanding, the team’s strengths, skill gaps and individual aspirations
- Contract and Supply Management - Evaluate the performance of suppliers against specification. Challenge non-delivery of benefits and escalate when required. Actively manage strategic relationships to deliver mutual benefit
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
Please be advised that the Virtual ADC is taking place on the 27th of November 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.
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Working for the Civil Service
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).
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Hayley Parfitt
- Email : commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
