Category Manager (G7) – Commercial Lead
Government Commercial Function
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 6th October 2024
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About the job
Job summary
This leadership role is an opportunity to build and shape DfE commercial strategy with the objective of delivering first class commercial outcomes.
This is a challenging and exciting role. You will be delivering category plans and sourcing strategies that deliver on the DfE vision of providing world-class education, encouraging teamwork and building effective relationships to deliver great commercial outcomes with real accountability.
You will oversee and deliver procurement activity within your category, ensuring commercial activity is compliant with governance and commercial assurance requirements, policy and processes, often having personal involvement with key strategic suppliers and ensuring strategies are in place to manage these key stakeholder relationships.
You will have a commitment to high standards, demonstrate excellent influencing and relationship management skills, and contribute clear, incisive thinking on a range of areas relating to the department’s most important priorities.
The Department for Education
The Department for Education is responsible for education and children’s services in England. We work to achieve a highly educated society in which opportunity is equal for children and young people, no matter what their background or family circumstances.
Our responsibilities:
- teaching and learning for children in the early years and in primary schools
- teaching and learning for young people under the age of 19 years in secondary schools and in further education
- supporting professionals who work with children and young people
- helping disadvantaged children and young people to achieve more
- making sure that local services protect and support children.
Approximately £23.5bn of the Department’s annual expenditure is managed through commercial arrangements (grants and contracted third party spend – including capital spend and schools funding). We deal with a wide and diverse range of external suppliers and grant recipients across the private/public sectors and Voluntary & Charitable Sector (VCS).
Job description
The role sits within the DfE Commercial Delivery, Operations and Infrastructure Category. This role will be involved in the development and procurement of key construction framework used by the department’s major building programmes, local authorities and education institutions for the delivery of education buildings. You will gain a deep understanding of departmental and government priorities and ensure that frameworks are developed and procured to deliver best commercial outcomes from c.£1.5bn construction spend annually, underpin the delivery of current and future DfE Capital programmes and objectives, and support industry transformation.
You will help drive delivery of key department and government priorities for the education estate, aligned to the Construction Playbook and other policy requirements such as modern methods of construction, whole life cost and carbon, social value, Key accountabilities:
modern slavery and early supplier involvement. You will use data and judgement to drive decision making and performance.
You will have deep construction commercial expertise in complex, large-scale and high value environments, excellent awareness of the market and commercial processes and a CIPS, RICS or other relevant professional qualification or alternative experience is beneficial.
This is a challenging and exciting role with a high degree of accountability. You will be helping to drive functional development, encouraging teamwork and building effective relationships to deliver great commercial outcomes with real accountability.
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
- Supporting the effective development and procurement of the construction frameworks, working with suppliers and Education Estates to ensure that the framework delivers best commercial outcomes, underpin the delivery of current and future DfE capital programmes and objectives and support delivery of key policies
- Once procured, you will ensure that the frameworks are launched successfully and transition into operation working closely with framework management teams and suppliers to ensure effective operation throughout the lifecycle of the framework
- Deliver procurements that conform to Departmental procurement procedures, and which comply fully with UK procurement law, Departmental commercial policy, and assurance processes
- Responsible for competitions delivered, ensuring accurate, comprehensive and transparent analysis, with recommendations to senior decision makers based on whole life costs that maintain full business ownership of the commercial outcomes
- Contribute to the creation and delivery of market-leading category strategy which manages and develops construction sector markets to meet current and future Departmental needs
- Deliver and own Departmental sub-category and category plans and develop market category expertise within portfolio
- Act as a source of expert market knowledge, insight and advice to EE teams in category area. Work with them to understand requirements and develop commercial strategies aligned to policy objectives, suppliers and supply markets
- Ensure the team is creating positive supplier relationships, encouraging innovation, “value add” initiatives, a strong customer service ethic, and a culture of continuous improvement
- May be responsible for line management / task management of staff and maintain a key role in coaching and developing staff
- Develop and deliver procurement savings plans for specific categories in collaboration with the customer
- Effectively influence customers across the network to deliver value for money, achieving savings targets and sustainable outcomes in the procurement of works, goods and services
- Provide expert advice on commercial risk management and deliver mitigation plans / strategies to manage identified risks at corporate level
- Develop the commercial capability of customers and team members.
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Risk Mindset - A proven track record of successfully building capability within a commercial function and/or knowledge of commercial solutions can help the Department or end users address their key challenges
- Manages Complexity – Experience of analysing complex information to make informed strategic category plans.
- Commercial Focus – A proven track record of successfully building capability within a commercial function
- Builds Relationships – Evidence of influencing key senior stakeholders and suppliers towards commercial solutions in a complex commercial environment.
- Procurement Process - Significant procurement and commercial experience ideally delivering contracts with some knowledge of grants.
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 23rd October 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 on 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. Please note: Only candidates that achieve an A grade at ADC will be invited to interview for this role.
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Ashlene Doherty
- Email : commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
