Associate Commercial Lead - Cross Category
National Crime Agency
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 3rd November 2024
Details
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Salary
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Contract type
Returner
Business area
Type of role
Procurement and Contracts Management
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Contents
Location
About the job
Job summary
We have several roles across our Categories and are looking for people with proven commercial talent to join the National Crime Agency's Commercial Team. You will play a key role in shaping and influencing our multi-year Commercial Transformation Programme to enable us to become the leading commercial function in supporting the fight against serious and organised crime.
Would you like to learn more about the role?
If you would like to find out more about the role and the application process, we will be holding a virtual open evening via MS Teams on Tuesday 29th October 2024, 6.00-7.00pm. This event is by invitation only. If you would like to receive an invite please click through to the link below - you will be asked for your name and email address.
About the role invite request link
Please ensure you register your interest no later than 3.00pm on Monday 28th October 2024. You will not be able to complete this form after this date and time. Please see our Privacy Notice within the Important Information document attached to this advert for details on how your data is handled.
Job description
These are challenging roles at the heart of the NCA's commercial team with a direct impact on protecting the public from serious and organised crime. Applications are welcome from Category Specialists or Generalists.
These are busy, hands-on roles requiring you to manage multiple priorities and support the team in dealing with a variety of commercial challenges on a daily basis. You will be required to work with senior commercial colleagues to enable the effective management of all commercial activity through all stages of the procurement lifecycle. This could include advising customers on initial commercial strategy or routes to market, managing commercial cases through governance and assurance boards, or advising on contract management issues. You will also support customers with commercial planning, building a robust pipeline, and ensuring that commercial records are maintained.
***To be considered, you will need to successfully complete SC Enhanced clearance before commencing the role.***
Person specification
Main Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Provide commercial support to senior staff by leading or supporting on new procurements, contracts and supplier management activities.
- Support the implementation of a new, integrated Commercial culture within the business areas, building trust and confidence, and ensuring that the team meets current and future business needs, working in partnership with key stakeholders.
- Proactively lead the commercial assurance of requirements, managing stakeholders through all required governance, including compliance with the Cabinet Office Spend Controls and NCA Commercial Assurance Board.
- Work closely with internal stakeholders to effectively develop and maintain a Commercial pipeline, registers and records, supporting forward planning of sourcing/competitive tender exercises, recording and realising Commercial savings and informing future requirements.
- Support and/or lead on the management of large contracts across all relevant categories, and the commercial management of key suppliers.
- Use Atamis to effectively manage and track procurement and end-to-end category management activities.
- Build a Commercial network of shared expertise, engaging and collaborating with other government departments and statutory bodies, to achieve continuous improvements and collaborative commercial outcomes.
- Develop and implement new approaches to secure supplier and customer feedback, and help utilise that intelligence to improve performance and reduce risk.
- Lead and develop your team, and wider Commercial colleagues, around procurement best practice.
Desirable Criteria:
- CIPS/MCIPs or relevant commercial qualification/experience
In the event of a tie-break at interview, the panel will progress the candidate with the highest score in the leading technical criteria to determine merit order. If the leading technical criteria scores are still tied, the panel will then assess desirable criteria to determine merit order. If scores are still tied following the review of desirable criteria, then the panel will revert to sift scores to determine merit order.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Experience of management of complex/high value contracts and procurements.
- Evidence of influencing key stakeholders towards commercial solutions.
- Evidence of leading and securing value for money.
Benefits
All officers in the NCA are members of the UK Civil Service. You will be eligible for:
- Civil Service pension scheme
- 26 days annual leave rising to 31 on completion of 5 years continuous service
- If qualifying criteria is met new joiners to the NCA from UK Police Forces or UKIC will have service with those employers taken into account for continuous service purposes for Annual Leave entitlement only, this will be up to a maximum of 31 days leave (including 1 privilege day)
- Training and development opportunities
- Special leave
- Flexible working and family friendly policies
- Cycle to work scheme
- Blue Light scheme
For further details on benefits please visit https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/careers/benefits-and-support
Things you need to know
Selection process details
If you wish to apply for this vacancy, you must submit your application by 23:55 on Sunday 3rd November 2024.
Sift Process
You will be asked to complete a CV as part of the application process. Your CV should set out your career history including training and qualifications, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure that each entry of your career history also has a few sentences outlining a description and the key elements of that role, and that you provide reasons for any gaps within the last two years. Please ensure the dates of any accreditations you are relying on are entered onto the CV.
- CV – Evidence of delivering high value procurements and/or contracts
- 3x Technical / Experience skills via a 250 word Statement of Suitability per criteria, as outlined in the Person Specification.
For further application guidance please visit https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/careers/applying-and-onboarding
Once submitted your application will be acknowledged by the Government Recruitment Service.
Please note depending on the volume of applications a Longlist at sift may be conducted on following criteria:
- Experience of management of complex/high value contracts and procurements.
Candidates must pass this criteria for their application to be progressed.
A panel will then assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the Entry Criteria section.
Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.
Sift results are expected to be released w/c Monday 11th November 2024.
Interview Details
You will then be asked to attend an interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence.
There will only be one round of interviews - Candidates invited to interview will be asked to complete a technical task to cover the technical criteria listed within the advert on the same day as the interview. Candidates will be given one hour to review the task. They will then be asked to brief the interview panel on their response. This will then be followed by a competency/hypothetical-based interview to assess behaviours.
Interviews will take place throughout November 2024 - locations to be confirmed. Please be advised that the type of interview (eg. virtual/face-to-face) may be subject to change and successful candidates will be notified of this prior to attending. However the interview is conducted, the interview criteria will remain as detailed within this advert.
The above sift and interview dates are an indicative timeline.
Should you be successful at sift but cannot attend on the interview date(s) listed the recruitment team cannot guarantee an alternative date. Please contact the recruitment team.
Full details of the assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.
Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Any instances of plagiarism including copying of examples/answers from internet sources will result in a withdrawal of your application. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving internal candidates. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.
Interview Outcome
Candidates will be alerted of the outcome of their interview via their CS Jobs Portal. We will be retaining a candidate pool of successful applicants to draw from as vacancies arise for up to 12 months.
If your application is successful and we are unable to offer you a post immediately, you will be invited to join our reserve list. If over the next 12 months we are able to offer you a position, we will contact you as soon as possible.
Once we make you an offer you will then go through our vetting and pre-employment checks processes.
All Appointments will be made in location merit order.
Internal Applicants
Successful applicants currently employed by NCA for this post may request to remain in their current contractual location. This should be discussed and agreed prior to proceeding with pre-employment checks. Please note this is dependant on business needs, please commence discussions with the hiring manager at the earliest opportunity.
Multi-Location
Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be appointed in merit order for each location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.
Please be aware that you can be posted to any location that you put in your preferences. If you would only like to be posted to one location, please confirm one location only. If you are posted to a location that you have requested and you do not accept that location, you may not be offered another role.
Please note, only advertised location can be offered. Notes populated in a free text box will not be taken into consideration.
Near Miss
If you are not found appointable at the advertised grade you may be offered the lower grade role if you are considered to meet the skills, experience and behaviours for the lower level. The benchmark for appointing to the lower grade is set at the start of each campaign. All offers will be made in merit.
If you are found appointable at the higher grade but there are no positions available you may be offered an appointment at the lower grade.
Hybrid Working
Here at the NCA we have a hybrid working arrangement in place enabling officers to work a proportion of their role remotely. Eligibility and the degree of home working will vary depending on the requirements of the role. Further details can be discussed at offer stage.
Reasonable Adjustment
We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. As part of our application process you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustment to our recruitment process that you may need. If you have a disability or long-term condition (a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long term effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Inclusion and Accessibility
We are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we are committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process. For details of the available group please visit https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/careers/benefits-and-support
In order to monitor the effectiveness of the National Crime Agency’s Diversity & Inclusion strategy, the NCA require certain personal details about you on submission of your application. Please note that this will be treated in confidence and will not impact your application. You will be asked to complete an E-consent survey asking for permission to share this data with the NCA to be used for statistical/monitoring purposes only, refusal of consent to share the information will not impact your application.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Additional Information
- The NCA is a 24/7 organisation, and working patterns must support business requirements. Some roles may require you to respond at short notice or outside of core hours.
- Individuals will be required to undertake and pass a substance misuse test as part of pre-employment checks.
- Successful candidates may be required to undertake a medical. If required, the medical will take place in either London or Warrington. Unfortunately, travel costs will not be reimbursed.
- If you are an internal candidate who has passed interview but is undergoing an internal investigation or have a written warning in place preventing a post move you may not be able to be posted until this investigation is concluded or restriction lifted. You will remain on the reserve list for a max of 12 months
VETTING REQUIREMENTS SC
All security clearances require you to provide evidence of your UK footprint where you have been physically present in the UK.
The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years.
Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.
If you require SC clearance you will need to provide evidence of the below requirements.
Checks will be made against:
- Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
- UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
- Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
- Security Services records
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
We encourage all candidates to visit the NCA careers page for further information please visit https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/careers
If you have any specific queries about the role that are not covered above please contact: ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Medical
Nationality requirements
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 : NCA Recruitment Team - GRS
- Email : ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-complaints/
