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About the job
Job summary
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 FCDO commercial team delivering departmental objectives.
Job description
The successful candidate will work within the Programme Delivery team, with a focus on efforts to remove supplier barriers to entry; continue the development of the FCDO development and humanitarian supply market to ensure it is fit for the future; creating participation opportunities for all suppliers (including UK, local in-country, SMEs, Civil Society); and, create an environment for quality competition that delivers value for money and impactful development programmes.
You will play a critical role in ensuring our commercial model delivers excellent value, efficiency and development impact for FCDO, the UK Taxpayer and our Beneficiaries. The role-holder will be responsible for supporting the Head of Commercial Management Office deliver the procurement pipeline, responding to market changes / conditions and deliver a first-class service to our stakeholders. The role requires significant engagement with key stakeholders from across FCDO and wider His Majesties Government.
The Commercial Lead - Market Creation will report directly to the Head of Commercial Management Office, which is a cross functional team supporting the delivery of development and humanitarian programmes for FCDO through contracts.
Person specification
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Operate as a commercial expert advisor to the department in the development of optimal strategies for programme investment decisions and sourcing strategies for procured contracts. This will include providing advice on other routes to market to stakeholder teams & business units
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Bring understanding of market and commercial drivers to support policy development and programme design teams to build and shape markets, and drive delivery partner innovation
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Lead the development and delivery of the Market Creation Strategy for the FCDO Programme Delivery team, creating efficiencies and streamlining processes across the department
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Be a champion for Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs), leading the development and delivery of outcomes detailed within the SME Action Plan
- Support and maintain the development of category strategies and contractual routes across all relevant funding modalities; and key suppliers/delivery partners in that thematic category to deliver improved results and impact
- Provision of expert guidance & advice on market engagement activity and identify cross-departmental synergies in how we engage with the market
Ensure appropriate prioritisation and allocation of commercial resource to support the achievement of the Directorate’s commercial objectives and priorities
Coordinate delivery of commercial pipeline for internal analysis and external publication
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Challenge strategies and business cases, where appropriate, to improve outcomes
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Ensure timely and accurate reporting against key measures and targets for inclusion in a wide range of dashboards and wider Programme Delivery Commercial Team MI requirements
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Engaging with and develop relationships with a variety of stakeholders to develop a clear and agreed view of business requirements and target outcomes
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Provide guidance and advice on the commercial end-to-end lifecycle/ process consistent with internal and His Majesties Government governance/procurement policies
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Demonstrate leadership, influencing and driving transformational change and commercial thought leadership
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Support the Head of Commercial Management Office by monitoring and tracking the divisional level commercial performance and customer satisfaction measures
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Deputise for the Head of Commercial Management Office at key meetings, as required
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Support the development of others within team and across the commercial directorate by sharing technical knowledge & coaching
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Help to make our commercial team a better and inclusive place to work as a priority, participating positively in ‘people’ initiatives and demonstrating leadership behaviours including supporting action plans on Staff Surveys
- Supporting the development of an open and inclusive culture for the FCDO commercial function, role-modelling collaborative and inclusive behaviours
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Manages Complexity - Proven experience overseeing complex commercial processes that involve multiple stakeholders
- Market Insight - Proven experience of influencing commercial and procurement activities via structured market engagement and use of robust management information
- Commercial Focus - Proven experience providing specialist advice on significant framework or strategic contracts
- Coaching Manager - Proven experience leading teams with evidence of a continual focus on professional development within the team
- Understanding Sourcing Needs - Experience in challenging sourcing strategies and business cases where appropriate to improve outcomes
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 19th May and will require a full day's attendance. Please contact [email protected] in advance if you are unable to attend this date.
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: [email protected]
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
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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