Details
Reference number
431124
Salary
£70,900 - £82,000
c£75,400 - £82,000 London; c£70,900 – £77,100 Durham, Lytham, Glasgow
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP
Job grade
Grade 6
Band 3
Contract type
Permanent
Business area
NS&I - Business Delivery and Transformation
Type of role
Commercial
Working pattern
Full-time
Number of jobs available
1
Contents
* Location
* About the job
* Benefits
* Things you need to know
* Apply and further information
Location
Durham, North East England, DH1 1SL : Lytham St Anne's, North West England, FY8 4TS : Glasgow, Scotland, G2 8JX : Southwark, London (region), SE1 9HA
About the job
Job summary
The Head of Commercial role sits within the NS&I commercial team under the Chief Operating Officer's Business Delivery & Transformation Directorate. The commercial team are responsible for commercial strategy, commercial policy and standards, procurement delivery and expert contract & supplier management support across NS&I.
As one of two Heads of Commercial, reporting to the Assistant Director - Commercial, you will help grow and further establish a function committed to delivering the goods and services NS&I need, at best value to the taxpayer. In this role you will lead the delivery of commercial excellence through the planning, development and management of commercial strategies for NS&I as well as contributing to the development and implementation of business unit strategies.
As part of the commercial senior management team, you will play a key role in developing the professional expertise of the commercial function as well as wider organisational commercial capability. You will lead a team, building their confidence and commercial capability to deliver strategic initiatives, drive performance and manage setbacks. You will be expected to use your commercial expertise to manage your team across multiple activities relating to: mobilising contracts, managing the delivery and performance of the contracts, carrying out contract changes, managing risk within the contracts and managing contract transition and exit.
Working with colleagues across NS&I, you will contribute to the successful transition to the new multi-supplier model for outsourced service delivery operations, helping embed strong contract management practices and build supplier relationships that support our critical operational services.
Job description
Typically, the key responsibilities in this role will include (but are not limited to):
* Leading, developing and seeking to continually improve all aspects of NS&I's commercial function in line with best practice in procurement, contract management, and supplier management for government
* Providing performance and day-to-day management of a team to deliver on the category and commercial strategy, pipeline and procurement, and contract management activity across the commercial lifecycle.
* Working with contract managers and strategic suppliers across NS&I, to ensure that we are successful in getting best value from contracts and have robust and resilient contract management, continuity, and contingency arrangements.
* Managing, developing and maintaining commercial strategies and creating and implementing agreed sourcing plans. Ensure control of department spend and specifically critical contracts are continually analysed in order to develop and drive value adding initiatives
* Giving strategic advice and support to complex contracts at procurement, contract exit and contract reviews.
* Ensuring legal compliance and risk mitigation of contracts and procurements. Providing expert advice on relevant regulations and compliance issues, and ensure NS&I operates in compliance with UK procurement regulations and policies
* Designing, defining and delivering our approach to management of NS&I's strategic contracts and suppliers. Providing training, support, advice, a point of escalation and other on-the-shoulder support to operational contract managers.
* Shaping and leading commercial negotiations with both new and incumbent suppliers through to a pre-defined acceptable conclusion. Lead transition management, exit strategy and contract renegotiations for outsourced services, including driving value from the use of performance metrics and success criteria
* Overseeing contract management governance and reporting activities such as preparing for contract commencement, justifying and controlling contract changes. Overseeing the realisation of benefits achieved as a result of the performance management regime or change control
* Building strong relationships with senior stakeholders to include senior officials and ministers across various functions as required
* Ensuring business continuity e.g. security of supply extends during any transition period and throughout the entire contract life, including re-procurement and closedown
* Maintaining quality and concurrency of systems, reporting and management information to ensure visibility of the overall contract portfolio and commercial lifecycle
Person specification
Commercial Focus:
* Experience of the full commercial lifecycle from strategy and planning, procurement, contract management and supplier relationship management
Team Management:
* Experience of managing a team, understanding their commercial capability & development gaps and building confidence following setbacks
* Experience of building commercial capability across a range of stakeholders from Awareness to Expert levels
Strategy and Policy Development:
* Practical experience in implementing government and department commercial policies across a range of different commercial delivery models
* Expertise in the development and implementation of business unit strategies through contract and supply chain management with the ability to challenge risk averse behaviours where appropriate
* Experience in developing resource and implementation plans in line with policy objectives and the ability to expertly apply procurement rules
Risk and Assurance Management:
* Demonstrates the ability to take calculated risks in an area of responsibility in order to implement efficient and innovative solutions
* Demonstrates the ability to conduct analysis of options, risks and margins of error to provide assurance on decisions and manage subsequent trade-offs
Commercial Ethics:
* Ability to influence stakeholders to take active steps to eliminate corruption, fraud and unethical behaviour in supply chains, taking appropriate actions in the event of any alleged breach of standards
Qualifications
• A relevant commercial-related qualification that aligns to the profession. e.g. CIPS, Commercial ADC at ACS level or above or
•
Substantial experience of working within the commercial profession in the last three years.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Communicating and Influencing
* Changing and Improving
* Leadership
* Managing a Quality Service
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
* Demonstrates the ability to present technical issues to senior stakeholders in order to help them arrive at decisions by acting in an advisory capacity
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £70,900, National Savings and Investments contributes £20,539 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
NS&I is one of the largest savings organisations in the UK with more than 24 million customers and over £240 billion invested. We are both a government department and an Executive Agency of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Our origins can be traced back more than 150 years to 1861.
A small company with a big reach, we offer a range of benefits including flexible working, great opportunities for development and a generous pension scheme. We care for colleagues, respect one another, invest in our people and manage talent effectively.
Some benefits of working at NS&I include:
* Learning and development tailored to your role
* An environment with flexible hybrid working options
* 9 day fortnight scheme
* A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
* A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
* Generous annual leave – starting at 25 days, increasing to 30 days
* Performance related variable pay bonus
* Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
To apply, please click the link on this advert and follow the steps to complete the application form.
In your application you will be asked to provide the following
* An outline of your employment history and qualifications, detailing your key responsibilities and achievements.
* A 750-word personal statement on Essential Experience & Technical Knowledge.
We will assess applications on your Employment History and Personal Statement.
In the event we receive a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted first on your Employment History. Only those that meet the minimum acceptable score for this criteria will qualify for the full sift and be considered for interview.
If shortlisted, you will be invited to a one-hour panel interview, held at our London office. However, if we receive a high number of applications from a particular region, we may arrange an in-person interview day at one of our regional offices in Lytham, Glasgow, or Durham. Applicants should be prepared to travel to any of these locations if required.
As part of this interview you will be asked to make a 10 minute presentation aimed at demonstrating your Communicating & Influencing.
Interviews will take place on:
* Friday, 24th October
* Monday, 27th October
* Friday, 31st October
Following the first interview, it may be necessary to move to a 2nd stage of interviews, in order to establish a merit order, in the event that we have a strong field of candidates. If this is necessary, we will notify successful candidates from the 1st stage of interviews that a 2nd interview will be held. Once the 2nd interview dates have been determined, we will give a weeks' notice to candidates.
Note we are unable to accept CVs.
This role is subject to Baseline Personnel Security Standard and financial credit checks.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Please Note:
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Working for NS&I
NS&I is currently working in a hybrid way with colleagues expected to work at their chosen office location for 40% of their working month.
Any move to NS&I from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at
If you are applying for a role at the same NS&I band as you are currently and the advertised salary of the role is higher, if you are successful, any salary increase will be at the discretion of NS&I and will be reviewed as part of the next annual pay review, in accordance with the NS&I employee handbook.
Salary Information
For Existing Civil Servants: If you are transferring from another government department at the same grade, your current salary will be matched. If you are transferring on promotion, you will be offered the starting salary at the bottom of the pay scale. If you are transferring on promotion and your existing salary is within the advertised range, you will be offered a maximum of a 10% uplift on your existing salary (up to the advertised maximum).
For External Candidates: If you are not currently employed within the civil service, you will be offered the starting salary at the bottom of the advertised pay range.
Regular Travel only
This role will require regular travel to other sites, please be aware if you travel to a second location on average 4 days a month, you may be liable for P11D taxation. If you have any queries concerning this please contact the NS&I HR Team.
Further information
Please visit our website http://nsandi- for further details about NS&I.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
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)
* 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
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code 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 .
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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
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 :
* Email :
Recruitment team
* Email :
Further information
The law requires for selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis for fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service 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 in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission