Join the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and have a future that matters: Be proud; Be challenged; Be unique.
Andover SP11 8HJ, Glasgow G2 8EX, Wyton PE28 2EA and Whittington WS14 9TJ.
Where business needs allow, this role may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working, therefore you must consider if any of the above locations are within a reasonable travelling distance. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business (i.e., detached duty) or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.
Job Summary
Do you want to work for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and care for the Defence Estate? DIO enables Defence to live, work, train and deploy, all with sustainability in mind. From net carbon zero accommodations to runways for the F35 fighter jets; our outputs are unique in the UK and across the globe!
Learn much more about DIO in our Candidate Information Guide attached.
Join the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and have a future that matters: Be proud; Be challenged; Be unique.
To enable this DIO recognises that a diverse workforce is at the heart of different insights, ideas and innovation. A workforce diverse in background and life experience produces trusted public services and better decisions. We want our people to be curious and continuously strive for improvement, collaborative in an inclusive culture, ambitious and resilient and committed to Defence, empowered and able to challenge so you can play a key part in shaping the direction of our organisation.
To enable this DIO commits to offering its employees:
* The ability to obtain industry recognised qualifications supported by DIO
* Free membership for professional qualifications including CIPS
* Professional and Personal Development of skills
* Access to thousands of training courses through Civil Service Learning, some free or paid by DIO
* Opportunity to join 6 networks covering Disability, Faith and Belief, Gender Equality, LGBTQI+, Race, Social Mobility and 3 networks dealing with employee wellbeing and support: Speak Safe Volunteers, Mental Health First Aiders and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisers
* Opportunity to drive and embed sustainable practices and solutions through delivering and managing sustainable procurement for Defence estates
About DIO
View our YouTube video to see more about our work
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week
Job Description
About the USVF Team
Within the Commercial team this role supports the United States Visiting Forces (USVF) which are permanently located at MOD sites across the UK. The team is divided into 4 work-streams by location and Commercial Activity.
The teams which these roles sit within deliver major construction and facilities management projects at bases around the UK covering both Procurement and Contract Management activities, ensuring the development and continuity of the United States Air Force’s (USAF) critical strategic mission in Europe. Each team is headed up by a Grade 7 with considerable Procurement experience to whom you would report.
The team are based around the UK with small hubs around Wyton (Cambridge), Whittington (Lichfield), Andover and Glasgow and have all adopted a hybrid approach to working, with some travel to sites throughout England required.
Why join the USVF Commercial team
USVF Commercial is a dynamic and talented, friendly team working at the heart of some of the most exciting and interesting infrastructure projects in the UK, in support of the United States Air Force mission in Europe. You will be working closely with both US military & civilian personnel and UK colleagues to deliver operational capability across the USVF sites within the UK, on a wide variety of infrastructure projects, many of considerable strategic importance. The scale and scope of these will ensure you develop your career in a demanding and varied environment which will further hone your procurement and contract management skills, build your market knowledge, and allow you to make a contribution to maintaining national security.
The size and nature of DIO ensures that for the right candidate, onward career prospects are excellent.
About The USVF Team
Within the Commercial team this role supports the United States Visiting Forces (USVF) which are permanently located at MOD sites across the UK. The team is divided into 4 work-streams by location and Commercial Activity.
The teams which these roles sit within deliver major construction and facilities management projects at bases around the UK covering both Procurement and Contract Management activities, ensuring the development and continuity of the United States Air Force’s (USAF) critical strategic mission in Europe. Each team is headed up by a Grade 7 with considerable Procurement experience to whom you would report.
The team are based around the UK with small hubs around Wyton (Cambridge), Whittington (Lichfield), Andover and Glasgow and have all adopted a hybrid approach to working, with some travel to sites throughout England required.
Why join the USVF Commercial team
USVF Commercial is a dynamic and talented, friendly team working at the heart of some of the most exciting and interesting infrastructure projects in the UK, in support of the United States Air Force mission in Europe. You will be working closely with both US military & civilian personnel and UK colleagues to deliver operational capability across the USVF sites within the UK, on a wide variety of infrastructure projects, many of considerable strategic importance. The scale and scope of these will ensure you develop your career in a demanding and varied environment which will further hone your procurement and contract management skills, build your market knowledge, and allow you to make a contribution to maintaining national security.
The size and nature of DIO ensures that for the right candidate, onward career prospects are excellent.
Person specification
As a Commercial Practitioner for the United States Visiting Forces (USVF)
You will work with Project Managers, the US customer and a wide range of stakeholders to provide commercial advice and assurance to the many infrastructure projects within the portfolio.
A typical day could involve working with your team and project managers to develop a forthcoming requirement for a new military installation. Supporting the implementation of a new contract through developing terms and conditions with contractors and delivery teams, or working alongside your SEO drafting criteria for evaluating a future procurement, preparing all the information required to issue a new invitation to tender or contract on a project of significant value. Monitoring the funding levels on your allocated projects as they progress or attending a meeting with team members and the US customer at one of the base sites.
You will have the opportunity to further develop your skills and knowledge in researching supplier markets, commercial strategies, procurement practice and regulations and contract management. The scale and scope of USVF projects mean you will have the opportunity to liaise with many other teams, including legal, finance, risk management, cyber security, technical service providers who support our projects, and of course, the contractors with whom we are working.
Although some of the workload is programmed, the nature of the work we do in USVF means that the successful candidate can expect to work in a dynamic and rapidly changing environment.
Responsibilities
* Building the strategic relationship with suppliers and senior internal and external stakeholders while building collaboration within and across organisational boundaries
* Developing and delivering end to end competitive and single source procurement activities, in support of your Senior Executive Officer
* Contributing to developing and interpreting Contract terms & conditions
* Engagement and development of effective relationships with key stakeholders
* Contract management and administration of a range of contracts, including developing and managing contract variations and change control and other contract mechanisms
* Ensuring compliance with legal, governance and policy requirements as appropriate
Essential Criteria
* You must become a qualified Commercial Officer to Practitioner Level within 18 months of joining the organisation. This means you will have to study to achieve CIPS Level 4 and complete the training
* Excellent communication, written, verbal, and stakeholder management skills
* Ability to manage multiple simultaneous projects requiring frequent communication, organisation, time management, and problem-solving skills
* Sourcing experience ideally with a background in projects for constructionor facilities management
* Contract management experience
* Passionate self-starter with the highest integrity and ethics
* Experience in building effective collaborative relationships
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Communicating and Influencing
* Working Together
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
* Commercial Skills and Competency Framework - Practitioner Level - Section 2 - Sourcing - 3. Executing the Sourcing Strategy - Supplier negotiation and dialogue
* Commercial Skills and Competency Framework - Practitioner Level - Section 3 - Contract Management - 2. Transition to Contract Management - Preparing for Contract Management
* Commercial Skills and Competency Framework - Practitioner Level - Section 3 - Contract Management - 3. Contract Performance Management - Measuring and Monitoring Contract Performance
Alongside your salary of £36,530, Ministry of Defence contributes £10,582 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
* Highly competitive Pension Scheme with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
* Alternative working practices such as working from home
* Opportunity to join one of our several D&I Networks. We value diversity and are committed to being an equal opportunities employer
* 25 days annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service
* Enhanced Parental Leave
* Most sites have free car parking, Sports & Social Clubs, Gym, on site shops and subsidised canteens
To learn more about our full range of benefits, view our Candidate Information Guide attached.
Allowances
Commercial Market Skills Allowance £1500 (MSA) if eligible and certain conditions met.
Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.
Employment Hours
The post advertised is for 37 hours net, however the Ministry of Defence offers a range of flexibilities to enable a better work-life balance for employees. Flexible working, Part-time working and Job Share working patterns will be considered.
The post does not offer relocation expenses.
External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.
Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.
Any move to MOD 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 https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.
MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
Please ensure that at the application and interview stages of the campaign you review the Success Profiles Framework and Commercial Skills and Competency Framework to assist you in the demonstration of your skills and experience.
Your suitability for the role will be assessed using the Success Profile and the Commercial Skills and Competency Framework elements that have been chosen for this campaign. Each element will be scored accordingly, and the successful candidate will be appointed on merit.
Please provide your evidence using the STAR Technique using the attached information on how to apply.
Situation: Describe the situation you found yourself in. You must describe a specific event or situation. Be sure to give enough detail for the job holder to understand. Where are you? Who was there with you? What had happened?
Task: The recruitment panel will want to understand what you tried to achieve from the situation you found yourself in. What was the task that you had to complete and why? What did you have to achieve?
Action: What did you do? The recruitment panel will be looking for information of what you did, how you did it and why. Keep the focus on you. What specific steps did you take and what was your contribution? Remember to include how you did it, and the behaviours you used. Try to use “I” rather than “we” to explain your actions that lead to the result. Be careful not to take credit for something that you did not do.
Result: Don’t be shy about taking credit for your behaviour. Quote specific facts and figures easily understandable. What results did the actions produce? What did you achieve through your actions, and did you meet your goals? Was it a successful outcome? If not, what did you learn from the experience? Keep the situation and task parts brief.
Concentrate on the action and the result. If the result was not entirely successful describe what you learned from this and what you would do differently next time. Make sure you focus on your strengths. When providing your evidence please ensure that you avoid acronyms and company specific jargon.
At Application you will be assessed against the following:
Experience:
* CV - detailing Job History, Previous Skills and Experience
* Personal Statement - As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a Personal Statement of 750 words, the purpose for this, is for you to showcase your relevant skills and experience against the role responsibilities. The statement is your opportunity to give examples of how you fit the requirements of the role.
When writing a personal statement, it is important that you:
* Read the job advert so you are clear about the job requirements
* Outline the skills and experience that you have that are relevant to the job and use examples to help demonstrate this
* Keep to the word limit, if your statement is too brief it will not provide the required depth of detail and evidence to be assessed fully
We require you to provide evidence and a demonstration of specific skills, knowledge or transferable experience. This will allow you to provide evidence to show a more rounded picture of your suitability for the role.
At interview you will be assessed against the following:
Behaviours:
* Communicating and Influencing
* Working Together
Technical: Commercial Skills and Competency Framework - Practitioner Level:
* Section 2 - Sourcing - 3. Executing the Sourcing Strategy - Supplier negotiation and dialogue
* Section 3 - Contract Management - 2. Transition to Contract Management - Preparing for Contract Management
* Section 3 - Contract Management - 3. Contract Performance Management - Measuring and Monitoring Contract Performance
Please review the Commercial Skills and Competency element that we require evidence on, please ensure that you review and understand the description of this testing element at Practitioner level.
We want to offer opportunities to all who are successful at interview for our roles, but this isn't always possible, so we do hold candidates on an active reserve list for 12 months.
Application sifting is scheduled to take place on week commencing: 19th May 2025. Interviews are currently taking place remotely through a digital platform, this will be confirmed with the successful candidates who are invited to an interview and will be conducted week commencing: 26th May 2025.
A minimum of 2 full working days’ notice will be provided for interviews. We endeavour to stick to these dates, but these are subject to change around business needs.
To assist with your application please find attached below:
* MOD Candidate Pack
* DIO Candidate Information Guide - Accessible Version
* Commercial Skills and Competency Framework
* DBS Candidate Information Guide (June 2024)
For help and support with your application check out our Civil Service Careers Homepage and the How to apply section
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk .
As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system.
Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
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) (opens in a new window)
* 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 (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).
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.
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).
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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
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 : BI Resourcing Team
* Email : DIOComrcl-BIResourcingTeam@mod.gov.uk
Recruitment team
* Email : DBSCivPers-ResourcingTeam3@mod.gov.uk
Further information
Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application.If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: info@csc.gov.uk. #J-18808-Ljbffr