Commercial Specialist

About the job

• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Location

Assignment Location:

London, 10 South Colonnade

Birmingham, 23 Stephenson St, B2 4BJ

Frequent travel to client sites is required. The individual may be expected to travel up to 3 days a week outside of work location.

Working Pattern: As this role is deployed to CTT, we defer to their local location strategy and operational demands. Office attendance and hybrid working patterns will be aligned with the host department’s specific requirements.

Relocation costs will not be reimbursed.

About the job

Job summary

Complex Transactions (CTT) is a diverse team of commercial experts who - prior to joining us - have gained experience across a range of sectors, industries and procurement categories. Working in a pan-Government consulting role our objective is to support and enable Departments to deliver their most challenging and demanding objectives. All of our work is high profile, high value or integral to Government policy. In many cases it is all three. This recruitment campaign aims to increase the commercial specialist capacity in the team.

Our assignments take us to the heart of Government and we are at the forefront in addressing the commercial challenges that make this country operate. From renegotiating contracts for the Department for Work and Pensions to supporting transformational projects for Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Our work ensures the delivery of services that impact the everyday lives of citizens across the UK. CTT is in the unique position of consistently shaping and influencing some of the biggest deals that exist in either the public or private sector.

Our role as internal consultants across Government enables us to influence the full spectrum of the commercial agenda. From procurement reform, Net Zero, social value, and digital transformation we have an opportunity to influence and apply these initiatives across central, local government and the private sector supply chains. We also assess challenges from multiple perspectives, including fiscal, financial, economic, risk, deliverability and many others besides.

The team structure is not typical of the civil service and is a reverse pyramid of senior commercial specialist expertise. The team currently has c.45 members. You don’t need to have a background in public sector procurement to join us. We're more interested in your commercial acumen, leadership, flexibility and desire to make a difference.

Job description

In this client-facing consultancy role, you will be deployed directly to client departmental sites (requiring frequent travel up to 3 days per week) to embed alongside commercial, policy and programme teams. You will take personal ownership of senior client relationships and lead high stakes commercial interventions in person.

To be successful in this role you’ll have a track record of commercial success in leading programmes and driving them to completion. Additionally, you’ll have demonstrable experience of managing complexity when making commercial decisions.

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

Your role will involve:

• Senior Client Advisory: Being a trusted advisor to commercial, policy, operational and programme leaders to help in the delivery of complex commercial programmes. Providing expert advice and support to some of the most high profile and complex commercial programmes and initiatives in Government.
• Sourcing & Strategy Delivery: Partner face to face with client teams to support departments to structure their sourcing and commercial strategies to deliver value for money on departmental programmes and projects.
• Lead Commercial Deal Making & Negotiations: Shaping and leading commercial negotiations with both new and incumbent suppliers through to great outcomes; providing strategic advice and support to complex contracts during the procurement phase, contract exit and contract reviews.
• Client Dispute Resolution : Resolving high-value commercial disputes between government departments and strategic suppliers.
• Practice Development & Thought Leadership : Identifying how Government can address best practice commercial approaches to ensure transparency, effective pricing and robust exit arrangements, in more complex contracts.
• Build CTT’s Consultancy Practice : Contribute actively to building CTT’s consultancy methodology, sharing commercial best practices across Government, and mentoring team members within our senior advisory structure

You will also:

• Be amongst the most senior members of the Government Commercial Function and play a role in the broader commercial reform programme led by the Government Chief Commercial Officer.
• Play a key leadership and change management role in developing a strong commercial function for the Cabinet Office and across Government.
• Track Record of Commercial Delivery: Track record of success in leading commercial programmes, driving them forward to completion, this will include building, developing and leading teams. Significant commercial expertise and experience gained from a career working with or in blue-chip organisations at a senior level. Evidence of running insource/outsource conversations and transitioning.
• Strategic Negotiation & Deal Structuring : Strategic deal-maker with extensive experience leading multiple, large-scale, complex negotiations and deals. You are adept at balancing assertive commercial tactics with the relationship management skills necessary to align with senior level stakeholders. Demonstrable experience of managing complexity when making commercial decisions.
• Complex Sourcing Strategy Design : Senior leader with extensive evidence of designing, shaping and agreeing innovative sourcing and commercial strategies from a lead role in a complex organisation.
• Outstanding Consultancy & Client Management Skills : Demonstrate outstanding consultancy skills likely to be gained in a professional services environment. Proven ability to establish immediate credibility and influence strategic outcomes with diverse internal and external stakeholders, demonstrates outstanding influencing and communication skills alongside strong network development.
• Executive Gravitas & C-Suite Presence : Demonstrate high levels of credibility, gravitas and business acumen with a natural presence that is likely to result in successfully influencing outcomes, operating at senior c-suite levels. Expertly navigates complexity to influence key outcomes. Confidently handles rigorous questioning from senior stakeholders without much oversight

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Strategic deal-maker with extensive experience leading large-scale negotiations. Adept at balancing assertive commercial tactics with relationship management to align senior stakeholders.
• Significant commercial expertise and experience gained from a career working with or in blue-chip organisations at a senior level. Evidence of running insource/outsource conversations and transitioning.
• Demonstrate high levels of credibility, gravitas and business acumen with a natural presence that is likely to result in successfully influencing outcomes, operating at senior c-suite levels.
• Demonstrate outstanding consultancy skills with a proven ability to establish credibility and influence strategic outcomes among diverse stakeholders, supported by exceptional communication and network development.
• Senior leader with extensive evidence of designing, shaping and agreeing innovative sourcing and commercial strategies from a lead role in a complex organisation.

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.

Kindly refer to the following link for the GCF Rewards and benefits page.

• https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/gcf-benefits/
• Things you need to know
• Artificial intelligence

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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.

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 be advised that the Virtual ADC is taking place on the 12th and 18th of November and will require a full day's attendance on one of these days.

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.

For full details of our process, and a likely timeline, please read 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 Technical Skills (essential criteria) and your Job History (CV) that you will be asked to provide during the application process. Further help and advice on our application and selection process can be found at this web address https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/gcf-how-to-apply/

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.

https://www.c