Strategic Partnering Manager

About the job

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

Location

Assignment Location:

• Norwich
• Newport
• Liverpool
• Birmingham
• Glasgow

Existing staff in GCA will be able to apply and retain their existing location (if not one of the 4 listed) if successfully appointed.

Occasional travel will be required to other team member locations (Glasgow, Manchester, London) and to supplier and other government/department offices for meetings.

Working Pattern: As this role is deployed to MSS, 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

We are hiring a Strategic Partnering Manager to lead the work with some of the most important suppliers to government in the Built Environment Sector. The role sits within Markets, Sourcing and Suppliers, one of the most-high profile, dynamic and exciting commercial teams in the Government Commercial Agency. The Government Commercial Agency is an executive agency of the Cabinet Office and part of the Government Commercial Function.

The role holder will ensure government has the most effective relationships possible with its strategic suppliers in the construction and engineering sector, in order to unlock strategic and financial value, to deliver the best value from outsourced contracts, and to align the government's commercial strategy with suppliers and broader market capability. Working across government - both central government departments and the wider public sector - and with Crown Representatives, strategic suppliers themselves and with industry stakeholders, the Strategic Partnering Manager will strengthen relationships at all levels, building a mutual value proposition in key service areas.

The role offers an opportunity to lead the supplier-facing network across government, building an in-depth understanding and knowledge of strategic suppliers’ business models and public sector portfolios in the built environment sector and using this to drive collaborative continuous improvements to the contracts and services that suppliers deliver.

The successful candidate will be a highly experienced and successful senior leader, with a deep career anchored in commercial disciplines, practiced at senior level. A strong delivery ethic with high levels of resilience, a high level of adaptability and flexibility, and the ability to manage unstructured situations and environments are also required in this role. Additional requirements of the role are:

• Expert practice in business development, in developing and managing value propositions and in delivering strategic partnering plans.
• Expert knowledge in complex commercial relationship management and in the contracting process.
• An in-depth understanding of government structures with the ability to build and contribute to high-quality internal relationships.
• A highly developed strategic thinker and ability to identify and take calculated risks.
• Outstanding relationship-management capabilities, with first-class communication skills and solid track record of negotiations at very senior levels.
• Deep experience in collaboration across teams and separate organisations, and ability to lead without formal authority.
• A diplomatic approach, with deep understanding of the politics within complex organisations.
• A deep sense of commercial and operational value and a commitment to improve design, value and delivery in a variety of service areas and agreements.

Job description

Although not a guarantee, the role holder may have line management responsibilities for a small number of more junior colleagues. The main focus of the role will be to coordinate a network, across government and the wider public sector, comprising commercial and delivery professionals, focused on the relationship with several government’s construction and engineering strategic suppliers.

The role will sit in the Markets, Sourcing and Suppliers directorate in the Government Commercial Agency which is an executive agency of the Cabinet Office and part of the Government Commercial Function.

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

The successful candidate will be accountable for:

• Delivering the government strategy and the Strategic Partnering Programme with specific strategic suppliers and market sectors.
• Developing the mutual value proposition in each key service area, leading to delivery of extraordinary measurable performance.
• Developing the cross-government strategy and plan with the strategic supplier(s).
• Documenting the relationship map from executive to operational levels, leading to unparalleled relationship access and leverage with the supplier(s).
• Setting performance standards and monitoring delivery.
• Providing commercial insight and intervention in key contract negotiations.
• Effective collaboration with cross-government teams relevant to the supplier relationship.

These accountabilities will be exercised in coordination with supplier-facing government departments and other public sector bodies, and with support from the other central teams.

Key measures of success will lie in delivering the core components of the Government Strategic Partnering Programme and developing a truly strategic approach to the strategic suppliers, in order to transform government’s risk and value creation profile, as follows:

• Strategic risk management: continuity of mission critical and/or sensitive services; compliance and ethics; financial robustness; capability; contractual performance.
• Strategic opportunity: quality of service; delivering efficiencies and cost savings, optimising taxpayer value for money; implementing an end-to-end integrated supply chain between government & supplier; a one-government approach; creating and delivering innovation and best practice transfer.

The Strategic Partnering Manager develops and coordinates extensive external and internal relationships.

• External with the strategic suppliers - suppliers’ senior leadership; suppliers’ senior leaders in charge of the partnership with government; leaders in the suppliers’ organisations selected on their importance to the overall relationship and delivery performance.
• Internal leadership - Cabinet Office, Government Commercial Agency and departmental leadership, including cross government Commercial Directors.
• A close working relationship will be developed with Crown Representatives, whose role will be to act as a senior strategic advisor and senior relationship manager.
• Internal “One Government” network and approach - leaders and key operators involved in the relationship and key service area experts. As such, the Strategic Partnering Manager provides strategic insight and direction to around 50+ other part or full-time roles across departments.
• Internal team: a member of the Senior Management Team within Markets Sourcing and Suppliers and a senior member of the Government Commercial Agency; work in tandem with the Strategic Supplier Relationship Management team, the Market Health team and the Commercial Analysis and Financial Analysis Teams.
• 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 MSS and across government.

Technical skills

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

• Ability to communicate in a succinct, engaging manner and stand ground when necessary, using appropriate styles, methods and timing, including digital channels, to maximise understanding and impact.
• A track record of delivery in challenging commercial environments, developing and embedding continuous improvement, and achieving financial and strategic value - directly and by shaping supplier markets.
• A highly experienced and successful senior commercial leader, with evidence of highly developed strategic thinking, operational delivery, risk management and significant financial responsibility.
• Delivers quality outcomes on time, under pressure and in uncertain environments. Credit is shared and ability to monitor own and team’s work against targets. Acting promptly to keep work on track and maintaining performance.
• Expert knowledge in complex commercial relationship management and contracting processes across multiple strategically important supplier and government organisations to support delivery of business outcomes.
• An experienced commercial and culturally aware leader with the ability to inspire and develop talent, exercise diversity of thought and focus with rigour on collective as well as individual goals.

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 note: Only candidates that achieve an A grade at ADC will be invited to interview for this role.

Please be advised that the Virtual ADC is taking place on the 15th of October 2026 and will require a full day's attendance.

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 t