Deputy Director – Commercial Shared Services

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 DESNZ and DSIT Shared Services commercial team delivering departmental objectives.

You will lead a team of ~30 including 5 G6 Direct Reports, providing the direction and support across the 4 strands of Commercial Enabling: Capability, Assurance, Compliance, and Sustainability &Policy, plus Commercial Delivery for corporate functions. This is an exciting time to join the senior leadership team and help shape the Commercial functions of DESNZ and DSIT. 

The successful candidate will be:

• A key member of the Commercial senior leadership team in both DESNZ and DSIT. Play an active role in supporting the leadership and management of the directorates, embedding their visions and values to create a supportive working environment for all;
• A key member of the Commercial Management Teams, responsible for the strategy and operation of the Commercial profession within the departments, and an ambassador for the commercial profession.
• A member of the GCO (Government Commercial Organisation’s senior team, with cross-Whitehall Commercial leadership responsibility, and a role in continually developing and improving the Commercial Profession;
• Leader and line manager to ~5x G6: Head of Commercial Capability, CI, & Systems, Head of Commercial Assurance, Head of Compliance and Head of Commercial Sustainability & Policy, with overall accountability for supporting and developing their teams and the wider commercial teams;
• Integral to DSIT and DESNZ’s commercial strategy development.

Key Responsibilities (includes but not limited to)

• Overall responsibility for Commercial assurance activities across the Deptartments and their associated Partner Organisations.
• Chair the Commercial Assurance Board for all cases below £70m
• Attend Project and Investment Committee (PIC), the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) Enhanced Commercial Assurance Board, and the Building Digital UK (BDUK) Commercial Board as required
• Lead Machinery of Government transition planning from a Commercial perspective
• Lead on end-to-end commercial delivery for DESNZ, DSIT, and ICS corporate functions, including Digital, HR, Finance, Commercial, Communications, Analysis, and others as required.
• Ensure commercial risks and issues are managed and escalated appropriately
• Commercial systems, MI and data: including coordinating the Departmental contract and grant pipeline, contract register and any additional reports requirement by Government.
• Commercial sustainability & policy: implement, communicate, and provide guidance on Procurement Policy Notices (PPNs) and policy areas including but not limited to SMEs, prompt payment, and social value. Support across the 3 pillars of Social, Economic and Environmental Policy
• Lead the Departmental approach to Procurement Reform
• Lead the weekly Commercial Team calls and work closely with the other Deputy Directors
• Lead on Government Commercial Organisation priorities and programmes including the Commercial Blueprints and Contract Management Capability Programme
• Lead on Grants function priorities for DSIT including Maturity Assessments
• Lead on the Commercial Functional Standards
• Lead on People and processes: ensuring that the commercial team has the right tools, processes and skills to deliver departmental priorities
• Lead our interaction and best practice sharing with the Department’s Partner Organisations
• Raising commercial and grant awareness and capabilities across the department.
• Promote collaboration and sharing of best practices across the Partner Organisations, Grants Functionand Government Commercial Organisation;
• Liaise with the Government Commercial Organisation and Grants Function to leverage and implement best practices and key initiatives and provide departmental input to GCO strategies and plans.

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

• Manages Complexity – Strong leadership skills and experience of developing and leading individuals and teams effectively in delivery of large scale or complex commercial projects and programmes
• Decisive – Agility and flexibility in response to changing priorities and challenges. Experience of leading and delivering change effectively
• Commercial Focus – Deep understanding of commercial delivery & commercial lifecycle. Experience in at least 3 of; Sourcing & Strategy, Procurement, Contract Management, Commercial Assurance, Commercial Policy, Strategic Relationship Management
• Builds Relationships – Proven experience in influencing Senior Internal and External stakeholders, with outstanding communication skills at all levels
• Strategy and Policy Development –Commercial assurance expertise, including critical thinking expertise and decision-making skills

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. 

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above.
This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions.
Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and
conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your
personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any
absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you
to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Job contact :

• Name : Rachel Whyte
• Email : commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk