Strategic Category Director

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 Home Office commercial team delivering departmental objectives.

This role is part of Home Office Commercial Directorate’s Senior Leadership Team. You will be responsible for our Digital, Data and Technology teams, leading 85 colleagues working on high-priority Home Office technology procurements and other categories. You will also lead our Corporate and Common Goods & Services teams working alongside a small project team to roll out category management across Commercial Directorate (350 colleagues). You will also be responsible for the contract management of gold, silver and bronze contracts, working alongside the Home Office designated contract manager. 

Our technology and category teams deliver commercial solutions for projects working on things such as: 

• Leading the best practise category management across the assigned cross Home Office spend.
• Delivery of national IT programmes such as supporting policing on county lines through roll-out of National Automatic Number Plate Recognition Capability.
• Improving automation for things like asylum case working systems and passport applications.
• Delivery of data services such as Cerberus, using sophisticated data analytics to improve the way data is used across the Home Office.
• Future Borders and Immigration System, including eGates at airports and the Digital Passport Service
• Leading the National Law Enforcement Data Programme to replace the Police National Computer.

You will also be responsible for delivering Category Management across Commercial Directorate. There is a small project team in place to deliver this and the project is in its early stages. You will be responsible for the first teams to operate a Category Management model, including Common Goods and Services. It will be your role to gain buy-in from senior leaders on the value of Category Management and enable to the project team to establish Category Management across all of our commercial teams.

• Provide effective leadership for the Digital, Data and Technology commercial teams, championing wellbeing.

• Deliver Category Management across Commercial Directorate.

• Establish strategic relationships with Digital, Data and Technology leaders in Home Office and beyond.

• Drive value for money across all Home Office Digital, Data and Technology spend, whilst enabling Home Office priorities.

• Lead the Common Goods and Services team to be an exemplar of Category Management.

• Establish yourself as an active part of Commercial Directorate’s leadership team, being seen as a leader outside of your immediate command, providing input to cross-commercial SCS-level boards and role modelling Home Office behaviours.

• Enable innovative digital and technology solutions to meet the strategic challenges faced by the Home Office.

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

• Significant experience of leading teams that manage high-profile, complex commercial projects
• Demonstrable experience of building networks and influencing a diverse range of senior internal and external stakeholders, building effective relationships at Board/Exco level and with demanding senior stakeholders and suppliers at a strategic level
• Ability to lead strategic approaches to develop and manage markets and suppliers to create opportunities for your organisation
• Experience of setting a commercial vision and strategy that earns the buy-in of an organisation, bringing about lasting and positive change
• Understanding of how to most effectively organise and develop large teams to make use of best routes to market to drive maximum value for the organisation

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