CSOC Commercial Senior Manager - HQ

Job summary

Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) generates and operates specialist capabilities, ready to fight across all domains to make the United Kingdom secure at home and strong abroad.

Always on, we are across every UK operation, delivering the capabilities you don’t usually see – or those you can’t.

From cyber warriors and medics to intelligence analysts, special forces, educators, and Defence attachés, our collective expertise delivers the warfighting edge Defence needs to deter threats and secure the nation today, and prepare for tomorrow.

CSOC unites Defence’s cyber and specialist capabilities under a single, military command alongside the Royal Navy, British Army, and the Royal Air Force – acting as the UK’s fourth Military Command. For more information, please see here.

CSOC Commercial has a rich and varied portfolio of contracts across multiple categories of spend. We have 100 commercial specialists geographically spread over the globe covering contracts worth £7.5bn. It is a dynamic and exciting place to work at the leading edge of Defence. We welcome diversity, we are passionate about inclusivity, and love challenge that drives innovation. We value each individual contribution, learn together, and deliver stronger.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

In this role you will contribute to delivering commercial excellence for CSOC through, analysing key supply markets to understand the characteristics of new markets, and inform whether market making or development is required, work on all stages of the procurement process, mobilising contracts, managing the delivery and performance of the contract, supplier relationship management (SRM), carrying out contract changes, managing risk within the contract and managing contract transition and exit.

You will work independently and part of a larger team by drawing on your commercial experience to drive performance and manage setbacks. You will be able to prioritise and manage your own workload to deliver to deadlines, mitigate and escalate any emerging risks and to respond swiftly to changing operational demands.

Typically, the key responsibilities in this role will include (but are not limited to):

- Working as a procurement lead and as part of cross-functional teams in order to implement pre market engagement

- Leading/ managing any Controls, Department Approvals and Governance processes; working with procurement regulations, organisational policies, procedures and security requirements

- Using e-sourcing/ e-tendering tools and techniques

- Overseeing market analysis, understanding market models and market shaping

- Ensuring that all pre-procurement engagement has been completed and that the organisation is ready to go to market

- Working with key stakeholders to develop a clear and agreed view of business requirements, and supporting business units in articulating their commercial requirements

- Understanding the requirement, the market place and potential solutions, providing advice and challenging where necessary

- Advising and providing professional guidance throughout the sourcing process, considering and evaluating a range of sourcing models

- Drawing together and presenting reasonable conclusions from a wide range of incomplete and complex data and recognising when to bring in experts/researchers to add value to the available information

- Justifying and documenting the selection of a particular commercial option

- Challenging the organisational need for the purchase especially where Corporate Social Responsibility or value for money considerations suggest the procurement can be better channelled through existing assets or an existing contract

- Gathering requirements from across the business in line with market research when defining Terms and Conditions

- Developing the bidders’ packs including reviewing and clarifying the specification, drafting appropriate tools and considering optimal pricing and incentivisation mechanisms for medium value purchases and procurements

- Applying the most appropriate evaluation strategy to a sourcing requirement taking into account the type of commodity or service being procured, complexity, value and strategic importance

- Managing one or more contracts of medium complexity/ value, ensuring effective stakeholder management, governance, performance management frameworks, escalation, risk management, issues resolution, financial management, change control and compliance

- Reviewing and understanding the terms and conditions of contracts and deliverables, working with the supplier to establish a plan for delivering them

- Agreeing and clarifying contract management responsibilities with stakeholders, advising them on setting up effective processes

- Leading all planning and preparation, goal setting, strategy and tactics for re-procurement, undertaking soft market testing

- Developing and maintaining positive commercial relationships with the supply chain to maintain and enhance performance, improve service delivery and create additional value

- Mentoring and providing guidance to junior members of the team

Person specification

• Leadership of a Commercial Team in managing sourcing, procurement and delivery of contracts and supporting / developing a Commercial Team.
• A thorough understanding of public procurement regulations and Department Policy.
• Be a self-starter, who is confident with decision making, an effective communicator and can work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Confidence in making decisions and have the self-drive and determination to deliver goods and services for our end users.
• The ability to deliver pragmatic and swift commercial solutions to immediate, novel, and sometimes contentious commercial issues.
• Experience of using procurement eSourcing tools such as Contract Purchasing & Finance.
• The ability to manage competing priorities, assess information rapidly, seek clarity or additional information where necessary and articulate needs or processes in a way that is understood by the stakeholder audience, bearing in mind that often such audiences have very limited or no procurement and/or requirement setting experience.
• Experience of applying procurement policy, governance and regulatory requirements in a commercial or procurement environment

Responsibilities

• Work closely with project and military colleagues to deliver the commercial aspects of acquisition programme objectives, engaging with stakeholders across MOD, Other Government Departments and industry.
• Compile, issue and evaluate tenders, ensuring procurement activity is delivered in line with HMG procurement policy, applicable regulations, best practice and value for money principles.
• Provide commercial advice and guidance throughout the procurement process, including identifying risks, challenging requirements where appropriate and delivering appropriate commercial solutions.
• Support contract management activity across the HQ portfolio, including supplier engagement, performance management, issue resolution and continuous improvement.
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