About the job Job summary Have you considered a Civil Service career and the unparalleled opportunities it has to offer in a variety of significant roles, with the potential to change the nation and peoples lives for the better? Our commercial professional positions provide an excellent opportunity for candidates with a background in procurement or contract management to enhance their skills across the end-to-end procurement process and to develop their career as a commercial professional. This is an exciting and challenging role in the Army Commercial Team, which consists of over 106 Commercial Officers and is responsible for hundreds of contracts, the combined value of which is over 5 Billion. The role is within the Contract Management team, who deliver a professional contract management service to the Army. We provide support and commercial advice to the Army customer in managing high-value contracts with industry, ensuring that suppliers deliver requirements to the expected standards. We also understand the importance of developing great working relationships with our customers and suppliers. We play an important role in supporting Defence by contracting a diverse portfolio of requirements ranging in value and complexity from long term commitments in specialist capability areas, to low value short term support contracts and sales contracts generating income and supporting wider Defence engagement priorities. This role requires leadership and initiative, as well as important skills such as customer and supplier relationship management. You will have plenty of prospects to develop these and other skills, both on the job and through managed learning opportunities. This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. You will be required to work at Army HQ Andover SP118HJ and there will also be an expectation of regular travel to Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME) Group, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4UG and to Minley in Hampshire, GU17 9LP, for which expenses will be paid. This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. Job description Are you seeking a challenging role that will give you excellent opportunities to develop your commercial skills and build high-quality relationships with team members, customers and suppliers? The Commercial Contract Manager will primarily be responsible for the commercial management of the 30-year Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract for the Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME). This multi-billion-pound contract covers delivery of training and training support services to the Army, along with a range of Hard and Soft Facilities Management services. The post holder will also be involved in managing or supporting other contracts as required. Effective management of the contracts entails monitoring supplier performance, implementing contractual changes, maintaining value for money, and building and maintaining good working relationships with the customer team, the supplier, and other key stakeholders. The post holder will build and maintain their effectiveness by ensuring that they keep up to date with contract management, broader commercial and HR policy developments that affect them or their section. They will engage with other parts of the Army Commercial team to ensure that good practice is adopted across the portfolio. The Contract Management Team is part of the Army Commercial team, and the post holder is expected to contribute to wider activities that contribute to the overall teams objectives when requested. Key Responsibilities will include: Management and implementation of contractual changes in conjunction with the customer and the supplier Monitoring of the contracts, working with suppliers and customers to ensure that the contracted performance targets are met Adoption of a continuous improvement approach, identifying areas for improvement and work with both the suppliers and stakeholders to ensure that solutions are found and implemented which maximise value for money over the whole life of the contract The development of close and collaborative relationships with customers, key stakeholders, and suppliers in order to ensure the delivery of a quality service and value for money Providing leadership and building trust to ensure positive engagement with the customer and suppliers Managing risks and issues, maintaining an up-to-date register Producing reports and information papers to support decision-making at all levels, analysing and using data and information to achieve this Developing yourself and sharing your knowledge with others Person specification We are looking for individuals with the following attributes, skills, and experience: Contract management skills, experience, and commercial awareness Able to work with suppliers and engage in meaningful but sometimes challenging conversations with stakeholders Able to work independently, with a proactive approach to the great work that you are delivering A flexible and collaborative attitude to team working, adapting to changing priorities and workloads Desirable Previous experience or involvement in public sector procurements would be beneficial Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Leadership Making Effective Decisions Managing a Quality Service Technical skills We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: Contract & Supplier Management. The competency level for this role is: Commercial Practitioner. Benefits Alongside your salary of 36,530, Ministry of Defence contributes 10,582 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. As a civil Servant working alongside the Army, the successful applicant will be part of a forward-looking organisation with inclusive workplace policies, excellent career progression prospects and a job that makes a difference. The Civil Service prides itself on being a supportive employer, helping you to maintain a great work/life balance. Other benefits include: 25 days paid annual leave, rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years service Highly competitive pension scheme Flexible Working Hours upon completion of 6 months service Learning and development tailored to your role A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity Personal and professional development of skills Access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a free service that assists you with achieving a productive, healthy environment that is conducive to a healthy lifestyle. 8 Paid Public Holidays per year Generous parental leave package Free car parking and access to a gym The post holder will become eligible for the Commercial Market Skills Allowance (MSA) of 1500 per annum once the essential criteria for this allowance is met. The post does not offer relocation expenses (move of home, excess fares or temporary transfer). Non-Standard move applicants will be eligible for the full package, subject to eligibility. Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements. External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period. Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed. Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts. Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/. The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments. MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights. Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills. At application you will be asked to provide a CV and a personal statement of no more than 1000 words evidencing your suitability for the role against the person specification and job description and should demonstrate your experience of thefollowing: Evidence of how you have worked collaboratively as a member of a team and built strong working relationships with colleagues Evidence of your experience in managing contracts, demonstrating the value that your activities delivered Evidence of how you have managed relationships with suppliers, including where the relationship needed to be developed or improved Evidence of your experience in the different elements of the procurement process At interview you will be tested against the following Behaviours Leadership, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service Technical Section 6 Contract & Supplier Management. The competency level for this role is Commercial Practitioner Taken from the Government Commercial Function People Standards for the profession - modgovuk.sharepoint.com/sites/IntranetCivilianHRPeoplePortal/Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id%2Fsites%2FIntranetCivilianHRPeoplePortal%2FDocuments%2FCommercial_Skills_and_Competency_Framework%2Epdf&parent%2Fsites%2FIntranetCivilianHRPeoplePortal%2FDocuments Application sifting will be scheduled to take place within 7 days of the application closing date. Interview dates are to be confirmed but these will be held in person at Army Headquarters Andover. We endeavour to keep to these time frames, but these are subject to change around business needs. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3mod.gov.uk. As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window). See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Nationality requirements This job is broadly open to the following groups: UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). Apply and further information This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name : Philip Ellison Email : Philip.Ellison195mod.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3mod.gov.uk Further information Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: infocsc.gov.uk.