Contents Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information Location RAF High Wycombe RAF Cosford RAF Leeming MOD Lyneham About the job Job summary The Air Commercial Team is a Front-Line Commercial Branch, a part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Commercial Function and the Government Commercial Function (GCF). We are embedded within the Royal Air Force (RAF) operating out of Headquarters Air Command (based at RAF High Wycombe) with regional representation primarily situated at RAF Cosford, RAF Leeming and MOD Lyneham. A fast-tempo, strategic and progressive Military Headquarters, the Air Commercial Team deliver innovative commercial solutions and maximum value for the RAF. This is a hugely exciting time to be joining Air Commercial. Through our continued transformation and investment in people, processes, and relationships we are seeing increasing demand for our support across the whole of the commercial lifecycle to deliver technologically pioneering capability and support services for the RAF. The Air Commercial Team handles a contract portfolio of circa 300 live contracts totalling £3.6bn on behalf of the RAF by contracting across a diverse portfolio of requirements from Space Command to digital demand, helping aircraft take off and safely land, from trialling warfighting capabilities to training our new recruits. You will work within a highly capable team who will support you to develop your skills, knowledge and experience, this is a highly responsive area with opportunities to develop and grow within a supportive environment. We are looking for individuals with a keen interest in working to support the delivery of projects needed to support our Armed Forces and to develop their own skills as a Commercial practitioner. The Air Commercial Team provides the ideal platform to develop an understanding of the procurement and commercial processes within the MOD and includes areas such as sourcing, contract management, supplier management and category management, all to meet the customers needs. Air Commercial has a wide stakeholder base, with regular interaction to ensure commercial strategies deliver the capabilities required by the Command and we frequently collaborate with other forces in the MOD, Cabinet Office and other government departments. The Commercial function works alongside project managers, finance & technical staff and our military colleagues to purchase the equipment and services that the MOD requires ensuring that all is fit purpose and achieves the best possible Value for Money. We employ talented people who challenge and guide each other. This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. Job description 1 x Contract Performance and Management Role: Develop and deliver best practice contract management including processes; contract admin, negotiations and exit management. Participate in contract reviews of existing contracts as appropriate to ensure the best value is being realised and savings and benefits optimised. Supplier and customer engagement, provide guidance, challenge service delivery to drive better performance. 3 x Define & Procure Roles: Investigation and research of new procurement requirements, determining routes to market, carrying out early market engagement and producing commercial strategies. Participate in procurement activities from advertising new requirements, Pre-Qualifying Questionnaires, drafting and issuing Invitation to Tender documentation and evaluation of bids through to contract award. Management of service contracts primarily within the Category D remit (below £20M), working closely with stakeholders and contractors and resolving any contentious or problematic issues. Both: Keeping abreast of departmental commercial policy and procedural and administration directives, and to apply that information accordingly. Build and maintain, appropriate effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders including Military and non-Military customers and Defence Suppliers. Provide commercial advice to Air Command customers including insight to supplier performance and intelligence, procurement strategies and internal governance. Support line management in identification of commercial risks associated with delivery of contracts and issues that arise during the life of contracts. Maintain and improve levels of competence by implementing a personal development plan, reflecting the training requirements associated with the post. Provide and maintain quality and relevant Management Information (MI), contracts pipeline, recording of benefits and savings utilising systems such as the MOD's e-procurement tool CP&F. Prepare briefs and statistical data for management purposes and ensure procurement and management of contract files is aligned with policy. Person specification Essential: Studying towards CIPS level 4 or above or must be willing to complete CIPS Level 4 within 18 months of joining Air Commercial. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Experience with the Microsoft Office 365 Suite (Excel, Powerpoint, Word etc.). Experience in establishing and maintaining stakeholder relationships. Willing to undertake travel to relevant MOD Locations on occasion. The ability to work from one of the nominated locations for 60% of working time. Desirable: Public sector procurement experience. Previous experience in commercial is desirable but not essential, full training will be provided to the successful candidate. A background in Project or Financial Management will be useful in adapting to the role. Problem solving and balancing multiple requirements will be of benefit in the role as will the ability to plan and prioritise at short notice You will be an enthusiastic and proactive individual who loves problem solving; the ability and confidence to engage and establish/form excellent working relationships with key collaborators. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Making Effective Decisions Communicating and Influencing Working Together Managing a Quality Service We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form: Communicating and Influencing Working Together Benefits Alongside your salary of £29,580, Ministry of Defence contributes £8,569 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. Benefits include, but are not limited to: Flexible working Training and personal development opportunities A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity 25 days paid annual leave rising to 30 days on completion of 5 years service In addition to 8 public holidays per year you will also receive leave for HM The Kings birthday A highly competitive Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97% Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave Subsidised membership to a fitness suite and lunchtime/evening Military led fitness classes Café and shop on site Accredited Commercial Officers who meet the eligibility criteria are able to apply for and receive a Commercial Market Skills Allowance at Practitioner Level of £1,500 per annum (subject to annual review and renewal) 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. The post does not offer relocation expenses. 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 and Experience. Please present your evidence using the S.T.A.R. format (Situation, Task, Action, Result) Applicants are strongly advised to ensure that their submission uses the STAR format and demonstrates the behaviours detailed at EO level in the Civil Service Success Profiles Civil Service Behaviours booklet. Comprehensive coverage on Success Profiles can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles Stage 1: Application At the sift stage, we will assess your application by using your CV and Statement of Suitability, alongside your response to the behaviour-based questions where you will need to provide evidence of: Communicating and Influencing Working Together A 500 word Statement of Suitability and CV will be required for this position; this cannot be uploaded to the advert. You will submit using the CV template provided on the CS Jobs dashboard, detailing job history, full qualifications, previous experience and skills. Your Statement of Suitability should contain details about how you meet the Essential and Desirable criteria detailed in the Person Specification. Applications will be sifted and scored based on the information supplied in your CV, Statement of Suitability and entered as one overall score within the results. In the event of a large number of applications we will use the Lead Criteria Working Together to initially assess your application during the Sift stage. Candidates who pass the initial Sift may be progressed to a full sift or direct to interview. Stage 2: Interview If you are successful at the sift stage, you will be invited to a video interview using MS Teams, where you will be assessed on the Behaviours listed below as well as Experienced based questioning. We will assess your relevant experience against the essential criteria mentioned above and we will assess behaviours listed below. Making Effective Decisions Communicating and Influencing Working Together Managing a Quality Service The initial candidate sift is expected to be completed by mid-January 2025. Interviews with sifted candidates are expected to take place w/c 27th January 2025. The timeline above is only provisional and is subject to change depending on the volume of applications received. Part-time or Job-share will only be considered provided full time hours can be covered. Please note : Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected. Contract Management contact: Phoebe.Oneill105mod.gov.uk Define & Procure contact: Morgan.Buckley116mod.gov.uk 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 the Civil 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 : Phoebe ONeill Email : Phoebe.Oneill105mod.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. Attachments Defence Civil Servant Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB) 20230201 - Air Command's Applicant Guide Opens in new window (pdf, 499kB) EXTERNAL PACK Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB) Candidate Information updated Opens in new window (docx, 31kB) Share this page Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn GMail