90368 - Assistant Commercial Manager (Sourcing)

The national salary range is £32,827 - £35,678, London salary range is £37,174 - £40,403 . Your salary will be dependent on your base location
1
12 Months
National
National
NATIONAL
Please note: Some of our MoJ Office locations, such as our Liverpool Justice Collaboration Centre, require higher levels of National Security Vetting. The MoJ is working to open more Justice Collaboration Centres and Justice Satellite Offices over time. Click here to learn more about where our currently open Justice Collaboration Centres and Justice Satellite Offices are, to identify where you may be based and understand National Security Vetting requirements of each location.
HEO
HEO
Permanent
Full Time, Flexible Working
Procurement and Contracts Management
Yes

Job Description             

Job Title:  Assistant Commercial Manager (Sourcing)  

Job Grade: HEO   

Reporting to: Commercial Manager                                 

Job Location: National

Contract Type: Permanent

Business Area: MOJ – Commercial & Contract Management Department

Type of role: Procurement, Commercial and Contract Management

Working pattern: Flexible working, Full-time

Number of Posts:  1

About the Department

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is a major government department, at the heart of the justice system. Responsible for courts, prisons and probation services, we work to ensure sentences are served and offenders are given rehabilitation opportunities to become law-abiding citizens.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has one of the largest and most complex spend profiles in central government. The Commercial and Contract Management Directorate (CCMD) is responsible for coordinating procurement and contract management across the MoJ, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

The MoJ spends £7.5bn a year and manages over 1600 active contracts, all of which are sourced and managed by CCMD. We are running some of the most groundbreaking programmes such as Prison Reform and His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service Reform. The scope of our contracts ranges from building, maintenance and the operation of Prisons, Courts and Young Offender establishments through to food for prison dogs. The directorate also buys and manages contracts for feeding up to 80,000 prisoners, the secure escorting of prisoners from numerous establishments based around the country and translation services.

CCMD is organised into category teams, each with an interesting portfolio of contracts and diverse customers and suppliers to manage. We also have systems, programme management office, supplier relationship and risk management teams who work across all areas.

Scope

Portfolio - Rehabilitation – Probation Services

The Rehabilitation portfolio within the Ministry of Justice’s Commercial & Contract Management Directorate – part of the Government Commercial Function – lead on the procurements of all outsourced probation related services such as accommodation, education and finance, and unique services such as dependency and recovery.  To enable us to commission rehabilitation services across 14 categories (and more) we have established and maintain a 10 year, £4bn dynamic framework, the largest dynamic purchasing system in the public sector.  In addition to the dynamic framework, we have also implemented and manage a first of its kind grants scheme with unique processes designed to create greater accessibility for the VCSE market to public sector contracting. 

Person Specification

The probation system supports more than 243,000 a year in their journey to rehabilitation, so no day looks quite like the other and we're always ready to be responsive to an emerging need. Day-to-day you could be working to support the Senior Commercial Managers in delivering our £500million core services contracts or working closely with a policy lead to deliver a contract for a small, specialised service.

His Majesty’s Prions and Probation Service contains a diverse set of regionally based clients that each pose their own unique set of commercial challenges and opportunities.  You will develop and maintain positive relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders, including suppliers and encourage collaborative relationships as appropriate. Your professional expertise and judgement will be relied upon and valued by senior colleagues.

The successful candidate can expect themselves to be working across a varied services category, working within a fast-paced environment, supporting the Commercial Manager on high-value procurements, and taking ownership of lower-valued, less complex procurements.  You will be working with a wide and diverse set of stakeholders and will bring new ideas to help shape the way the team works, promoting continuous improvement, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. This role is an excellent opportunity to develop your commercial skillset in a high-profile environment that aims to reduce reoffending in our society.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include:

  • Supplier management within the Dynamic Framework and the Probation Grants Application Portal
  • Support in-depth market analysis, engagement and development across a unique, diverse and vast marketplace.
  • Work with core business stakeholders to understand and develop procurement requirements such as specifications, performance metrics and payment mechanisms.
  • Supporting the development of procurement strategies develop business acumen and market insight to drive commercial opportunities to deliver continuous improvement, value for money and/or savings.
  • Comprehensive drafting of commercial documents, including Invitation to Tenders (ITTs) and Call-Off Contracts
  • Managing low-value competition exercises through the MoJ eSourcing portal
  • Support the continuous improvements within commissioned rehabilitative services
  • Ensuring compliance with legislative and policy requirements by providing sound commercial advice to stakeholders
  • Possible line management responsibilities

Experience

Your application must demonstrate experience in the following areas:

Essential:

  • Relevant procurement/sourcing or commercial and contract management experience.
  • Ability to work collaboratively to drive decisions and deliver on timely outcomes.
  • Ability to prioritise and manage multiple competing tasks, to meet business objectives in a fast paced and ever-changing environment
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • A team player who leads by example
  • Ability to bring new ideas to drive continuous improvement

Desirable:

  • Knowledge or experience of Dynamic Purchasing Systems
  • Knowledge or experience of Grants
  • Understanding of Probation Services in England and Wales.
  • CIPS Qualification (or desire to work towards one)

Application form stage assessments:

An initial sift will be performed against the following elements in relation to the key responsibilities and person specification above:

Experience

  • CV
  • Statement of Suitability

If shortlisted, you’ll be invited to an interview and will be assessed on selected success profile elements at the interview stage. Please carry a valid proof of Id that has your photo on it (passport, BRP, driving licence etc) at the interview.

Interview:

There is one interview stage for this vacancy and as part of the interview process you will be required to provide evidence of the following:

Behaviours

  • Making Effective Decisions
  • Changing and Improving
  • Managing a Quality Service
  • Delivering at Pace

Experience

You will also be assessed on experience relevant to the job description.

Please use STAR approach to structure your examples.

  • Situation – Describe the situation you found yourself in and what happened.
  • Task – The Hiring Manager will want to understand what you tried to achieve from the situation that you found yourself in.
  • Action – What actions did you take and how did you do it. Make sure to use “I”, not “we” to explain how your actions lead to a result.
  • Result – Use facts and statistics to demonstrate the results that your actions produced. Explain whether it was a successful outcome, and if not, what you learned from the experience.

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

Further information on the Success profile elements can be found on Success Profiles - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

We will consider applications from non-qualified candidates, who are willing to develop and work towards a recognised qualification in order to meet the full requirements of the role.

The specialist allowance may apply to fully qualified applicants with a commercial professional qualification, for example, MCIPS, World CC etc.

Further details can be provided during the recruitment process

The job holder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.

We will consider applications from non-qualified candidates, who are willing to develop and work towards a recognised qualification in order to meet the full requirements of the role.

The specialist allowance may apply to fully qualified applicants with a commercial professional qualification, for example, MCIPS, World CC etc.

Further details can be provided during the recruitment process

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.

Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks.

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.

All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.

Benefits

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Annual Leave

Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.

There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Pension

The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Training

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

Networks

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Support

  • A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
  • Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
  • For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on GOV.UK or Childcare Choices. You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
  • Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
  • Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.

For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please see our Disability Confident Scheme Frequently Asked Questions webpage.

You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team.

Diversity & 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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

To be confirmed

01/10/2024, 23:55 hours.

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com Please quote the job reference - 90368.

To apply for roles in MOJ you will need to confirm your employment history for at least 3 years prior to the date of application so that pre-employment checks (BPSS) can be undertaken. If you have spent significant time abroad (a total of 6 months in the past 3 years) you would be required to give a reasonable account of the reasons why. 

For some roles you will be required to successfully complete National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorism (CTC), Security Clearance (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV) level as a condition of appointment. To meet CTC/SC/DV requirements you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3/5/10 years prior to the date of application (The level of checks that are required are stated in the advert).

If you do not meet the above requirements, you may still be considered if, for example:

  • You've been serving overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of HM Government
  • You were studying abroad
  • You were living overseas with parents

In such cases you will need to be able to provide referee cover for the period(s) of residence overseas. The duration of overseas residence and the country of abode will also be taken into account.

Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.

if you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance

We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.


Application form stage assessments

Experience
CV
Statement of Suitability - 500 word limit

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

Interview stage assessments

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.
Behaviours
Making Effective Decisions
Changing and Improving
Managing a Quality Service
Delivering at Pace
Experience
Tell us about a time where you have supported the delivery of a strategic business objective, within a procurement or contract management setting if you have an example of this.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

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) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

· 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) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

This Vacancy is closed to applications.