Category Lead – Framework Agreements

Reporting to a Senior Commercial Category Lead, the Commercial Lead is a key part of the Category team and has responsibility for ensuring the effective day to day management of Commercial Agreements (frameworks). This demands a significant level of customer and supplier relationship management, which are integral parts of the role.
Commercial Directorate Overview
Commercial is the largest directorate in CCS and is responsible for the design, development, implementation and management of our commercial agreements, which are used by our customers across the public sector. We have helped our customers spend more than £34 billion through the agreements we create and enjoy more than £3.5 billion in commercial benefits annually through our agreements.
Category management sits at the heart of CCS. We use our deep knowledge and expertise of public sector suppliers, to create market and category strategies. These strategies are used within CCS to create market leading commercial agreements that help shape how common goods and services are bought across the public sector. Our skills are also used in carrying out commercial policy, development of new products and services and supplier relationship management.
This is an exciting opportunity to join one of our teams in the HR & Workforce part of the Corporate Category Group. We are a supportive team of highly-experienced procurement and category management professionals., In this role you will lead and own commercial and procurement processes on behalf of CCS, as well as on behalf of a number of critical partnerships between CCS, its Customers and other buying organisations. You will contribute to delivering commercial excellence for CCS and its partnerships, through management of activity across the procurement and contract management lifecycle. You will provide a customer-focused service, understanding the business need and stakeholder drivers, with the aim of becoming a trusted commercial advisor. You will also develop relationships with key partners and suppliers, driving value for money and risk management excellence across the category, or categories.
Activities could vary from developing joint market strategies for Government, to delivering complex commercial agreements to being accountable for some of CCS’s most high-profile stakeholder relationships, all whilst ensuring compliance with the changing procurement legislative framework.
You will be managing a team, building their confidence and commercial capability to drive performance and manage setbacks. The role will also require you to use your commercial expertise to identify opportunities for improvement and implement these changes at a local level by working with affected parties and suppliers to identify and overcome challenges.
Locations, 1. Management of either the Public Sector Resourcing and Permanent Recruitment or the Non Clinical Staffing and Supply Teachers sub-categories:
+ Developing category strategies for all relevant expenditure
+ Coordinating spend data and insight within the category and owning demand management across the category
+ Ensuring category management processes are in place that enable the assessment of the market capabilities to meet the needs of users and the business
2. Ensuring effective Commercial Contract and Supplier Management within the category including delivery of continuous improvement and social value programmes where appropriate:
+ Engaging with Supplier Account Leads to support the transition of customers from the existing Public Sector Resourcing Agreement to the newly awarded Workforce Solutions Framework, including customer and supplier engagement, contract awareness, advisory support and project management.
+ Ensuring spend across the sub-categories is controlled and critical contracts are continually analysed in order to develop and drive value adding initiatives.
+ Oversee the SRM process within the sub-categories to drive supplier performance and ensure commercial rigour, quality of service and continuous improvement and innovation. Also leading on Strategic SRM relationships with key suppliers on behalf of the partnerships
+ Ensuring legal compliance and risk mitigation of contracts
3. Leading and developing innovative workforce solutions, including market and customer engagement.
4. Developing market sector knowledge and applying this to create a deep understanding of customer requirements, market capability and potential opportunities. Market Strategy Development focusing on the future of Total Talent Management and innovation.
5. Building and maintaining key relationships of influence with Senior stakeholders across CCS and within the Commercial and HR professions across the customer base, being a trusted advisor by:
+ Developing and owning relationships, building detailed knowledge of stakeholder needs in order to deliver value through sourcing and procurement activity
+ Providing procurement leadership and market insight to ensure maximum value for sub-category spend
+ Understanding and incorporating the policies within the Government’s Sourcing Playbook, the NHS England Agency Rules and Commercial Efficiency Programme Standards to support departments and wider public sector organisations to deliver on their requirements and achieve best value for money
+ Developing relationships with commercial and policy colleagues in key organisations (e.g. Central Government Departments, NHS England, Department for Education) and a network of contacts with other public sector bodies and wider industry to help deliver our service effectively
6. Working with customers across the NHS, schools, Local Authorities and Central Government, driving growth & retention. Management of pipeline opportunities against current products:
+ Supporting a range of customers in their requirements. Providing complex commercial advice to shape customer requirements, support and, where necessary, additional help in the production of their specification and call off competition documentation
+ Bringing the best of the external market to the department through leveraging industry best practice, market insights and knowledge
+ Ensuring all commercial activity represents best value for money via the delivery of commercial benefits. Overseeing creation and maintenance of monthly reports /dashboards to track savings, KPIs, commercial benefits and performance feedback. Supporting collection of data for ad hoc and ministerial/regulator requests
7. Leading Commercial input to understand relevant procurement options, delivering positive outcomes through the procurement process in collaboration with other internal functions, e.g. Procurement Operations, CXD, and Policy:
+ Finalising and approving commercial arrangements, including price and rate card activity
+ Preparing, developing and commissioning business cases, where necessary, to demonstrate the value, benefits and risks of sourcing activity
+ Leading across the NHS Workforce Alliance and Supply Teachers partnerships to ensure a high quality and joined-up approach
8. Line management responsibility for a team of Category Manager.
9. Travel in and around the UK as required/requested., We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
+ Market Insight – Current and advanced market knowledge related to recruitment framework supplier agreements and/or supplier insight in this sector understanding market limitation
+ Builds Relationships – Able to build strong, trusting and productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels through effective communications and personal impact
+ Coaching Manager – Able to shape, lead and coach a team to deliver high performance and support individual development, whilst having a broader focus on the wider team
+ Procurement Process – Able to engage internal and external stakeholders at all stages of the procurement process to deliver a critical/complex procurement outcome successfully
+ Contract and Supply Management – Evidence of leading on contracts of high value/complexity/reputational risk, ensuring security of supply throughout & demonstrating a focus on driving best value out of contracts, compliance & managing costs, If you are invited to attend a virtual ADC, but for any reason are unable to meet the date outlined then please get in touch with the team at commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible. The ADC is booked and paid for in advance by departments, therefore it is only in certain circumstances we are able to accommodate alternative dates.
Details of schemes available are attached in the advert.
For full details of our process, and a likely timeline, please read the explanation provided in the attached candidate pack.
Throughout our selection process, we will make decisions about your capability to do the job, based on evidence you provide against the essential criteria for the role which are detailed in the attached Candidate Pack.
Your application will be reviewed by a panel and should you be successful at sift we will invite you to attend a Virtual commercial Assessment and Development Centre (VADC). The panel will review results of the VADC and determine which candidates will go through to a subsequent final panel interview.
IMPORTANT: If you do not receive an acknowledgement of your application within 2 working days please contact: commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
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 counter-terrorist 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
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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).

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The successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. When selecting your location listed in this job advert please be aware that this will be your contractual base location with a requirement to spend a minimum of 60% of your working time in this organisational workplace. Your time spent on official duties at workplace locations other than your contractual office such as supplier, customer or partner locations required to perform your role is included in the 60% attendance. This requirement will however take into consideration any reasonable adjustments agreed upon appointment for people with a disability, flexibilities agreed for those with specific caring responsibilities, or other similar temporary flexibilities.

Do you want to progress your career in the UK’s largest public sector procurement organisation? If so, you will have the chance to create market leading commercial agreements that help shape how common goods and services are bought across the public sector., Please be advised that the Virtual ADC is taking place on 6th November 2024 and will require a full day's attendance.

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.