Procurement Lead

UKEF’s Commercial Function sits within the Resources Division which encompasses Corporate Services and ensures a smooth day-to-day operation for UKEF. The team is responsible for the delivery of all commercial activity including sourcing strategies, procurements and the implementation of government commercial standards across the organisation. This is a key function, critical to the success of UKEF’s business ventures which often rely on support from external suppliers.
The key areas within the UKEF Commercial function are:
+ Sourcing – developing sourcing strategies and leading the procurement of contracts to both service UKEF requirements and achieve value for money outcomes.
+ Projects, Partnerships & Policy – delivering commercial projects and implementing policy to embed best practice across the wider organisation and adhere to defined regulations.
+ Contract and Supplier Relationship Management – effective contract management to maximise supplier performance and value for money.
The Procurement Lead role will sit within the Sourcing Team; however, the expectation is that the successful candidate will work across multiple workstreams, supporting the over-arching strategy and vision of the wider function where required., The Procurement Lead role is a unique opportunity for a high performing individual who is seeking to build their public sector commercial career, focusing on procurement delivery and management of the commercial lifecycle. Not only will this role offer the opportunity to enhance your commercial career but will also provide the scope to help shape how a newly formed Commercial function will deliver an exceptional service for UKEF.
This is a hands-on role, with strong procurement and ability to manage a suite of complex sourcing projects being critical skills, along with the requisite interpersonal skills necessary to lead, support and work with our stakeholders. The role requires demonstrable experience of procurement delivery (desirable: within the public sector) and implementation of effective commercial lifecycle practices to drive behavioural change within an organisation.
This role provides an opportunity to:
+ Work within an integrated commercial functional team, working on delivering innovative commercial solutions which are critical to the success of
+ Work closely with internal colleagues to proactively seek opportunities to drive additional value and increase efficiency.
+ Drive overall functional development, encouraging teamwork and building effective relationships to deliver great commercial outcomes.
+ Influence how commercial excellence is set up at UKEF and be part of a new and growing team.
+ Be part of a function that directly supports many international organisations (public and or private) to develop local community infrastructure and deliver social impact.
Should you be successful in this role, there Is the opportunity to undertake an Apprenticeship (subject to course availability and candidate's existing qualifications)., + Prepare and deliver end-to-end procurements, including those subject to Public Contracts Regulations 2015. This will include development of tender documentation and leading/supporting tender activity.
+ Development of robust commercial strategies that will deliver effective contractual solutions, manage commercial risk and provide the best possible value for money.
+ Support the development and implementation of commercial performance measurement, regulatory compliance and process improvement.
+ Support reporting obligations for the Commercial function, servicing internal strategic and external regulatory requirements.
+ Support the management of the commercial pipeline and use the UKEF e-sourcing platform (Atamis) to enable accurate and timely reporting.
+ Work with colleagues across the function and wider business to identify opportunities to update and improve policies, processes, governance, and systems.
+ Engage with a diverse range of stakeholders in a timely and appropriate manner, providing specialist commercial advice and support to customers.
This list is not exhaustive, and you may be required to carry out additional duties according to business needs.

Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Managing a Quality Service
+ Working Together, We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
+ A 10-minute presentation (the topic will be determined by UKEF and be sent to all candidates to be interviewed in advance and will encompass the behaviour Communicating and Influencing).
+ A technical question at interview to assess your suitability for the role., All applications will be sifted against our essential criteria outlined in the personal specification.
+ Statement of suitability - you should fully articulate in 500 words how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification within the Information Pack.
For the initial sift your application will be evaluated against:
1. Experience - CV and Statement of Suitability.
If you are successful following the sift stage, you will be invited to an initial interview; this will include the following assessment:
1. Behaviours/Experience - a formal panel interview where you will be interviewed across all two behaviours highlighted below.
2. Technical
1. A 10-minute presentation (the topic will be determined by UKEF and be sent to all candidates to be interviewed in advance and will encompass the behaviour Communicating and Influencing).
2. A technical question at interview to assess your suitability for the role.
Details of interview panel members will be e-mailed to all successful candidates who are invited for interview.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
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).

Alongside your salary of £43,890, UK Export Finance contributes £12,714 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
+ Learning and development tailored to your role
+ An environment with flexible working options
+ A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
+ A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%