Commercial Lead, Vehicles, Operational, Technology Pillar

Job Title: Commercial Lead, Vehicles, Operational, Technology Pillar

Salary: Salary: £61,761 to £68,281 plus an allowance of £2,148 (Zone 1) or £1,341 (Zone 2) depending on Location. You will receive £61,761 the band minimum. Progress to the band maximum of £68,281 will be via incremental progression.

Location: London

MORE CHALLENGES.

MORE EXCITEMENT.

MORE OPPORTUNITIES.

BE AT THE HEART OF A CHANGING SERVICE.

Background to the Role

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Commercial Function are responsible for delivering end-to-end commercial lifecycle management and supporting the wider business in working with third parties.

The MPS spends about £800 million each year on a diverse range of goods and services and we aim to procure them in the most cost effective and compliant way, while satisfying often urgent operational needs. We proactively manage thirty large complex and operationally critical outsourced service contracts, to ensure that we receive the quality services we are paying for and achieve value for money through the entire life of the contract.

This is an exciting time to be working in commercial management for the MPS. The MPS Commercial Function are in the middle of a large-scale transformation, working to deliver the following strategic aims:

• Build a world class capability and team;
• Engage effectively with our markets and suppliers;
• Improving and simplifying how we work;
• Delivering outcomes through commercial policy.

In addition to large-scale transformation, there's the unique and ever-evolving challenge of policing London. This means that there are more opportunities for you to get involved with making London the safest global city in a time of unprecedented change within the UK's largest Police Service.

Role Description (Category)

This role is an integral part of Commercial Services. In 2020, the MPS Commercial Function revised its operating model, establishing six Pillars which have overall accountability for activity covering the commercial life cycle, as well as relevant Business Partnering responsibilities across the wider business.

In this role you will be expected to lead on Category Management, contributing to delivering Commercial Excellence for the Met, providing 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 MPS’s key and strategic suppliers, driving value for money and risk management excellence across the category.

You will play an essential part in leading parts of the overall commercial life cycle, primarily focused on the key aspects of Category Management, including Strategy and Policy development, understanding needs and sourcing options, and the procurement process itself. This will be done through the development and execution of category management strategies, leading supplier negotiations, where needed, and delivering timely and effective support, guidance and expertise to the business. As a leader in the Commercial function, you will support rolling out commercial standards across the organisation.

The MPS Commercial Function is aligning its roles with the levels of the Government Commercial Organisation, which sits within the Government Commercial Function. The typical attributes of a Commercial Lead can be found in the Government Commercial Function People Standards.

A Commercial Lead is broadly defined as: Typically, a commercial manager who provides leadership and management to a small team and actively seeks to build their capability.

Key Responsibilities

What does the average day look like? Your core duties will include (but are not limited to):

• Strategic delivery and management within a category:
  • Developing commercial approaches that deliver requirements that are in line with business needs, category strategies and market trends
  • The development of category strategies and delivery of sourcing requirement within Commercial Services, as part of the
    team supporting business as usual and project activities
  • Understands demand by forecasting and planning requirements with internal stakeholders and suppliers
  • Developing and maintaining category plans for key spend areas

• Understands relevant sourcing options and analysis, and delivers positive outcomes through the procurement process:
  • Performing end-to-end strategic sourcing activities for MPS and serving as a subject matter expert
  • Works with key stakeholders to develop a clear and agreed view of business requirements, and supports business units in articulating their commercial requirements
  • Advising and providing professional guidance throughout the sourcing process, considering and evaluating a range of sourcing models
  • Supports the development of options for a business case, including articulating associated benefits and producing supporting arguments for the preferred option
  • Identifies opportunities to develop collaborative partnerships with suppliers
  • Provides a procurement service to the MPS which delivers demonstrable value for money and compliant goods and services contracts as part of a team of procurement professionals on larger procurement activities
  • Leading negotiation relating to commercial activity, and has knowledge and experience with negotiation techniques. Leads and guides others in negotiation
  • Understanding and being accountable for sourcing compliance and frameworks

• Ensuring effective Commercial Contract and Supplier Management within the category:
  • Supports Contract Management of contracts within relevant category

• Building and maintaining key relationships across the MPS and with important external stakeholders:
  • Developing key stakeholder relationships, enabling early engagement and challenging business need and demand. Seeks early active involvement of internal stakeholders in the sourcing process. Internal stakeholders will include MPS colleagues who are users and buyers of the goods and services within the category, and relevant business units and MPS colleagues within Corporate Services (e.g. Finance, Legal).
  • Provision of commercial advice to stakeholders on all aspects of commercial
  • Engaging, where required, with the relevant senior business lead, ensuring that business requirements are supported by category strategies
  • Working closely with external stakeholders, including MOPAC, Home Office, ACPO

• Enabling and developing the MPS:
  • Feeds into catalogue and content management for the MPS, setting the direction for their category

• Performance and day-to-day management of category team where applicable
• Deputise for Head of Category if required
• Working within a secure environment upon sensitive projects as required

Job Description (Contracts)

This role is an integral part of Commercial Services. In 2020, the MPS Commercial Function revised its operating model, establishing six Pillars which have overall accountability for activity covering the commercial life cycle, as well as relevant Business Partnering responsibilities across the wider business.

In this role you will be expected to lead on Contract Management for one (or more) of MPS’s most high-profile, complex and strategic contracts. You will be contributing to delivering Commercial Excellence for the Met, providing a customer focused service, understanding the business need and stakeholder drivers, with the aim of becoming a trusted commercial advisor. You will be required to work closely with colleagues across the MPS, working with one of the MPS’s Business Groups of Intelligent Client Functions (ICFs). You will also work closely with colleagues within the commercial function to contribute and feed into the category strategies impacted by the contract, and offer insight and best practice across the wider team.

This role is dedicated to the commercial contract management of strategic suppliers which is also high complexity and value. You will be expected to work autonomously to ensure effective stakeholder management and work within the commercial and wider MPS governance framework processes and procedures. You will drive performance management, risk management, issues resolution, financial management, change control and overall contract and statutory compliance whilst being responsible for in continuous improvement (service and value).

As a leader in the Commercial function, you will support rolling out contract management standards across the organisation.

The MPS Commercial Function is aligning its roles with the levels of the Government Commercial Organisation, which sits within the Government Commercial Function. The typical attributes of a Commercial Lead can be found in the Government Commercial Function People Standards.

A Commercial Lead is broadly defined as: Typically, a commercial manager who provides leadership and management to a small team and actively seeks to build their capability.

Key Responsibilities

What does the average day look like? Your core duties will include (but are not limited to):

• Strategic delivery and management within a category:
  • Inputting into wider Category Strategy, bringing insight and analysis gained from managing a contract / contracts

• Understands relevant sourcing options and analysis, and delivers positive outcomes through the procurement process:
  • Leading planning and strategy for re-procurement of relevant contracts and able to undertake soft market testing
  • Performing some sourcing activities related to relevant contracts or stakeholders

• Ensuring effective Commercial Contract and Supplier Management within the category:
  • Managing contract variations, providing practical advice and strategic direction
  • Evaluating whether a contract is achieving a successful return on investment, in the light of value for money considerations
  • Overseeing the realisation of benefits achieved as a result of the performance management regime or change control, and challenging non-delivery of benefits and escalates when required
  • Evaluating the performance of suppliers against the specification, reporting regularly
  • Driving innovation and improvement in contracts
  • Managing risk and reward mechanisms in contracts and key performance indicators
  • Identifying where changes in the contract are required and adopts strategies to implement these
  • Monitoring progress against the business objectives and works with suppliers and customers to develop improvements
  • Actively managing strategic relationships to deliver mutual benefit for those involved
  • At a delivery level, holding both suppliers and customers accountable for living up to their contractual commitments. Resolving disputes effectively and efficiently
  • Performing contract exit activity, from pre-emptive action to transactional, process led tasks
  • Managing the disposal process of assets that are no longer needed once the current contract expires
  • Advising on and mitigating risks to the continuity of supply, and owning business continuity approach for relevant contract(s)

• Building and maintaining key relationships across the MPS and with important external stakeholders:
  • Managing supplier relationships and contract teams giving day-to-day oversight of contracts
  • Providing practical advice to stakeholders having identified, evaluated, negotiated and apportioned contract risks
  • Building close relationships with senior business lead colleague within MPS and relevant business units to ensure their needs are being met by the contract, along with colleagues in Corporate Services (Finance, Legal) as required
  • Working with the Enablement & Performance team to conduct an appropriate Supplier Relationship Management strategy

• Enabling and developing the MPS:
  • Leading the roll out of Contract Management framework across MPS
  • Sharing best practice contract management across MPS
  • Responsible for data relating to contract and keeping this up to date within MPS systems

• Performance and day-to-day management of a team where applicable
• Mentoring and providing guidance to junior members of the team
• Working within a secure environment upon sensitive projects as required

The MPS Commercial Services department is made up of 6 category pillars: Property, IT, Operations, CT & Covert, Vehicles and Corporate and Professional Services. These teams are enabled by the seventh team, Enablement & Performance. The vacancies are across; Technology, Vehicles and Operational Pillar.

The Technology Pillar, has responsibility for the Software and Infrastructure category as well as the management of large ICT projects across the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). The accountability sits across the whole commercial lifecycle from category management to contract management including all of the Platinum contracts. The prime stakeholders are the Digital Policing leadership team. This will require an agile and highly capable supply chain to support the ambition set out to transform the way future policing is delivered in London and possibly beyond.

The Vehicles Pillar, has the responsibility of working with key internal customers is the Met Operations pillar, responsible for Fleet, Aviation and Drones designed to support the growing needs of our officers in the ever changing environment they work in on a day to day basis. This will require an agile and highly capable supply chain to support the ambition set out to transform the way future policing is delivered in London and possibly beyond.

The Operational Pillar, has the responsibility of working with key internal customers in both Front Line Policing and Met Operations and are responsible or sourcing and managing suppliers for a wide range of goods and services from firearms and forensic services to animal feed and uniform. This will require an agile and highly capable supply chain to support the ambition set out to transform the way future policing is delivered in London and possibly beyond.

Please click on the below link to view an online candidate information pack that will you give you an insight into the Met, the competency framework we use which shapes our daily work behaviours, the application process and a host of other information, that will help inform and support your application:

https://sscl-innovation.com/MPScandidatepack/

To apply, please visit our website to download a role-specific information pack. Applications will be via a detailed CV,

Completed applications must be submitted by 11th December 2020.

We view diversity as fundamental to our success. To tackle today’s complex policing challenges, we need a workforce made up from all of London’s communities. Applications from across the community are therefore essential.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer the Met have committed to ensuring that disabled people and those with long-term health conditions have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations.

www.metpolicecareers.co.uk