Commercial Lead (Sourcing and Contracts)
14848
Job Title: Commercial Lead (Sourcing and Contracts)
Salary: £64,170 to £70,690 plus a Location allowance of £1,721. You will receive £64,170, the band minimum. Progress to the band maximum of £70,690 will be via incremental progression.
Location: Kilburn
Role Description
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.
This role sits in the Corporate & Professional Services (CaPS) pillar, which has an annual spend of circa £208m and is responsible for the end-to-end commercial lifecycle for enabling categories such as HR, contingent labour, consultancy and training, as well as commercial contract management of the strategic contracts within this pillar.
This role is an integral part of the Professional Services team within the CaPS pillar supporting the Transformation Directorate with their Professional Service requirements, to support delivery of the Commissioners Turnaround Plan.
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. Specifically running multiple high-profile procurements to support the delivery of up to 24 transformation mandates and the contract management of the transformation change delivery framework (£20m total value).
You will also work closely with colleagues within the commercial function to contribute and feed into the category strategies and offer insight and best practice across the wider team. 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 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 continuous improvement (service and value).
As a leader in the Commercial function, you will support rolling out contract management standards across the organisation.
Key Responsibilities
What does the average day look like? Your core duties will include (but are not limited to):
Ensuring effective Commercial Contract and Supplier Management within the category:
- Ensuring effective day to day delivery of the contract against its objectives
- Managing contract variations, providing practical advice and strategic direction. Identifying where changes in the contract are required and adopts strategies to implement these
- 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
- 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)
Strategic delivery and management within a category:
- Inputting into wider Category Strategy, bringing insight and analysis gained from managing a contract / contracts
- 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 the pillar, 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:
- Leading planning and strategy for re-procurement of relevant contracts and able to undertake soft market testing
- 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
Building and maintaining key relationships across the MPS and with important external stakeholders:
- Managing supplier and stakeholder relationships effectively to deliver organisational benefits.
- Providing practical advice to stakeholders enabling early engagement and challenging business need and demand as well as reviewing contract risks. Seeks early active involvement of internal stakeholders in the sourcing process and contract management. 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 the Forensic function.
- Building close relationships with senior business lead colleagues within MPS and relevant business units to provide commercial advice, along with colleagues in Corporate Services (Finance, Legal) as required
- Building relationships with national organisations and Police Forces to share information and best practice
- Working with the Enablement & Performance team to conduct an appropriate Supplier Relationship Management strategy for any strategic suppliers.
- 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
- 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
Leadership and managing performance
- 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
- Deputise for Head of Category if required
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/
Click the apply now button below and start your career at the Met. Applications will be via a detailed CV, Personal Statement and online application form. Your personal statement should outline why you are interested in the role and how your skills and experience demonstrate your suitability for the role. (NB. Please do not attach 2 copies of your CV).
Completed applications must be submitted by 8th June 2023.
Essential Criteria
Roles in Commercial Services are aligned with the levels of the Government Commercial Organisation, which sits within the Government Commercial Function. This role has been mapped to Commercial Lead level. Paper sift, Assessment and Development Centre, and interview selection is undertaken against the Government Commercial Function People Standards for this level.
Candidates must submit a curriculum vitae and statement of suitability, both evidencing how they meet the following essential criteria:
- Experienced and knowledgeable in how the market works and what drives business decisions, innovations and commercial strategy in consumers and suppliers alike.
- Evidence of having delivered organisational benefits to customers through effective design and/or implementation of procurement / contract management strategies; able to describe value add and savings in a strategic context in a complex commercial environment
- Excellent understanding of sourcing and procurement methodologies, ideally within a regulated or 4 public sector environment
- Experience of developing, delivering, and implementing contract management plans evidencing commercial management and delivery at senior level in complex and high value environments
- Evidence of developing effective supplier relationships and the ability to resolve issues in performance or variations in supply without the need for legal or contractual recourse, working in partnership to deliver continuous improvement and innovation for all parties including complex performance management and incentivisation mechanisms
- Experience working and effectively influencing senior stakeholders with or without authority projecting personal impact and credibility at all levels (including senior) of the organisation and the external market, demonstrating an ability to influence, persuade and effectively communicate
- Ability to prioritise and manage a demanding workload whilst balancing both operationally urgent and important tasks to deliver to deadlines aligned with strong project management capabilities gained through practical professional experience,
- Evidence of inspirational and inclusive leadership, developing a professional culture and building commercial capability. Empowers team members through coaching, mentoring and sharing of expertise/knowledge
Desirable Criteria
- Working knowledge of purchasing processes and systems (Purchase-to-Pay)
- CIPS qualification / IACCM certification (or working towards)
- Experience of designing and implementing category strategies
Values
All Met Values will be assessed at interview stage.
Disability Confident Statement
The Met is committed to being an inclusive employer with a diverse and representative workforce at all levels. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible range of backgrounds, cultures and experiences. We particularly welcome applications from ethnic minority groups and females.
As a Disability Confident employer, the Met has committed to making disability equality part of our everyday practice. We ensure that people with disabilities and those with long term health conditions have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations. If you consider yourself to have access, workplace or reasonable adjustment requirements that need to be accommodated, we ask that you include this information within your application form. All matters will be treated in strict confidence and will not affect any recruitment decisions.
Read our full disability confidence statement.
This opportunity is closed to applications.