Commercial Manager, Operational, Technology and Corporate & Professional Pillar

Job Title: Commercial Manager, Operational, Technology and Corporate & Professional Pillar

Salary: Salary: £48,488 to £59,606 plus an allowance of £2,148 (Zone 1) or £1,341 (Zone 2) depending on Location. You will receive £48,488 the band minimum. Progress to the band maximum of £59,606 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 within the Commercial team, 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.

Commercial Manager – Category / Sourcing

Role Description

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 undertake 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. You will own key aspects of Category Management, including Strategy and Policy development, understanding needs and sourcing options, and the procurement process itself. You will feed into the wider Category Management team, working with a range of team members, internal and external stakeholders to drive improved commercial outcomes for MPS.

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:
  • Understanding MPS commercial strategy and feeding into planning based on commercial approaches that deliver requirements that are in line with business needs, category strategies and market trends
  • Feeding into 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
  • Understanding 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 on end-to-end strategic sourcing activities for MPS and serving as a subject matter expert
  • Working with key stakeholders to develop a clear and agreed view of business requirements, and supporting business units in articulating their commercial requirements
  • Advising and providing professional guidance throughout the sourcing process, considering and evaluating a range of sourcing models
  • Leading development of commercial input into business cases, demonstrating a project's benefits, value for money and risk
  • Influencing and shaping future procurement policy and standards across MPS
  • Identifying 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, including driving productivity opportunities with existing supply base to deliver further savings
  • Responsible for negotiation with 3rd parties where necessary, and has knowledge and experience relating to commercial negotiation techniques
  • Understanding and being accountable for sourcing compliance and frameworks
    

• Ensuring effective Commercial Contract and Supplier Management within the category:
  • Supporting in the contract management of Strategic contracts within relevant category
    

• Building and maintaining key relationships across the MPS and with important external stakeholders:
  • Developing effective working relationships with supplier organisations to establish appropriate governance and relationship arrangements, ensuring the effective management of clarifications and change requests
  • 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
  • Internal stakeholder will include MPS colleagues who are users and buyers of the goods and services within the category, and relevant business units; MPS colleagues within Corporate Services (e.g. Finance, Legal); and Police Staff and Police Officer colleagues
  • External stakeholders will include MOPAC officers; Partner Agencies staff as required; and appropriate level supplier relationships
    

• Enabling and developing the MPS:
  • Championing of procurement best practice and working with others to create a proactive and intelligent function
  • Contributing to the maintenance and updating of systems throughout the procurement lifecycle
  • Managing catalogues and commercial content, and may be responsible for owning key aspects of this
  • Working with key stakeholders to promote the use of catalogues
  • Playing a role in building capability of new starters and those on development programmes (e.g. students)
    

• Mentoring and providing guidance to junior members of the team
• Working within a secure environment upon sensitive projects as required

Commercial Manager (Contracts)

Role Description

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 undertake Contract Management activity for key contracts held within MPS, based on their size, complexity or risk. You will own the management of the day-to-day delivery of one or more contracts within the business, ensuring the best outcomes are achieved from the commercial life cycle activities, being accountable to the Commercial Lead/ Head of Commercial and drawing on support from Commercial Analysts or Contract Consultants.

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).

The role is varied, and to carry out successful contract management activity, you will work to mobilise contracts; manage the delivery and performance of the contract; carry out contract changes; manage risk within the contract; and be responsible for contract transition and exit.

This role is dedicated to the commercial contract management of a strategic supplier of medium complexity/ 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).

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:
  • Contributing to planning and strategy for re-procurement of relevant contracts and able to undertake soft market testing
    

• Ensuring effective Commercial Contract and Supplier Management within the category:
  • Evaluating the performance of suppliers against the specification, reporting regularly
  • Actively contributing to the management of the supply chain portfolio, including the development and implementation of supply chain and supplier relationship strategies
  • Acting as commercial lead, managing one or more contracts, ensuring effective stakeholder management, governance, performance management frameworks, escalation, risk management, issues resolution, financial management, change control and compliance
  • Developing and maintaining positive commercial relationships with the supply chain to maintain and enhance performance, improve service delivery and create additional value
  • Collate and verify commercial KPIs covering supplier performance, spend, contract compliance, VFM, risks and opportunities and gather it for reporting at governance level
  • Ensure the control and delivery of all spend through compliant contracts and make available through catalogues (or as otherwise appropriate) online
  • Help drive innovation in contracts to demonstrate continuous improvement. Continually analyse contracts in order to develop and drive value adding initiatives
  • On an ongoing basis, track operation demand and patterns and introduce demand management mechanisms where applicable
  • Work with, and support, other commercial contract managers to ensure clarity, resilience and consistency across the team and wider commercial family
  • Analysing and assessing supplier risk, understanding impact on contingency and business continuity, driving value for money whilst protecting MPS risk position
  • Tracking and owning risks relating to specific contracts, taking steps to mitigate commercial risks
  • Seeking out and integrating with key suppliers, developing relationships at all levels to promote commercial strategies across MPS
    

• Building and maintaining key relationships across the MPS and with important external stakeholders:
  • Building close relationships with senior business lead colleagues within MPS and relevant business units to ensure their needs are being met by the contract
  • Providing practical advice to stakeholders having identified, evaluated, negotiated and apportioned contract risks
  • Developing effective working relationships with supplier organisations to establish appropriate governance and relationship arrangements
  • Working with the Enablement & Performance team to inform and feed into relevant Supplier Relationship Management strategy
    

• Enabling and developing the MPS:
  • Supporting 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 (Contract Consultants and Commercial Analysts)
• 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. There are 5 roles available across; Corporate & Professional, Operational and 3 within Technology 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 Corporate & Professional Services pillar (annual spend of circa £150m) is responsible for the end to end commercial lifecycle for classic back office categories such as HR, contingent labour, consultancy and training, as well as commercial contract management of the strategic contracts within this pillar. Within this pillar we also have an embryonic team responsible for generating income from the MPS brand.

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 and online application form.

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