Commercial Specialist Strategy, Policy and Capability

The role is part of Group Commercial Directorates (GCD) Senior Management Team (SMT), all of whom are members of the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO), the role holder will lead the Commercial Strategy Policy and Capability Team (SPC), comprising 14 posts.

The role holder will be expected to work in a flexible and agile way to meet emerging business needs. The Divisions formal responsibilities are to provide leadership on commercial strategy, policy and capability in central Department for Transport (DfTc) and the wider DfT Group.

The incumbent will work with the DfT Group Commercial Director and other Deputy Directors to collectively lead the GCD, enabling the delivery of their own and their colleagues objectives, collectively managing budgets and headcount delegations to ensure we remain within these at a GCD level, aligning the GCD workforce to deliverables and risks.

The role holder will be expected to work in a flexible and agile way to meet emerging business needs. The Divisions formal responsibilities are to provide leadership on commercial strategy, policy and capability in central Department for Transport (DfTc) and the wider DfT Group.

The incumbent will work with the DfT Group Commercial Director and other Deputy Directors to collectively lead the GCD, enabling the delivery of their own and their colleagues objectives, collectively managing budgets and headcount delegations to ensure we remain within these at a GCD level, aligning the GCD workforce to deliverables and risks.

• Co-deputise from time to time for the Group Commercial Director.
• Play a pro-active role in leading Group Commercial Directorate, facilitating the achievement of Group Commercials strategic objectives.
• Manage 3 Grade 6s who lead the Strategy, Policy and Capability teams.
• Engage with Cabinet Office and Government Commercial Agency to influence central government policy and ensure it is fit for purpose for the DfT Group, ensuring that robust business impact assessments are undertaken for all commercial policy requirements.
• As a member of the Commercial Assurance Board (CAB), ensure projects presented to the board align to (or have a derogation from) the Group Commercial Strategy, DfT Commercial Policies and seek assurance that the project teams have the requisite commercial capabilities.
• Work with key stakeholders to agree a process for assessing policy compliance in DfTc procurements, which will include agreeing discrete policy areas for assessment, and the methodology and frequency of the assessments.
• Maintain commercial operating architecture, including scheme of Contractual Delegations, and complete yearly review of delegations including compliance with training requirements.
• Lead development and delivery of Contract Management policy and strategy in DfTc, including the development of commercial capability in critical areas.
• Build organisational confidence and capability in the new Procurement Act 2023 to exploit the new possibilities it affords DfT Group and the roll-out of the Governments mission-led approach.
• Maintain effective policy controls for consultancy spend and improve capability in DfTc to manage consultancy effectively and report consultancy spent to Executive Committee.
• Review and make a proposal to improve the Low Value Purchasing policy, including low value thresholds to ensure the process is efficient, controlled and delivers a good commercial outcome. Consider if AI can be used to automate and achieve efficiencies.
• Deliver CIPS Standard Corporate Accreditation lessons learned and determine if case exists for future accreditations.
• Horizon scan and lead and deliver DfT commercial approaches to emerging areas, including procuring innovation, science and technology, embedding commercial guidance in BAU processes and ways of working.
• Maintain and update the DfT Group Commercial Strategy, ensuring alignment with the Government Commercial Function.
• Improve contract management capability in DfTc and consider the best contract management accreditations to achieve this.
• Provide robust commercial capability consultancy to DfTc and the DfT Group through advice and guidance on learning and development best practice, ensuring that commercial job descriptions are used consistently across DfTc, including the provision of bespoke learning solutions and business impact assessments and creating a culture of efficiency through self-service.
• Manage and control of the Divisions learning and development budget, ensuring that the appropriate controls are followed and value for money is achieved.
• Maintain a strong external supply chain presence by attending meet the buyer events and other external engagements.