Head of Commercial - Manchester Digital Campus

Manchester Digital Campus

The Manchester Digital Campus (MDC) is part of the Governments Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP), and is an exciting transformation across multiple Government departments.

A central Manchester brownfield development site will become the vibrant workplace for well over 8,000 people (including ministers) from the digitally focused departments. MDC will strengthen HMGs skills, innovation and enable multi-department careers, whilst learning from and contributing to the exciting digital/AI sector in Manchester and the North West. The programme completes in 2032.

Specific security requirements have been set for MDC, and will be discussed with you during the recruitment process. SC is the minimum vetting requirement to start in MDC posts. MDC may subsequently offer the opportunity to sponsor your DV application in this role.

The MDC team are all expected to have a significant presence in Manchester (averaging at least 2-days a week). Regular travel is expected to attend GPA offices, and partner locations, especially London and occasionally Birmingham. The role involves hybrid working with an expectation of office/meeting attendance on three days a week or more as the project demands.

As the Head of Commercial for the Manchester Digital Campus (MDC) you will be dedicated to this Programme to ensure the whole programme maximises commercial opportunities and value.

You will continue development of the procurement strategy, market engagement and contracting approach (from those within the Outline Business Case) for the c.1bn, 5-year main construction and fit out under a JCT model, overseeing competitions and support the project director in successfully managing the contract through to its commercial and financial completion.

You will need to pay particular attention to continued financial stability, ensuring procurement programme resilience and continuity in a changing economic context. Lower value, but equally important are the effective management of pre-construction works, client side support and the development of income generation propositions supporting the wider programmes strategic aims.

You will provide commercial leadership across the whole programme, developing the whole teams commercial thinking and skill set. You will be focused heavily on the infrastructure delivery (a 1bn+ contract). whilst working closely with both project directors, together with the leads of the wider strands (or Lines of Development), finance team and SRO to support the whole programme, ensuring the commercial approach across the whole of MDC is generating best value from the market, maximising social value and alive to income generation opportunities. You will line-manage the small MDC Commercial team, shaping and growing the team, building its capacity and capability, within the wider GPA commercial function and delivering the required commercial outcomes.

You will need construction sector experience and commercial and financial acumen to deliver innovative routes to market, and will work closely with the GPAs construction partners and professional client side support team.

As part of the leadership team the successful candidate will help create the culture for everyone to thrive; its a matrixed, multi-disciplinary team. The MDC ways of working have been set out as:

• SRO and programme deliver for the whole system, part of all the departments involved;
• Collective, transparent delivery;
• Maximise HMG and UK Benefit;
• Digital and innovative by default;
• Psychological safety in all we do; and
• Robust, proportionate foundations.

MDC needs commercial acumen: An in-depth knowledge and understanding of the procurement and management of professional services partner and construction partner contracts, including handling challenging commercial relationships. Ability to maintain a commercial focus with experience of enhancing and delivering value and continuous improvement through hands-on leadership.

MDC needs construction experience, Experience of procuring and managing very large contracts delivering large-scale construction and technical support services. A thorough understanding of Public Procurement with particular experience in the property construction sector. Demonstrate a trusting, effective working partnership with Crown Commercial Service (CCS) to utilise their category and sourcing teams for timely and compliant procurement.

MDC needs a risk mindset: MDC is a major programme, with complex requirements and a JCT24 contract form using firm, fixed and target cost; more widely the client side professional services are critical to delivery, the matrix team structure adds complexity.

MDC necessitates managing complexity: MDC is a major programme with multiple policy, regulatory and departmental drivers. The commercial structure needs to balance these drives and the conflicting change they can introduce.

There will be initially management of two direct reports who will also be commercial specialists. MDC is a matrix management model and this individual will be providing commercial leadership more widely. As the programme progresses all the teams will be kept under review and could expand with further Civil Service or interim/service contractor staff.

Key responsibilities

• Strategic commercial and procurement leadership across MDC.
• Contract management
• Compliance and risk management
• Value generation
• Governance and stakeholders
• You will be part of the MDC Exec working together across all the pillars, embedding the GPA values and the MDC delivery principles, with dotted line reporting to the GPA Head of Commercial and membership of the Finance directorate leadership team of which Commercial forms a key component.

Locations:

The successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. When selecting your location listed in this job advert please be aware that this will be your contractual base location with a requirement to spend a minimum of 60% of your working time in this organisational workplace.

Your time spent on official duties at workplace locations other than your contractual office such as supplier, customer or partner locations required to perform your role is included in the 60% attendance.

This requirement will however take into consideration any reasonable adjustments agreed upon appointment for people with a disability, flexibilities agreed for those with specific caring responsibilities, or other similar temporary flexibilities.

• A thorough understanding of Public Procurement with particular experience preferably in JCT contracts and the construction sector. Demonstrate a trusting, effective working partnership with Crown Commercial Service (CCS) to utilise their category and sourcing teams for timely and compliant procurement.
• Able to navigate often complex and demanding regulatory, commercial and political landscapes, all the ...