About the job

Summary

Building a strong Commercial Function in Government, and with it the right commercial capability, is at the heart of a far-reaching programme of Civil Service reform.

We are building a cadre of commercial talent in all Government departments; people who can manage our commercial portfolios, who can lead our most complex and novel programmes and projects, people who have the gravitas and depth of experience to work alongside our policy and operational leaders to develop innovative commercial arrangements, whether through joint ventures, outsourcing or best-in-class contracts.

The Government Commercial Organisation is an employer which is truly committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and are able to perform to their potential. We understand the importance of diversity and inclusion and strive for a workplace that reflects the communities which we serve. We especially welcome applications from underrepresented groups including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, candidates with a disability and candidates with gender-diverse identities. Appointments will be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.

We have already made significant progress through the establishment of the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO), our single employer of senior commercial talent across government. This role will sit within the GCO, but based in our HMRC commercial team delivering departmental objectives.

Job description

The post being advertised is within HMRC Commercial Directorate’s Banking and Financial Services team. The majority of the team are currently based in London, but these positions can be based in London (Stratford), Manchester (Salford), or Telford.

HMRC is a very large and complex organisation and the goods and services it requires from third parties to enable HMRC people to carry out their work effectively ranges from everyday commodities to innovative commercial arrangements supporting frontline delivery. We provide a comprehensive service across the whole commercial lifecycle to all areas of HMRC and our operating model continues to evolve as we create the capacity and capability needed to deliver future business as usual and transformation.

The work carried out by the Banking and Financial Services team is key to delivering the first 2 of HMRC’s key objectives:

• Collect the right tax and pay out the right financial support;


• Make it easy to get tax right and hard to bend or break the rules.

The Banking and Financial Services sub-category has an annual spend under management of circa £140m. The projects we are responsible for enable HMRC to accept tax payments, reduce fraud, collect debt and deliver cross-government contracts for banking. We regularly work with colleagues across government, so this category is centred around relationship building and collaboration. The Financial Services industry has seen a lot of innovation in recent years and so the category has grown in tandem to make the new services available to the public.

The successful candidate will be responsible for delivering high priority aspects of HMRC’s Banking and Financial Services Commercial strategy, along with the associated sourcing strategies.

There will be the opportunity to contribute to the further development of deep category expertise within your team, with a view to increasing the level of commerciality, the operational execution and stakeholder/supplier engagement in general.

We can offer outstanding development opportunities within HMRC, and the wider Government Commercial Function.

Responsibilities

• Input and develop world class, market leading category strategies for their categories;


• Lead and influence stakeholders with in depth market knowledge acting as a source of insight and advice to customers, working with them to define optimal commercial strategies that deliver long term value and efficiencies;


• Effectively engage with stakeholders, building trust in order to drive compliance and influence behaviours and drive change in service and performance and secure optimum outcomes for HMRC as a whole;


• Provide commercial support and guidance to management and other stakeholders (internal and external), ensuring “best outcome” commercial solutions are delivered in line with HMRC Category strategies;


• Demonstrate added value by creating a deep understanding of customer requirements in area of responsibility;


• Effective management of the commercial pipeline for banking and financial services to align with HMRC’s strategy;


• Be responsible for the development, review, negotiation and execution of large, complex contracts (existing and new);


• Ensure agreed cost savings targets are met and initiatives are delivered that increase efficiency whilst maintaining adequate performance and risk management;


• Make a significant contribution to the building of a culture of continuous improvement within the wider Corporate Services Category and HMRC Commercial Directorate.

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Market Insight - Ability to learn about new markets quickly and the ability to understand market dynamics to provide specific market insight to aid decision making along with skills in procuring, negotiating and delivering services;
• Commercial Focus - Experience advising on complex commercial projects involving novel and non-standard commercial and contractual mechanisms. Providing solutions that drive great value for money outcomes and strong customer outcomes;
• Builds Relationships - Ability to develop effective relationships with stakeholders at all levels in a complex and strategic commercial environment, through effective communication, gravitas and personal impact;
• Coaching Manager - Ability to lead, engage and manage people, creating a high-performance culture in order to deliver against stretch targets both during and following a significant period of change;
• Strategy and Policy Development - Input and develop world class, market leading category strategies for their categories.