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 Crown Commercial Service commercial team delivering departmental objectives.

Job description

Are you passionate about making a difference? Do you put the customer at the heart of what you do? Are you ready for a challenge that will deliver real benefits for UK Citizens?

At Crown Commercial Service (CCS), we use our commercial expertise to help our customers. CCS currently supports over 18,000 customers to annually buy c£23bn of common goods and services from c5000 suppliers. We work across central government, public and third sector (charities and social enterprises) organisations the length and breadth of the United Kingdom to purchase everything from the services of locum doctors and laptops, to police cars and electricity.

The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) provides Strategic Category direction to all government departments and the wider public sector by driving outstanding customer service, through continuous strategic engagement with the market and delivering innovative commercial solutions.

CCS is one of the largest procurement organisations in Europe, (around 700 people) providing commercial services to the public sector by improving the way we buy works, goods and services, saving money for the taxpayer and using government’s buying power to support the economy.

Working at the heart of government, CCS is a trading fund of the Cabinet Office, working closely with central government departments, supporting the commercial agenda of the Chief Exec of the Civil Service and partners and provides services to government departments and the wider public service.

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Energy category provides access to compliant, market leading, flexibly purchased electricity and gas solutions delivering a wide range of benefits to the public sector.

Over the last 10 years, the CCS Energy team has delivered more than £1bn of commercial benefits for all customers across all fuels, by using commercial and commodity expertise to gain maximum results from aggregation.

The Energy category in Crown Commercial Service sits within the Buildings pillar and is a strategic product hoping to deliver up to £100M savings. The team deliver energy solutions, trading and risk management for a wide range of products and services across the public sector in a rapidly evolving market.

Responsibilities

This is a senior commercial role which has the customer at its heart. It is a varied role at the centre of a fast paced market area and one that will keep you motivated and challenged each day. You will bring your knowledge of high value contract management, customer management principles and your awareness of data management as you support delivery of challenging objectives, and demonstrate value for money to the taxpayer by providing an end to end procurement service. You will deliver in this role by using insights based on real, up to date market knowledge to help identify and shape requirements up front and ensure that the best suppliers are engaged.
This role sits alongside two other Heads within the Energy category which when combined are responsible for the delivery of over £1.8Bn spend per annum of electricity, gas, fuels and water solutions with energy and gas being traded by our CCS energy traders.

As Head of Fuels and Portfolio Management, you will set the strategic direction and deliver the requirements of the fuel and water categories and the portfolio management function for the whole energy team. In addition, you will oversee the energy data team responsible for all data solutions supporting the delivery of the energy category.
You will be accountable for commercial activity and delivery of our service and as a senior procurement / commercial practitioner, you’ll need to be decisive as you:


• Lead the fuels and water category areas with a combined spend of over £240m per annum;


• Lead the energy specialist team who support all new and existing users of CCS energy solutions and are critical to the customer experience of all CCS Energy solutions;


• Lead the energy Data team to manage all data ranging from spend to consumption, meter information, delivery volumes and much more;


• Build and own risk profiles and design mitigation strategies and contingency plans to address identified risks;


• Work as part of the Leadership team, working on cross category initiatives to improve the overall performance of the category.

Technical skills

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

• Manages Complexity Experience of leading and managing commercial teams delivering the development, implementation and delivery of strategic high value contracts for the supply of goods and services
• Commercial Focus Customer and supplier relationship management experience within a commercial environment
• Builds Relationships Ability to lead and engage with stakeholders, putting the customer first
• Coaching Manager Creating a high performance culture in order to deliver against stretch targets
• Contract and Supply Management Experience of delivering the development, implementation and delivery of strategic high value contracts for the supply of goods and services