Associate Commercial Specialist

Overview

Associate Commercial Specialist role at HM Revenue & Customs. Locations: Manchester, Liverpool or Telford. Length: 4 months contract with potential to be extended to 6 months. Salary: Competitive.

HMRC are recruiting an Interim Associate Commercial Specialist within the Commercial directorate to lead the Digital Service and Testing Applications procurement team. The role reports to the Deputy Commercial Director for IT and leads a procurement team of 6 commercial professionals, responsible for the commercial strategy, implementation, and ongoing procurement of over £200m per year of testing and automation technology to support HMRC’s tax platforms. These procurements range from highly complex and mission critical services to transactional procurements. You will develop the core team, lead procurement and sourcing activity, refresh the category strategy, and build strong relationships with key stakeholders in HMRC’s CDIO technology Division.

HMRC’s commercial team consists of 250 people across Category Management and Sourcing, Contract Management and Strategic Sourcing. This role sits within the pre-award IT Applications team in the Category Management and Sourcing section. It is one of four pre-award teams, alongside IT Infrastructure, People and Professional Services, and Corporate Services. The IT Applications team covers Customer Engagement technology, Digital, Service and Testing applications, and Core business Applications and Innovation. This team includes 24 staff and support from 3rd party and internal HMRC resources for key programmes.

If you want to support one of the most complex Government departments, delivering transformational technology change through your commercial expertise to deliver the UK’s Government missions, we would be delighted to talk to you.

Reporting to a Commercial Deputy Director, you will lead a portfolio of IT Applications commercial specialists with a team of 6 sourcing specialists: 2 Commercial Leads, 2 Senior Executive Officers, and 1 Higher Executive Officer and 1 Executive Officer.

You will be accountable for the overall category strategy to deliver innovative, competitive, and compliant commercial outcomes aligned to HMRC objectives and maximise value for money. You will develop trusted relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders, particularly in HMRC’s CDIO technology Division. As part of the Extended Senior Leadership Team, you will provide leadership to your Category Team and the wider Commercial Directorate, and support talent development.

Role responsibilities

  • Lead and provide direction for an overall category plan and future requirements, in conjunction with key stakeholders across functions, overseeing the procurement process across the category scope.
  • Develop and maintain strategic stakeholder relationships, providing focused commercial and category advice.
  • Influence business needs, organisational objectives, and policy using commercial acumen and category knowledge; maximise market intelligence and consider innovative suppliers and solutions for all commercial activities.
  • Identify opportunities across micro and macro environments to drive improved value through innovative solutions.
  • Collaborate with the business customer as a partner and with Commercial Contract Management to provide a seamless strategic commercial service, including analysis to support make-or-buy decisions, market engagement, and delivery of competitive processes to select/appoint suppliers and award contracts for goods and services.

Person Specification / Qualifications

  • MCIPS or equivalent professional experience.
  • Driving and delivering the Category Strategy with end-to-end ownership across multiple category lifecycles in complex environments.
  • Develop specialist knowledge of markets, suppliers, commercial models and value levers; ensure procurements comply with HMG & HMRC policies and regulations.
  • Strong team leadership, stakeholder relationship management, risk management and planning skills; oversee procurement processes within the category including category-specific pre-market engagement.
  • Ability to work in a complex stakeholder environment as a trusted advisor and partner.
  • Ability to balance commercial risks and opportunities and understand margins of error in recommendations for customers and stakeholders.
  • Experience leading complex commercial activities across the full commercial lifecycle; drive strategies delivering significant upskilling and commercial benefit.
  • Ability to challenge senior stakeholders, work under pressure, and deliver multiple projects within agreed timescales.
  • Experience developing strategies for high-value/risk, critical/complex procurements and leading end-to-end delivery of these initiatives.

Seniority and Employment

  • Seniority level: Mid-Senior level
  • Employment type: Contract
  • Job function: Government Administration

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#J-18808-Ljbffr Salary: GBP 30000 - 42000 per year
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