Commercial Practitioner

Reporting to a Commercial Category Lead, the Commercial Practitioner is a key part of the Category team and has responsibility for ensuring the effective day to day management of Commercial Agreements (frameworks). This demands a significant level of customer and supplier relationship management, which are integral parts of the role., This is an exciting opportunity to join one of our fifteen teams across our three categories, all of which manages over £34bn of Public Sector spending. We are a supportive team of highly-experienced procurement and category management professionals.

Our Categories:

Corporate Solutions - Helping the Public Sector with everything from management consultancy and legal advice, to temporary and permanent recruitment, apprenticeship training, learning and development, interpreting and translation services, contact centre solutions and more

Estates - Our wide range of commercial agreements can help the public sector to buy everything they need to build a better, greener and more sustainable future. Our industry experts manage all estates related needs cost effectively, efficiently and compliantly, while meeting government policies and targets: from social value to carbon net zero.

Technology - We help public sector customers buy and make the best use of technology in their organisations. We work closely with customers and suppliers to make sure we keep up with market developments, customer needs and enable digital transformation.

We support government projects and programmes of national UK significance - helping the public sector to build back better.

Our Commercial Team is transforming to become even more flexible. Candidates should be aware that there will be opportunities to flex into other category areas as required, either to meet business needs and/or for staff development.,

• Direct on the end to end Category management of our Commercial Agreements


• Lead on supplier relationship management, including the collection of supplier and customer management information, financial reporting, updating and assessing multiple data sources to identify trends and spending behaviours.


• Work in collaboration with suppliers to identify and drive on customer focused initiatives, networks and forums that will drive better buying behaviours and value across the public sector


• Proactively counsel on customer relationship management activities that build strong relationships with key customers, including the management of customer partnerships where applicable, to comprehend their business needs and intent to define how and where the CCS portfolio may support their business


• Act as a source of apt knowledge and advice for our customers in the relevant category, influencing their buying behaviours and aiding their call-off activities and commercial strategies where required


• Assisting the Category Lead in updating and developing the category strategy and heading on the presentation of this to key stakeholders as necessary.


• Counsel and/or assist the Implementation of initiatives, engagement and communication plans to retain and attract customers across one of the fifteen commercial categories in collaboration with other parts of the organisation.


• Helping with the development of other team members, ensuring resilience in the team either directly or through a matrix managed style approach.


• Identifying and providing recommendations for improvement of processes and implementing solutions to the benefit of CCS and the customer.


• Maintaining and evaluating data from a variety of digital systems, for which full training will be provided, to identify opportunities and initiatives that could deliver value.


• Communicating effectively to personnel of differing levels of seniority, using a variety of styles and methods that match the audience.


• Work across the category in a collaborative manner and on occasions direct and/or represent the commercial team on agreed corporate initiatives.


• Aiding, and at times heading, on the development of the commercial strategy and procurement of future commercial agreements


• Some travel will be required to customer and supplier premises and other CCS offices across the United Kingdom., We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:


• Category strategy


• Contract and supplier management, UK nationals


• nationals of the Republic of Ireland


• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK


• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)


• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)


• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020


• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
  
  Demonstrate strong commercial acumen with the ability to assess data and make informed commercial decisions in an often complex commercial environment


• Possess the knowledge to problem solve and look for opportunities to find new ways of overcoming difficulties, leading on efficiencies that ensures the category/organisation operates with maximum effectiveness


• Experience of category/commercial agreement management, with a track record of directing performance, developing and maintaining robust category strategies/plans and delivering excellent customer satisfaction / value for money.


• Proven experience heading on supplier and customer activities across the category, working proactively and collaboratively to motivate, influence and persuade internal and external stakeholders of varying seniority, offering advice, encouragement and driving value for money whilst developing customer commercial capabilities.


• Aptitude to work under pressure and at pace in a complex, political and commercial environment, handling multiple contending priorities and delivering quality outputs to testing targets, Leadership


• Working Together


• Communicating and Influencing


• Delivering at Pace


• Managing a Quality Service, This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
  
  Do you want to progress your career in the UK's largest public sector procurement organisation? If so, you will have the chance to create market leading commercial agreements that help shape how common goods and services are bought across the public sector., Commercial is the largest directorate in CCS and is responsible for the design, development, implementation and management of our commercial agreements, which are used by our customers across the public sector. We have helped our customers:


• spend more than £34 billion through the agreements we create


• enjoy more than £3.5 billion in commercial benefits annually through our agreements


Category management sits at the heart of CCS. We use our deep knowledge and expertise of public sector suppliers, to create market and category strategies. These strategies are used within CCS to create market leading commercial agreements that help shape how common goods and services are bought across the public sector. Our skills are also used in carrying out commercial policy, development of new products and services and supplier relationship management., CCS is a flexible business with a smarter working model where our colleagues benefit from a mix of home and office working. Successful candidates are expected to work from one of the office locations listed. Our current office attendance approach requires a minimum of 26 days per quarter (approx 2 days per week, which may be subject to change) in CCS office locations or off site meetings with suppliers, customers, partners, networking / industry events. This is pro rata for those who work part time. Our smarter working principles mean that our people have the advantage of both office and offsite based collaboration and learning, as well as working from home. This way of working allows us to honour our commitment to being a responsible business, offer flexibility and better work life balance as well as ensuring we deliver our business with confidence and in accordance with our CCS values.

Alongside your salary of £43,575, Crown Commercial Service contributes £11,808 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

What we will offer you, here are some of the benefits you can expect:

• Competitive salary


• Generous pension scheme


• A discretionary non-contractual performance related bonus


• Working remotely in addition to working in advertised office location


• Flexi time scheme (available for B1-B6)


• Minimum 25 days annual leave to a maximum service related 30 days excluding bank holidays


Explore fully how we will reward your work.

Want to make a difference? Find out more about the rewarding work that we do in our candidate pack.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil ServiceD&I Strategy.