Commercial Practitioner

Your role will be a Commercial Practitioner within one of the Commercial Categories listed below, with your role's overriding responsibility to manage commercial activity within the category team and across the full commercial lifecycle. An exciting opportunity has arisen based within the DWP's Commercial Directorate supporting the Employment Services Category. The Employment Category has responsibility for Market Management, Commissioning, Procurement and in life running of all External Employment provision including the Restart, Work & Health Programme, Access to Work and a raft of policy Test & Learn contracts.

The role is part of the Back to Work team, which includes all the major national programmes (Restart, Work & Health Programme (WHP), Intensive Personalised Employment Support (IPES) and Test & Learn for new trials/pilots). The role will be working in the team that oversees the successful delivery of contracts of in excess of £2 Billion and with up to c 400k participants and is a critical and politically visible part of the Departments delivery of ministerial directions. The role of the Category is to work with other stakeholders to ensure value for money and delivery of the contracts in flight supporting the most vulnerable in society. As a commissioner, the Category is a lynchpin of the Employment and skills market and plays an active market shaping role.

A key element of this role will be working with Policy Colleagues to determine the shape, size, and design of future Trials, as well as supporting in life management of existing programmes. All the national contracts are large, complex, and politically sensitive.

Here is a summary of the Categories achievements and services we manage:

• Service Delivery Commercial (SDC) – Roles and locations: Service Delivery Commercial (SDC) Category is based across our Blackpool, Leeds, and Manchester Commercial Hubs (vacancies based in any of these locations). SDC provides critical services to DWP and its customers, enabling it to effectively deliver its objectives on behalf of the Secretary of State. Our contracts directly enable service delivery to millions of citizens who rely on DWP services across the country.
• Business Process Partnering (BPP) – provide a wide range of services to DWP such as case review work, fraud error and debt contracts to support operational delivery across thousands of staff and millions of citizens.
• Contact Centres (CC) – provide first line Contact Services enabling customers to contact us when required and provide the right support and guidance through some of the largest contracts of this type in the UK.
• Operational Support Services (OSS) – provide critical Print, Post and Data storage services to ensure we communicate on time with all our citizens, manage data and support millions of citizens who use our services day to day.

Role expectations and key activities: The Commercial Categories have a portfolio of contracts that are intrinsic to enabling DWP's services and delivering citizens outcomes. Your work within the Category team will be fast paced, and requires pro-active and innovative thinking, with good communication skills and an outgoing and enthusiastic approach to challenges. The post holder will be required to take on commercial management responsibilities for existing or new contracts, so strong commercial skills will enable you to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders, to deliver and achieve joint outcomes.

Key activities will include:

• Engaging with and influencing internal stakeholders to determine commercial strategies for future delivery of services.
• Leading and supporting procurement and buying activities to deliver the pipeline of requirements.
• Undertaking contract management, supplier performance and relationship management to drive continuous improvement.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders and suppliers on a regular basis to ensure information collected is up to date, accurate and helps ensure Senior Managers are able to make informed decisions that affect the category.
• Support their respective line managers in all the necessary commercial activity to enable best Value for Money (VFM) solutions to be realised.

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to the relevant government guidance.

Working towards sustainable futures. Championing diversity in the workplace. At the Department for Work and Pensions, it is all in a day's work. From HR to Finance, Policy to Communications, this is work that sustains and supports, where everyone's voice is heard, and our customers are at the heart of everything we do. For a career packed with possibility, a comprehensive benefits package, where we live by our values and have the opportunity to improve the lives of people across the UK, look no further. Supporting people who need it most. That's our purpose. Start your own career today.

DWP is looking to fill 3 roles in Commercial Directorate. The roles available will be based in Blackpool Peel Park, Brunel Way, Blackpool FY4 5ES, Manchester 2 St Peter's Square, Manchester, M2 3AA and Leeds Quarry House, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UA.