Associate Commercial Specialist - Professional Service Team - Operations

Job summary

Welcome to the Home Office Commercial Directorate and thank you for your interest in the roles we are offering.

I joined the Home Office in 2016 to lead the Collaborative Law Enforcement Programme, delivering £320m in cashable savings and transforming how policing approaches commercial activity. Before that, I served as Commercial Director at the Metropolitan Police Service, where I repositioned the department as a strategic function through commercial insight and ambition—ensuring operational policing had the tools to serve stakeholders while achieving best value for the public purse.

The Home Office works to keep citizens safe and the country secure. We reduce crime, enforce the law, protect borders, and safeguard the most vulnerable, while shaping public policy at the highest level. Our commercial teams have played a critical role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthening border and societal protections.

Each year, the Home Office spends around £3bn with third-party suppliers, managed by our Commercial Directorate—a team of approximately 300 procurement and contract management professionals. We source a wide range of goods and services, including complex programmes unique in Europe, supported by multi-million-pound contracts.

Joining us means making a tangible impact on the UK’s future. You will work across diverse missions, from Borders and Migration to Public Safety, Homeland Security, the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme, and Digital, Data & Technology.

We are midway through a transformation programme and are recruiting across all grades. We now seek enthusiastic individuals to help deliver our objectives; you are our leaders and managers who will strengthen our reputation as a strategic partner, improve business outcomes, and deliver value for money through the contracts we source.

Whatever your background—public or private—if you are passionate about delivering first-class outcomes, we invite you to join our journey.

Job description

The Home Office has one of the most challenging and critical jobs in Whitehall: to keep Britain safe and secure. We operate at the heart of the Government's agenda, leading on immigration and passports, drugs policy, crime policy, counter-extremism and counterterrorism and work to ensure visible, responsive, and accountable policing in the UK. The challenges the Department faces are significant and can change rapidly in the global environment in which we operate, making this one of the most exciting and stimulating Government Departments in which to work.

The Commercial Directorate manages the conduit between the Home Office and those supplier markets that help us provide key services to the public. It provides strategic commercial services such as market intelligence, procurement and contract management activities and its principal aims are to deliver efficiency savings, support the strategic agendas of our client groups by procuring the right products and services in a timely manner and dynamically managing contracts and suppliers, whilst delivering activities in a transparent and compliant manner.

As team lead for the Professional Services Team, you will draw on your commercial and leadership skills to drive the efficient and effective operation of this high demand category supporting Commercial Business Partner teams and the wider Home Office.

You will be accountable for the day to day running of the sub teams who focus on:

• Contingent Labour & Agency Worker requests and governance
• Managed Services & Consultancy requests and governance

In addition, you will be responsible for setting up and embedding the new Post-award Assurance team which has been established to drive further value from high levels of spend on managed services and consultancy.

While ensuring business as usual activities, much of the focus will be on driving continuous improvement including maximising opportunities for process improvements via Metis. In addition, you will be the subject lead for the Commercial Transformation pilot category, working closely with strategy colleagues to shape the team and adapt processes in line with best practice.

You will also be responsible for the transition from the Public Sector Resources framework to the Workforce Solutions framework, working with the team to introduce new service lines and minimise the impact of any changes.

You will own the relationship with the key Professional Service suppliers including Alexander Mann, Bloom and Constellia – regularly reviewing performance and managing escalations.

You will be responsible for ensuring that Professional Services guidance and related materials are up to date and communicated as appropriate.

You will be the departmental lead for the Consultancy spend reduction target regularly liaising with Permanent Secretary and Ministerial offices to provide advice on Consultancy and wider Professional Services issues. This will require strong stakeholder management skills to support close working with senior leads across Corporate & Delivery and in the business to align to the Spending Review agenda. You will be the relationship lead for the Cabinet Office strategic partnership lead. In addition, you will be responsible for reporting to the Productivity and Efficiency Board on the £27m pa savings target.

This role covers a broad area of responsibilities and requires a combination of skills, both technical commercial expertise and strong people leadership and engagement skills, demonstrating how you embody the Civil Service Code and Home Office Values.

Locations:
The successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. When selecting your location listed in this job advert please be aware that this will be your contractual base location with a requirement to spend a minimum of 60% of your working time in this organisational workplace.

Your time spent on official duties at workplace locations other than your contractual office such as supplier, customer or partner locations required to perform your role is included in the 60% attendance.

This requirement will however take into consideration any reasonable adjustments agreed upon appointment for people with a disability, flexibilities agreed for those with specific caring responsibilities, or other similar temporary flexibilities.

Person specification

• Transform the Professional Services Team service offering to harness the use of automation and provide an upfront triage service to challenge and route customer requirements appropriately, in a way that reduces risk for and drives value the Home Office.

• Accountable for delivering an effective Professional Services operation focused on governance, advice and delivering value for money.

• Regularly advise Chief Commercial Officer and DG Corporate & Delivery on Contingent Labour, Managed Service and Consultancy requirements which breach Home Office thresholds.

• Lead and coach a team of 12 colleagues to deliver a high profile and high demand category with a focus on advising on best practice and ensuring governance is followed, always considering process improvements. This will include establishing the Post-award Assurance Team and onboarding new team members.

• You will lead delivery of a range of outputs during this assignment period. Priority areas of focus during the next 6-12 months are:

• Timely transition to the Workforce Solutions framework, ensuring all approval requirements are met and the impact of any changes are minimised.
• Team lead for the Professional Services Category Strategy project – working with the Category Lead and Transformation Director to develop the Strategy and put in place processes to move to new ways of working.
• Tracking and reporting against the 50% Consultancy spend target including providing regular updates to senior officials and Ministers, taking forward the action plan to reduce spend. Manage and communicate potential directives from the Cabinet Office.
• Maintain the currency of guidance and processes, including launching new policies for Contingent Labour and Agency Workers.
• Roll out of the new automation tool for Contingent Labour and Agency Workers.
• Further enhance strategic supplier relationship management with the category’s key suppliers.

• Building successful relationships with key stakeholders and suppliers to resolve issues, promote the work of the Professional Services team, and instil confidence in the team’s ability to deliver and meet business needs.

• Representing Professional Services at internal and external Boards including Strategic Supplier meetings; Productivity & Efficiency Board and cross-Government meetings.

Technical skills

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

• Expert in delivery of full-lifecycle commercial service. Strong knowledge of key policies (IR35, Employment Rights Act) and commercial policy inc. professional services and contingent labour. Skilled at balancing risk, value, and delivery.
• Able to demonstrate working effectively in demanding, fast paced environments, managing a broad portfolio and delivering outcomes at pace while adapting to change, resolving issues and demonstrating resilience under pressure.
• Strong demonstration of the ability to communicate complex commercial and policy information clearly and persuasively, adapting style for different audiences and influencing outcomes through effective engagement and constructive challenge.
• Evidence of building and influencing strong, productive relationships at all levels and with a variety of stakeholders with different backgrounds, perspectives and drivers, in a highly complex, fast-moving, commercially focused environment.
• Track record of achieving strong results by developing and leading high performing, multi-functional teams. Role modelling an inclusive and diverse culture to improve capability, with successful leadership without line management authority.
• Evidence of Leading strategic and transformational change across professional services. Develop & apply contingent labour/supplier engagement policy. Requires strong strategic thinking, risk management, flexibility, and resilience.

Benefits

As a valued employee of the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO), you will have access to all the benefits the centre has to offer; including flexible working, generous benefits, Career Coaches, Mentors, L&D, a Commercial College, active talent management and, most importantly, access to commercial projects that will far exceed the scale and complexity on offer elsewhere in the UK.

For existing Civil Servants: For full details of the impact on any move across the civil service on your existing terms and conditions, please read the candidate pack. Please note that any move across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to continue to claim childcare vouchers.

Kindly refer to the following link for the GCF Rewards and benefits page.

https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/gcf-benefits/

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.

Your application will be reviewed by a panel and should you be successful at sift we will invite you to attend a Virtual commercial Assessment and Development Centre (VADC). The panel will review results of the VADC and determine which candidates will go through to a subsequent final panel interview. Please note: Only candidates that achieve an A grade at ADC will be invited to interview for this role.

Please be advised that the Virtual ADC is taking place on the 6th of March 2026 and will require a full day's attendance.

If you are invited to attend a virtual ADC, but for any reason are unable to meet the date outlined then please get in touch with the team on commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible. The ADC is booked and paid for in advance by departments, therefore it is only in certain circumstances we are able to accommodate alternative dates.

For full details of our process, and a likely timeline, please read the attached candidate pack.

Throughout our selection process, we will make decisions about your capability to do the job, based on evidence you provide against the Technical Skills (essential criteria) and your Job History (CV) that you will be asked to provide during the application process. Further help and advice on our application and selection process can be found at this web address https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/gcf-how-to-apply/

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/artificial-intelligence-and-re…
IMPORTANT: If you do not receive an acknowledgement of your application within 2 working days please contact: commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• 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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Lynsey Munro
• Email : commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should direct this to the Head of Commercial Resourcing Hub at the following email commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk quoting the vacancy reference number (if applicable) and the details of your complaint. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission via the following web page: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

Attachments

Guaranteed Interview Schemes (GIS) Opens in new window (pdf, 70kB)20260128 OFFSEN 446785 - Associate Commercial Specialist - Professional Service Team - Operations - Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 738kB)