Commercial Finance Lead - (Fixed Terms Appointment) 24 months

Job summary

Building Digital UK (BDUK) is part of the Department of Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) responsible for delivering the government’s ambition to deliver improved digital infrastructure across fixed and mobile broadband to the hardest-to-reach areas of the UK.

BDUK is responsible for delivering two large digital infrastructure programmes:​

• Project Gigabit - a £5 billion programme to roll out gigabit-capable broadband to hard-to-reach communities across the UK; and
• The Shared Rural Network - a £0.5 billion programme working with the UK’s Mobile Network Operators to extend 4G mobile coverage into rural and remote areas.

As Commercial Finance Lead you will be part of DSIT Commercial and join a function recognised as the Best Commercial Team in Government (Government Function Awards 2024).

DSIT Commercial works across a broad “Big C” scope—covering contracts, grants and more complex commercial models. We work alongside Directorates to design and deliver contracts, grants and innovative commercial models that secure value for money, manage risk, unlock economic growth and shape markets in digital and technology, life sciences and in Space

Our culture reflects our Department – innovation and breaking the mould is in our DNA. Our lens is strategic - driving economic growth with ‘commercial as a growth lever’ at the heart of what we do, scaling effective approaches, shaping markets and strengthening commercial capability across government.

Our impact is pan-government. We lead on and influence pan government commercial policy and practice through thought leadership and strategy in our industrial strategy sector of digital and technologies and through the leadership of the Commercial Innovation Hub and the Digital Commercial Centre of Excellence.

Our work extends beyond the Department, but it is fundamental to delivering DSIT’s overarching mission: to fuel scientific and technological progress that improves people’s lives across the UK, while strengthening national capability, economic growth, and public services.

Through our commercial expertise, we enable and support delivery across DSIT’s four priority areas:

• Driving science and technology breakthroughs
• Backing British businesses and scaling new technologies
• Transforming public services through technology
• Building capability and ensuring the inclusive benefits of technology

Note as a result of recent machinery of government changes, the program within BDUK will move to a new Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and is currently in transition from DSIT.

Job description

As Commercial Finance Lead, the role holder will evidence that public funding is achieving Value for Money (VFM) and is central to the commercial team’s role in BDUK. The role holder will bring together commercial, analysis and finance disciplines to support successful contract, supplier and programme management.

They will use their commercial and financial acumen to work with suppliers and the supply chain to achieve the best outcome for the programme.

They will lead a team of commercial finance managers who are experts in their contracts and suppliers, ensuring that BDUK discharges its obligations under the contract correctly and manages suppliers to do the same. They will also deputise for the Head of Commercial Finance as required.

You will lead the assessment of commercial finance activity across the lifecycle, ensuring value for money, compliance with government standards, strengthening governance, and enabling confident decision making.

It’s a brilliant opportunity for candidates with strong commercial skills, who are looking to broaden their experience. Whilst an awareness of the telecoms marketplace and competition regulations would be advantageous, what is more important is an ability to effectively partner with a wide range of stakeholders. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to enhance relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders and will provide commercial and financial analysis to help others make the most effective commercial decisions.

We are particularly keen to hear from candidates that have strong attention to detail that can be used to identify risks and throughout the commercial lifecycle.

The Commercial Finance Lead will bring together commercial, analysis and finance disciplines to support successful contract, supplier and programme management. They will use their commercial and financial acumen to work with suppliers and the supply chain to achieve the best outcome for the programme. ​

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

These responsibilities are likely to include:

• Enabling BDUK stakeholders, suppliers and delivery partners to understand and apply effective Value for Money (VFM) processes across individual contracts and projects, as well as across products and programmes.
• Leading analysis of supplier pricing, supplier performance and programme performance to provide assurance that public funding is delivering value for money.
• Overseeing VFM assurance and evaluation activity across all stages of the commercial lifecycle, including supplier bids, contract/project change proposals and contract exits. ,
• Leading commercial and financial negotiations with suppliers on contract change proposals and exits to secure robust outcomes that represent value for money and protect BDUK’s commercial position.
• Ensure suppliers adhere to contractual cost management and reporting obligations
• Support the development of BDUK’s commercial strategy through robust, evidence-based analysis;​
• Provide coaching and development support to more junior members of the team.
• Leading the collection, management and analysis of programme and product VFM data, defining and refining reporting and delivering bespoke and ad hoc reporting and analysis, for example establishing cost benchmarks across geographies, scales, suppliers, solutions and BDUK products.

Essential

• Evidence of a sound understanding and application of procurement and contract management principles, concepts and techniques including awareness of the Procurement Regulations.​
• Application of risk management key principles.​
• Sound judgement and decision-making skills.​
• Being able to analyse financial information to improve decision making in complex commercial situations.
• Ability to work within multi-functional teams and be able to communicate and influence effectively.​
• Ability to prioritise and manage a diverse and demanding workload, meet deadlines and deal with unexpected changes.​
• Ability to provide value for money insight and expertise to inform programme decision making within BDUK and support policy development across the Department.
• Excellent written and IT skills with high attention to detail.​
• Logical problem solver with an appetite for improving the way we do things in order to deliver better outcomes.​

Desirable

• A relevant qualification for Commercial and / or Financial, or a willingness to study towards one e.g. CIPS, accounting qualifications.​
• Experience of the telecoms marketplace and regulated market environment, including awareness of broadband and other telecom infrastructure technologies.

Technical skills

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

• The ability to oversee the effective evaluation of commercial documentation, supplier submissions and contract management records, with a focus on ensuring effective mitigation of commercial risk through the use of relevant tools and policy.
• Able to manage complexity and to analyse information to improve decision making in complex commercial situations
• A good understanding of how investment and appraisal techniques can be used throughout the commercial lifecycle; practical experience of using these techniques to support great commercial decisions.
• Able to work collaboratively as a member of a larger team, able to secure the confidence of others and build strong working relationships.
• Able to lead a small commercial team and to play a supportive role in ongoing career development and upskilling direct / virtual team members

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 Tuesday 17th October 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 basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist 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 : Marina Dura
• 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

20260922 CL2667 483250 Candidate Pack - Commercial Finance Lead - FTA 2 years.docx (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 2569kB)Guaranteed Interview Schemes Opens in new window (pdf, 70kB)