Contracts Support Officer

Job summary

At Government Legal Department we have a vital, single-minded purpose: to help the Government govern well within the rule of law. This is complemented by our exciting vision to be an outstanding legal organisation, committed to the highest standards of service and professionalism and a brilliant place to work where we can all thrive and fulfill our potential.

Our work touches almost every aspect of public life. We are the largest provider of legal services across government, working on high profile matters.

Our respected professionals are involved in everything from regulation and litigation to advice on drafting legislation. They provide expertise to the full range of government departments. We are at the heart of delivering the government’s priorities and our success depends on our people.

GLD is a non-ministerial government department headed by the Treasury Solicitor, our Permanent Secretary, and employs nearly 4000 people, including nearly 3000 legal professionals. We have offices nationwide, in Bristol, Leeds, inner and outer London and Manchester. Our lawyers can also be located within other departments and overseas.

GLD also depends on a range of cross-functional professionals to provide our corporate services. There are nearly 1000 colleagues playing an essential part in helping GLD to achieve its purpose and truly deliver much more than law.

This is an exciting time to join GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.

To find out more about what we do you can view our introductory film. On our website you can hear from team members, find out how to apply and learn about the benefits of working for GLD. You can also read more about the future vision for GLD in our GLD Strategy 2024 – 2027.

Job description

About the Contract Management Team

The Contract Management team, which sits within the Commercial, Procurement and Contract Management team, is a newly developing team to support GLD in all aspects of commercial sourcing. This could be for anything from legal services, to HR, IT and facilities management, goods and services.

The team sits within the finance directorate’s Financial Management, Accounting and Procurement and Contract Management team and is led by the Head of Commercial Strategy and Contract Management. We work closely with the Procurement team which is led by the Head of Commercial Sourcing.

The Role

The individual in this role will be broadly responsible for the administration and day-to-day management of the GLD’s contracts. This member of staff will be working closely with the Contract Management and Procurement team as they work to support their stakeholders within the wider department. Responsibilities may include (but aren’t limited to):

• Reviewing the Contract Management Inbox, forwarding emails to the relevant team member, and keeping a log of queries received.
• Managing the Contract Register to ensure accuracy and up-to-date information across all GLD contracts.
• Providing regular reports on a range of data to the Contract Management Manager, including but not limited to;
• • The number and value of Open Contracts, divided by Procurement route
  • The number of contracts that are required to be uploaded to Contracts Finder
  • Any contracts coming to expiry (within discussed date ranges)
  • Any contracts whose Business Owners are missing the required training
  • Reviewing invoice data to check for any contracts that have not been overseen by the Procurement and Contract Management Team
  • Support the wider team with administrative tasks, e.g. room booking, preparing for events, preparing reports, invoice checking, and other tasks as required
  • Supporting the implementation of new systems and processes by the Contract Management Team
  • Supporting meetings by preparing papers, agenda, booking rooms, and writing minutes

Person specification

Behaviours

Below are details of the Success Profiles that make up this role. Demonstrating all the behaviours listed below is essential at either application or interview. You can read more about Success Profiles and how they are used as an assessment method before completing your application.

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

• Managing a Quality Service (Lead Behaviour)
• Working Together
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing

Experience

Essential – must be demonstrated at application and interview

• Experience analysing, manipulating, and drawing conclusions from data
• Experience communicating with a wide range of stakeholders, both verbally and in writing
• Experience representing data to stakeholders at varied levels of seniority

Desirable

Desirable criteria will be used when there is a need to distinguish between candidates who are closely tied or the same after the initial consideration of essential criteria, at sift and / or interview.

• To have some background or experience in administration or similar.

Technical Skills

Essential – must be demonstrated at application and interview

• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Good knowledge of the office suite (especially Excel and Word)
• Good organisational skills
• Good attention to detail

Qualifications – Essential Criteria

• Maths and English at GCSE Grade C/4 or equivalent

Security Clearance Level

• If successful for this post you must hold BPSS level security clearance. You cannot start your position while until you hold this clearance level. More information can be found about the vetting and clearance levelsbefore completing your application.

Sponsorship and Visas

• Visa sponsorship will not be given to candidates except where they are existing civil servants employed by GLD, who meet the HO/UKVI requirements for sponsorship. If you are an existing civil servant employed by GLD who requires sponsorship, you should confirm your eligibility for sponsorship for this role.
• Candidates with Limited Leave to Remain, must have at least 12 months remaining on an existing visa which allows them to work for GLD, at the point they start working at GLD. Please allow three months for the onboarding process from the point of offer.

Qualifications

Qualifications – Essential Criteria
Maths and English at GCSE Grade C/4 or equivalent

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• Technical Skills Essential – must be demonstrated at application and interview•Strong written and verbal communication skills•Good knowledge of the office suite (especially Excel and Word)•Good organisational skills•Good attention to detail

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,891, Government Legal Department contributes £8,949 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Learning and Development

Benefits of working for the Civil Service

Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the Department and wider Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.

Learning and Development at GLD

GLD has a comprehensive learning and development offer for all employees.

We offer a programme of in-person/hybrid and virtual sessions providing learning on profession-specific, soft skills, technical skills, and different topics. We also support colleagues through a range of different professional qualifications.

Cross-Functional Professional

We support all Professions with building their careers and capability aligning with the wider Civil Service offerings for each Profession.

There are also talent and development opportunities offered throughout the year these include:

Senior Leaders and Future Leaders Schemes – cross Civil Service accelerated development schemes.

Beyond Boundaries – cross government development programme designed to help participants develop the knowledge, skills and networks required to build a satisfying and effective career in the Civil Service.

Mentoring and Coaching – we encourage all colleagues to share their knowledge, capability, and experience.

Apprenticeships - We have a range of apprenticeships on offer across all professions with the opportunity for all employees to explore a profession specific apprenticeship to support their development in role.

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 Behaviours, Strengths, Ability, Experience and Technical skills.

The Recruitment Process

Application

To apply for this post you will need to complete the online application by Monday 27th April 2026 at 12:00 Midday.

In your application you will be assessed on the following:

1. An online CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years, as part of the online application form. This will be used to assess Experience.The CV will be scored.
2. Please provide individual statements for the following behaviours listed below in no more than 250 words each.

• Managing a Quality Service (Lead Behaviour)
• Working Together
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing

Civil Service Tests Online

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete two Civil Service Online tests: aNumerical Test & a Verbal Test. You can find out more information and guidance on the tests, including options to take practice tests.

Please note, there will be maintenance for online tests on Sunday 19th April 2026. This means you will be unable to access the online tests between 4pm and 7pm. Your progress will be saved, and you will be able to continue once the tests are available again.

If you are unsuccessful in passing these tests you will be unable to continue any further in the application process. If you successfully pass both tests, you will then automatically progress to the next stage of completing the full application. We suggest you allow enough time to complete the full application online, prior to the closing date and time, Monday 27th April 2026 at 12:00 Midday as once the application is closed you will no longer have access to the ability tests and the application.

Application Errors

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: activecampaigns@governmentlegal.gov.uk . Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’.

Selection Process

After the closing date, the appointing panel shall assess candidates’ suitability for the role based on evidence provided in their application against the behaviours and experience outlined in the person specification.

Please note, if a high number of applications are received, we will sift on Managing a Quality Service (Lead Behaviour) alone.

In the eventuality that there are a high number of applicants successful at sift, GLD may operate a longlist, whereby applicants who have been shortlisted and met the minimum pass mark but are not selected for interview will have their application placed on hold. After the initial interview round candidates on the longlist may be offered an interview, should there still be posts available.

Assessment - Written Exercise

If you successfully pass the sift you will be invited to undertake an exercise. You will be emailed information and asked to prepare recommendations. This exercise will be conducted online at a pre-agreed time.

This will be assessed against the Technical Skills set out in the person specification.

• You will be invited to undertake the exercise on one of the following times of your choice:
• We will Email the exercise to you 5 minutes before your chosen start time begins.
• You will need to have access to and be able to use Microsoft Word and Excel in order to complete the exercise.
• This Exercise will be timed, and you will have no more than 1 hour to complete and return via email. Please note, you must return your exercise within or before the 1 hour expires. If you fail to do this your application will not proceed further to the next stage.

The available time slots will be:

• Day 1 – 12th From 12pm to 1pm or from 4pm to 5pm.
• Day 2 – 13th From 12pm to 1pm or from 4pm to 5pm.
• Day 3 – 15th From 12pm to 1pm or from 4pm to 5pm.

Important- This exercise will be scored and if you pass you will be invited to the final stage, which is an in-person interview at the Manchester office location, 3 New Bailey, Manchester 3 New Bailey, Salford, Greater Manchester M3 5AX.

Interview

If you are invited to interview, you will be assessed on your performance in the criteria listed in the Person Specification and strength-based questions, one of which will be disclosed ahead of time to allow for preparation.

These criteria are:

• Managing a Quality Service (Lead Behaviour)
• Working Together
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing

Offer

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.

All communications regarding your application will be made through Civil Service Jobs.

All candidates will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible after the interview. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

We appoint in strict order of merit. If you meet the minimum criteria for this position but are not successful for a post, you will be placed on the reserve list. We may contact you to see if you are interested in a post at the same, or a lower grade, in GLD should one arise.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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.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 : Teifion Best
• Email : Contract.Management@governmentlegal.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : activecampaigns@governmentlegal.gov.uk

Further information

You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application hasn’t been treated in accordance with these Principles and wish to make a complaint, please contact recruitment_feedback@governmentlegal.gov.uk in the first instance. Please title your email as follows: Job Reference Number – Job Title – Recruitment Complaint. Complaints must be submitted in writing within 30 days of the incident or the decision which has caused the complaint. To fully engage with the issues raised GLD require that you submit evidence of your complaint.

Attachments

EO Contracts Support Office Opens in new window (pdf, 624kB)