Deputy Head Commercial FM - Category United States Visiting Forces

Job summary

DIO provides the infrastructure which supports the ability for this country’s Defence operation to live, work and train in the UK and abroad. Our teams play a key role in delivering the UK’s Defence objectives and are responsible for a land mass which represents 2% of the entire UK.

Our estate is incredibly complex but highly interesting, and for the right candidate who’s interested in empowering a Commercial team to deliver great supply chains to deliver across the Estate this would be a fantastic role.

Our commercial teams manage ~300 contracts at any one time with a total value of £25BN+. This huge scale means that we link closely into MOD and Government commercial networks and best practice via the GCO.

Commercial is a major corporate function in Government :

The Government Commercial Function (GCF) People Standards for the Profession link sets out the standards expected from commercial professionals within Government.The eight professional levels covered in this document supports our commercial staff who are responsible for ensuring that the Civil Service achieves excellence in all its commercial activity. Please refer to the these standards to ensure that you fully understand the attributes for Government Commercial Professionals for each professional level.

We may also wish to make refence to these documents that have been published on Gov.UK DIO Commercial Strategy: This strategy explains how the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), part of the Ministry of Defence, aims to transform the way it does business. The strategy has a focus on increasing supplier numbers, offering greater opportunities to small and medium-sized enterprises as well as to larger suppliers. The strategy also gives information on the types of opportunities available to prospective suppliers.

Job description

Must have Facility Management experience to apply for this role

We are seeking an experienced commercial leader with a strong background in public sector procurement and contract management, within the FM and/or infrastructure environment. You will bring sound judgement, stakeholder management capability, and the ability to lead and develop a high-performing team within a complex and high-profile programme.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) delivers Facilities Management (FM) across the UK and Overseas estate. This role will focus on the delivery of the Category Strategy and associated procurements and contracts for DIO, with an initial focus on the Overseas & USVF Pillar initially. This is one of DIO’s largest commercial areas that enables critical operations internationally.

This role provides senior commercial leadership across a portfolio of FM contracts valued at over £1bn. The postholder will lead/support a team responsible for both procurement and contract management activity, ensuring that commercial strategies are robust, compliant, and deliver value for money. The position requires effective engagement with suppliers in the UK and overseas construction and FM market, alongside close collaboration with US/UK military and civilian personnel and UK defence stakeholders.

You will oversee end-to-end commercial delivery, ensuring high standards of professional practice, proactive risk management, and alignment with MOD and Cabinet Office commercial policy. This includes providing authoritative advice, driving commercial assurance, and ensuring that contracts deliver the required operational outcomes.

The team operates across four locations, with staff based in hubs in Wyton (Cambridge), Whittington (Lichfield), Andover and Glasgow. Hybrid working is supported, and travel to sites across the UK and Internationally will be required.

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

As an Associate Commercial Specialist you will:

• Develop and deliver FM category management strategies, defining appropriate routes to market, engaging the market, maintaining records, ensuring compliance, and applying Supplier Relationship Management best practice.
• Drive effective contract management, ensuring performance, legal compliance, risk mitigation, supplier underperformance resolution, and robust contract change and governance processes.
• Ensure value for money and commercial assurance, applying evaluation strategies, financial scrutiny, performance metrics and return-on-investment principles across all commercial activity.
• Strengthen supply chains, identifying and onboarding new suppliers, improving competition, and maintaining business continuity throughout the contract lifecycle, including transition and exit.
• Provide senior-level commercial advice, acting as a key interface for DIO FM Contracts, supporting customer requirements, problem-solving, risk management and influencing business strategies.
• Develop strong stakeholder relationships, engaging and influencing senior customers, understanding stakeholder motivations, and providing market and supply chain insights.
• Lead and manage the commercial team, ensuring effective oversight, performance management, adherence to policy, and delivery of commercial and contract management activities. This includes supporting workforce planning and staff development alongside promoting continuous improvement and organisational development.

Must have MCIPS level 6 or be willing to work towards obtaining it within 1 year of taking up the position.

Technical skills

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

• Ability to investigate business requirements & draw reasonable conclusions from a wide range of incomplete or complex data. Able to design demand management solutions even when details are not clear. Appropriately manages risk.
• Must be able to deliver at pace within a complex stakeholder environment within a Facilities Management setting and have proven supplier management experience delivering great value for money outcomes that meet end user’s needs.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, ability to show resilience in interactions, defending the department’s position. Ability to present technical issues to senior stakeholders assisting decision making.
• Experience of working closely with key stakeholders to ensure the delivery of a variety of compliant procurement processes. The ability to support and make effective recommendations during commercial negotiations.

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 20th of October 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 basic (or equivalent) 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 : Thomas McDonald
• 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)20260903 OFFSEN 479693 - Deputy Head Commercial FM - Category United States Visiting Forces - Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 715kB)