Future Supplier Partnerships Engagement Lead

Job summary

The Civil Service must have the skills needed to support the delivery of the government's priorities. Training in the Civil Service needs to support the development of skills for 550,000 civil servants. It must support these civil servants in improving their performance in role as well as advancing their career development, whether they are in central policy roles, front line delivery, or any number of arms length bodies.

Government Skills was created in 2020 to improve the coherence and quality of learning and development in government through better training, knowledge and networks. Ministers have now asked us to make an ambitious Spending Review bid to transform the operating model for skills in government, delivered under The National School of Government and Public Services. As part of this transformational change of delivering training, we are reviewing the balance between training procured externally and design and/or delivered internally in the civil service. We expect this balance to shift more towards in-house design and/or delivery as we move away from the current approach of outsourcing to external training providers.

The Learning Infrastructure Team is responsible for three enabling workstreams under the National School of Government and Public Services Portfolio. Between them, these workstreams cover the current, transitional and future infrastructure to support centralised training for Civil Servants.

The post-holder will be within the team that is working with the Cabinet Office Commercial Function on implementing the new operating model for learning services. They will support the Future Partnerships Design Lead in defining a new model for procuring external training and collaborating with delivery partners, getting the right balance between flexibility to adapt to changing needs and gaining the best value for money.

Job description

• Strategy Development: Working with commercial colleagues to develop, own, and deliver the overarching market engagement strategy for the Future Learning Partnerships programme. Working with other government skills colleagues to achieve our internal engagement strategy objectives. This includes stakeholder mapping and engagement to help inform the requirements and model development.
• Engagement Delivery: Support the operational delivery of all market engagement activities across HMG departments and professions, technology, Learning & Development (L&D), academia, and business schools.
• Liaison and Alignment: Work to align the Civil Service’s future training requirements with market offerings, to ensure the new learning model is high-quality, efficient, and attractive to key suppliers.
• Operational Oversight: Provide day-to-day oversight of operational delivery, working closely with and directing the EO Future Supplier Partnerships Support lead for administrative and logistical support.
• Collaboration: Work with the G7 Future Partnerships Design Lead and commercial colleagues to ensure market feedback and intelligence are captured and used to inform the development of future commercial/procurement models and the Commercial Strategy.
• Reporting: Track, analyse, and report on the effectiveness of engagement activities to the G7 Future Partnerships Design Lead and other senior stakeholders.
• Analysing: Supporting the development of business cases through the provision of data and information that analyses and presents options in support of the commercial strategy.

Person specification

Experience & Knowledge

• Experience of working within a market-facing role with a proven track record of regular stakeholder and business engagement
• Knowledge of commercial practice in the public sector
• Demonstrable experience in working within a learning environment with training providers, designing new delivery models, developing and delivering market engagement strategies and stakeholder management

Skills

• Strategic Thinking: Strategic thinking skills, including the ability to spot trends, interpret market intelligence, and identify engagement opportunities that deliver against wider organisational goals.
• Communication: Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, with the ability to confidently explain and present complex issues/information to a range of internal and external audiences.
• Organisational Skills: Excellent organisational skills, with proven ability to plan, prioritise, and deliver a complex schedule of activities to agreed time and quality standards.

Desirable

• Understanding of Civil Service/public sector procurement law
• Experience in managing / coordinating corporate events

Additional information:

Cabinet Office policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. Requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,760, Cabinet Office contributes £12,677 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 which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

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 and Experience.

Application process

As part of the application form you will be asked to submit:

• A CV
• A 500 word Personal Statement/Statement of suitability setting out how you meet the criteria in the person specification
• 250 words lead behaviour Communicating and Influencing.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Communicating and Influencing. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Selection process

Applicants who pass the sift will be invited to interview. The interview will consist of questions to assess the candidates against the Civil Service Behaviours of:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together

Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date – week commencing 1st June 2026
Expected interview date/s – week commencing 15th June 2026
Interview location - Virtual or F2F

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

Please note that this role requires CTC clearance, which would normally need 3 years’ UK residency. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

Feedback

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 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 : Thomas Paul
• Email : thomas.paul@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service by email at : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk. For further information on the Recruitment Principles and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/.

Attachments

Cabinet Office Employee Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 302kB)Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions Opens in new window (docx, 94kB)