Head of Digital Procurement

Job summary

We are recruiting a new Head of Digital Procurement to join Integrated Corporate Services Commercial at an important stage in our development. This senior leadership role offers the opportunity to shape how digital commercial services are delivered across an expanding shared services environment.

Integrated Corporate Services was established in 2023 to bring together expert corporate services across government. We support customers of ICS services across government through a shared service model focused on quality, consistency and value.

Our Commercial team helps partners secure the goods and services they need, manage risk effectively and deliver public value. Within that, the Digital team leads commercial activity across a complex and high-profile digital portfolio.

As Head of Digital Procurement, you will lead digital commercial activity supporting multiple organisations, working with senior stakeholders to shape sourcing strategies, providing expert advice and delivering strong outcomes. You will build the capability of the team and shape a service that will continue to grow as new customers join us.

If you are looking for a role that combines leadership, commercial judgement and visible impact in a fast-moving environment, we would be pleased to hear from you.

Job description

This role sits within the Digital and Corporate Services procurement team and leads a complex and varied digital portfolio.

As Head of Digital Procurement, you will lead a team of six commercial specialists, providing strategic direction, coaching and oversight across a portfolio with more than £300 million of contracted spend.

You will work closely with stakeholders across ICS Digital, departments and their partner organisations. The portfolio spans a broad range of digital commercial activity, including application development and management, software, hardware and cloud-based services.

We are looking for a senior commercial leader with strong digital experience across the full commercial lifecycle, from shaping sourcing strategies to supporting contract management and resolving complex issues. You will be confident advising senior stakeholders, setting direction and leading a team to deliver high-quality outcomes.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys working across complexities, building strong partnerships and shaping a function with visible impact across multiple organisations.

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

• Lead and develop a team of commercial specialists, setting clear directions and supporting high performance.
• Lead strategic sourcing and procurement activity across a complex digital portfolio, overseeing delivery through the full commercial lifecycle.
• Shape and manage the pipeline of digital commercial activity, identifying opportunities to aggregate demand and improve value.
• Provide expert commercial advice on procurements, contracts, variations, disputes and wider commercial matters.
• Build strong relationships with digital and business stakeholders across partner organisations, providing effective commercial business partnering support.
• Support the onboarding of new organisations into Integrated Corporate Services Commercial and help shape a consistent, high-quality service.
• Prepare clear, evidence-based briefings for senior leaders, setting out risks, options, recommendations and actions.
• Drive continuous improvement by strengthening commercial capability, using management information effectively and identifying opportunities to buy more strategically.
• Work with other senior commercial leaders to provide wider leadership across the Integrated Corporate Services Commercial function.

Technical skills

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

• Ability to lead delivery across multiple complex workstreams while balancing competing priorities and stakeholder needs.
• Strong commercial judgement with the ability to secure value across financial, operational, risk and sustainability considerations.
• Ability to maintain high-quality delivery and sound judgement under pressure across a demanding and varied workload.
• Proven expertise in leading commercial teams, developing capability and shaping commercial skills in teams.
• Proven track record of leading strategic sourcing and procurement activity across a complex digital portfolio.

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 13th 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.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 : Ashlene Doherty
• 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)20260810 OFFSEN 475717 - Head of Digital Procurement - Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 441kB)