Head of Operational Contracts

Job summary

As Head of Operational Contracts, you will be responsible for all matters relating to contract governance, including the full contract life cycle. You will manage high profile, business critical contracts which currently include the provision of storage of a significant quantity of paper records, hybrid mail services, scanning/data extraction, map data and surveying services. You will oversee the effective delivery of services within agreed service level agreements, as well as being the main contact and escalation point for matters which compromise effective delivery of the service.

Job description

In this role you will oversee all budget and forecasting activities for assigned contracts, regularly reviewing service performance with suppliers and partners, and implementing remedial actions when standards are not met. Responsibilities also include identifying opportunities for innovation and service improvement, supporting organisational objectives through supplier engagement and new technologies, and representing the directorate in major projects. The role involves collaborating with senior managers to proactively manage strategic risks, maintaining alignment with organisational plans, leading and developing a contract management team, and fostering strong relationships with peers, senior stakeholders, and trade unions across the organisation.

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will have a contract Management accreditation through the Government Commercial Function (or equivalent recognised body) OR the willingness to work towards gaining accreditation in the first 12 months of the role.

You will have experience of:

• Proven ability and experience of both supplier and senior stakeholder management, with strong consultation, influencing and negotiation skills.
• Comprehensive experience in mobilising and managing contracts.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, with the ability to forecast, prepare and manage budgets.
• Ability to lead and develop teams across multiple locations to build capability and deliver results.
• Ability to analyse and solve problems with significant business and people impacts.
• Influencing peers and senior managers to achieve desired results.
• Leadership, communication, and inter-personal skills.
• Willingness to test, innovate and challenge existing procedures and practices.

For more information about the role, please see the attached job description.

Where an individual taking up the responsibility will be based in Swansea Office, the ability to speak Welsh is desirable. This will not be tested in the application or interview process.

Qualifications

Contract Management accreditation through the Government Commercial Function (or equivalent recognised body) OR the willingness to work towards gaining accreditation in the first 12 months of the role.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,923, HM Land Registry contributes £17,939 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry/about/recruitment#what-hm-land-registry-can-offer-you

#WeAreHMLR

At HM Land Registry our vision is a world leading property market as part of a thriving economy and a sustainable future. We are unique in terms of the economic and social impacts of our work, our ability to make a positive difference to the lives of our customers, our sense of mission, and our great people. They are the foundation of all we have achieved and all we aspire to in the future. We want our people to feel proud to work for HM Land Registry and able to fulfil their full potential.

We have a strong and positive culture, a commitment to inclusivity, an emphasis on continuous learning and development, and flexible ways of working. We offer competitive pay and annual leave, attractive pension options and a wide range of other benefits.

• We have integrity – we value honesty, trust and doing the right thing in the right way.
• We drive innovation – we are forward-thinking, embrace change and are continually improving our processes.
• We are professional – we value and grow our knowledge and professional expertise.
• We give assurance – we guarantee our services and provide confidence to the property market.

You can find more information on our rewards package on our website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry/about/recruitment#what-hm-land-registry-can-offer-you

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 and Experience.

How to Apply

Please complete the qualification question:

• Do you have a Contract Management accreditation through the Government Commercial Function (or equivalent recognised body) OR the willingness to work towards gaining accreditation in the first 12 months of the role.

If you answer no, your application will stop here.

Please complete your CV to include your work history and qualifications. We will be scoring your CV against the technical criteria and the essential experience:

• Comprehensive experience in mobilising and managing contracts.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, with the ability to forecast, prepare and manage budgets.

Then complete the Personal Statement section (in no more than 1000 words), please demonstrate how you meet the following essential Experience criteria:

• Proven ability and experience of both supplier and senior stakeholder management, with strong consultation, influencing and negotiation skills.
• Comprehensive experience in mobilising and managing contracts.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, with the ability to forecast, prepare and manage budgets.
• Ability to lead and develop teams across multiple locations to build capability and deliver results.

Please review your application form before clicking ‘submit’ –once you have submitted, you will not be able to amend your application. Ensure your application form is received by the closing date for receipt of applications –this is 11:55pm on the advertised date.

Sift

The sift will take place shortly after the closing date.

In case of a high volume of applications, we may complete a pre-sift on your CV.

Interview

If successful at shortlisting stage, you will be invited to attend a virtual, blended interview and deliver a pre-prepared presentation. Details will be provided on invitation to interview. The blended interview will test the experience and Behaviours listed in the ‘Person Specification’ as well as the strengths associated with the role, details will be provided on invitation to interview.

We want to hear your first, unrehearsed, natural response to strength questions, and so we don’t advertise which strengths are being tested. The best way to prepare for strengths questions is to reflect on what you identify as your own personal strengths, and your preferred ways of working.

We expect interviews to take place during the week commencing the 11th May 2026.

Candidates may refer to notes within their video interview, but they should be used as a prompt only.

HMLR is accredited to the Disability Confident Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people.

If you require the panel to consider a reasonable adjustment or there is anything else you would like the panel to take into consideration, you are asked to notify us of this at application stage where possible or during the process as soon as it becomes a requirement.

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that we will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa where a role is in a certain business critical category. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a skilled worker visa.

You must ensure you have the appropriate right to work in the UK before applying.

You can find more information on how we use your personal data on our website

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.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 : Jason North
• Email : jason.north@landregistry.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hrresourcingteam2@landregistry.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance to the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, please email hrresourcingteam2@landregistry.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from HM Land Registry then you may take your complaint to the Civil Service Commission: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/making-complaint/

Attachments

Head of Operational Contracts - Job Description Opens in new window (pdf, 190kB)Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1713kB)