Strategic Partnering Manager

Job summary

We are hiring a Strategic Partnering Manager to lead the work with some of the most important suppliers to government in the Built Environment Sector. The role sits within Markets, Sourcing and Suppliers, one of the most-high profile, dynamic and exciting commercial teams in the Government Commercial Agency. The Government Commercial Agency is an executive agency of the Cabinet Office and part of the Government Commercial Function.

The role holder will ensure government has the most effective relationships possible with its strategic suppliers in the construction and engineering sector, in order to unlock strategic and financial value, to deliver the best value from outsourced contracts, and to align the government's commercial strategy with suppliers and broader market capability. Working across government - both central government departments and the wider public sector - and with Crown Representatives, strategic suppliers themselves and with industry stakeholders, the Strategic Partnering Manager will strengthen relationships at all levels, building a mutual value proposition in key service areas.

The role offers an opportunity to lead the supplier-facing network across government, building an in-depth understanding and knowledge of strategic suppliers’ business models and public sector portfolios in the built environment sector and using this to drive collaborative continuous improvements to the contracts and services that suppliers deliver.

The successful candidate will be a highly experienced and successful senior leader, with a deep career anchored in commercial disciplines, practiced at senior level. A strong delivery ethic with high levels of resilience, a high level of adaptability and flexibility, and the ability to manage unstructured situations and environments are also required in this role. Additional requirements of the role are:

• Expert practice in business development, in developing and managing value propositions and in delivering strategic partnering plans.
• Expert knowledge in complex commercial relationship management and in the contracting process.
• An in-depth understanding of government structures with the ability to build and contribute to high-quality internal relationships.
• A highly developed strategic thinker and ability to identify and take calculated risks.
• Outstanding relationship-management capabilities, with first-class communication skills and solid track record of negotiations at very senior levels.
• Deep experience in collaboration across teams and separate organisations, and ability to lead without formal authority.
• A diplomatic approach, with deep understanding of the politics within complex organisations.
• A deep sense of commercial and operational value and a commitment to improve design, value and delivery in a variety of service areas and agreements.

Job description

Although not a guarantee, the role holder may have line management responsibilities for a small number of more junior colleagues. The main focus of the role will be to coordinate a network, across government and the wider public sector, comprising commercial and delivery professionals, focused on the relationship with several government’s construction and engineering strategic suppliers.

The role will sit in the Markets, Sourcing and Suppliers directorate in the Government Commercial Agency which is an executive agency of the Cabinet Office and part of the Government Commercial Function.

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

The successful candidate will be accountable for:

• Delivering the government strategy and the Strategic Partnering Programme with specific strategic suppliers and market sectors.
• Developing the mutual value proposition in each key service area, leading to delivery of extraordinary measurable performance.
• Developing the cross-government strategy and plan with the strategic supplier(s).
• Documenting the relationship map from executive to operational levels, leading to unparalleled relationship access and leverage with the supplier(s).
• Setting performance standards and monitoring delivery.
• Providing commercial insight and intervention in key contract negotiations.
• Effective collaboration with cross-government teams relevant to the supplier relationship.

These accountabilities will be exercised in coordination with supplier-facing government departments and other public sector bodies, and with support from the other central teams.

Key measures of success will lie in delivering the core components of the Government Strategic Partnering Programme and developing a truly strategic approach to the strategic suppliers, in order to transform government’s risk and value creation profile, as follows:

• Strategic risk management: continuity of mission critical and/or sensitive services; compliance and ethics; financial robustness; capability; contractual performance.
• Strategic opportunity: quality of service; delivering efficiencies and cost savings, optimising taxpayer value for money; implementing an end-to-end integrated supply chain between government & supplier; a one-government approach; creating and delivering innovation and best practice transfer.

The Strategic Partnering Manager develops and coordinates extensive external and internal relationships.

• External with the strategic suppliers - suppliers’ senior leadership; suppliers’ senior leaders in charge of the partnership with government; leaders in the suppliers’ organisations selected on their importance to the overall relationship and delivery performance.
• Internal leadership - Cabinet Office, Government Commercial Agency and departmental leadership, including cross government Commercial Directors.
• A close working relationship will be developed with Crown Representatives, whose role will be to act as a senior strategic advisor and senior relationship manager.
• Internal “One Government” network and approach - leaders and key operators involved in the relationship and key service area experts. As such, the Strategic Partnering Manager provides strategic insight and direction to around 50+ other part or full-time roles across departments.
• Internal team: a member of the Senior Management Team within Markets Sourcing and Suppliers and a senior member of the Government Commercial Agency; work in tandem with the Strategic Supplier Relationship Management team, the Market Health team and the Commercial Analysis and Financial Analysis Teams.

• Be amongst the most senior members of the Government Commercial Function and play a role in the broader commercial reform programme led by the Government Chief Commercial Officer;
• Play a key leadership and change management role in developing a strong commercial function for the MSS and across government.

Technical skills

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

• Ability to communicate in a succinct, engaging manner and stand ground when necessary, using appropriate styles, methods and timing, including digital channels, to maximise understanding and impact.
• A track record of delivery in challenging commercial environments, developing and embedding continuous improvement, and achieving financial and strategic value - directly and by shaping supplier markets.
• A highly experienced and successful senior commercial leader, with evidence of highly developed strategic thinking, operational delivery, risk management and significant financial responsibility.
• Delivers quality outcomes on time, under pressure and in uncertain environments. Credit is shared and ability to monitor own and team’s work against targets. Acting promptly to keep work on track and maintaining performance.
• Expert knowledge in complex commercial relationship management and contracting processes across multiple strategically important supplier and government organisations to support delivery of business outcomes.
• An experienced commercial and culturally aware leader with the ability to inspire and develop talent, exercise diversity of thought and focus with rigour on collective as well as individual goals.

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 15th 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/

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.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

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 : 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)20260901 OFFSEN 479174 - Strategic Partnering Manager - Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 421kB)