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Job summary

The Home Office plays a critical role in keeping our citizens safe and our country secure, contributing to a safer, fairer and more prosperous United Kingdom. Our work spans tackling crime and serious harm, strengthening border security and managing migration, countering terrorism, and supporting policing to protect communities. We are committed to protecting vulnerable people and delivering high-quality public services that maintain public confidence.

Commercial is central to delivering these priorities. We manage a multi-billion-pound portfolio of third-party spend, working with suppliers across a diverse and complex range of goods and services. These include high-profile and operationally critical programmes in government, spanning Asylum, Borders and Migration, Public Safety, Homeland Security, Digital, and the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP).

Our Commercial Directorate brings together over 300 procurement and contract management professionals. We operate as a strategic partner to the business, delivering value for money, strengthening supplier performance, and ensuring the effective delivery of critical outcomes.

This is an exciting time to join us. We are partway through a programme of transformation, strengthening capability and positioning Commercial as a trusted and influential partner at the heart of the Department.

The Public Safety Group plays a key role in keeping the public safe, by cutting crime, disrupting high-harm criminals, protecting the vulnerable, and ensuring that police, fire and rescue services are efficient and effective in delivering front-line services. We work closely with partners across government, local authorities, and the voluntary sector to develop policy, provide funding, and deliver legislation.

The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) is a pan-government, cross-departmental programme based within the Home Office. It brings together operational and departmental representation from the emergency services, alongside close collaboration with suppliers delivering the Emergency Services Network (ESN). This is a high-profile and complex programme, delivering cutting-edge technology that will directly impact people’s lives.

This role offers an exciting opportunity to join a fast-moving and complex build programme to deliver the next generation of emergency services mobile communications. As Head of Procurement, you will lead delivery of procurement activity for an in-flight programme, alongside supporting contract management of a suite of enabling contracts critical to the network and application builds.

Following a recent programme reset, ESMCP is entering a significant build phase, which will transition into the delivery of live service communications for the future.

Job description

The Deputy Director Commercial role is a senior leadership position within the Home Office Commercial function. You will play a key role in shaping and delivering commercial outcomes that support critical public services and national priorities.

You will lead a high-performing, multidisciplinary team—providing clear direction, developing capability, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality, efficient and compliant commercial services. The role requires visible leadership, sound judgement, and the ability to operate effectively in a complex and fast-paced environment.

Working closely with senior leaders across the Home Office, you will build strong relationships with policy, operational and finance colleagues, as well as key suppliers and partners. You will also engage across government to ensure alignment with wider commercial standards and share best practice.

This role has overall responsibility for the management and oversight of procurement activity across the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP). As a key member of the ESMCP Commercial Leadership Team, you will lead a team of circa 12 staff and oversee the delivery of procurement across an in-flight and evolving programme.

In addition to procurement delivery, the role includes responsibility for the contract management of the Enabling Projects portfolio—a suite of contracts that support and complement the main User and Mobile Service Contracts.

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

Key responsibilities include:

• Developing and delivering the commercial contracting strategy
• Maintaining accurate pipeline forecasts and reporting programme status
• Ensuring compliance with all relevant public procurement legislation, including the Procurement Act 2023
• Leading collaboration across integrated, cross-functional teams to support delivery of programme outcomes
• Maintaining a strong understanding of supply markets in support of ESN as a live service
• Working closely with end-user groups to support a seamless transition into live service
• Overseeing the contract management of enabling contracts, working alongside the Head of ESMCP Contract Management during peak delivery periods
• Ensuring robust PMO reporting and governance requirements are met
• Maintaining the corporate standing of the commercial function as a key enabler of the Home Office mission

You will also be responsible for proactively managing the performance, development and wellbeing of the procurement and wider commercial team.

Further Key Responsibilities / Accountabilities

• Lead the development and delivery of commercial strategies that support programme objectives and deliver value for money.
• Provide visible and effective leadership to a multidisciplinary commercial team, setting clear direction and fostering a high-performance culture.
• Oversee end-to-end procurement activity, ensuring it is delivered to time, cost and quality expectations
• Ensure full compliance with public procurement legislation, departmental policies and governance standards.
• Develop and maintain accurate commercial pipelines, forecasts and reporting to support effective planning and decision-making.
• Build and maintain strong, effective relationships with senior stakeholders across policy, operations, finance and delivery teams.
• Engage with suppliers and partners to drive performance, manage risk and support delivery of programme outcomes.
• Lead collaboration across integrated, cross-functional teams to deliver complex programme requirements.
• Maintain a strong understanding of relevant supply markets to inform commercial strategy and delivery.
• Oversee contract management activity for a portfolio of enabling contracts, ensuring effective performance and risk management.
• Support the transition from programme delivery into live service, working closely with end-user groups and operational stakeholders.
• Ensure robust programme management reporting and governance arrangements are in place and adhered to.
• Act as a senior leader within the commercial function, contributing to wider organisational priorities and continuous improvement.
• Proactively manage team performance, development and wellbeing, ensuring capability is built and sustained.

Key Objectives / Experience Required

• Significant experience of leading and working within complex, multi-functional teams, ideally within a project or programme environment.
• Strong understanding of government procurement practices, gained from either a supplier or client perspective.
• Proven track record of delivering procurement and contract management activity within a complex and high-profile environment.
• Ability to operate with strong judgement, influencing at senior levels and navigating complexity with confidence.

Technical skills

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

• Leads and develops high-performing commercial teams, fostering professional excellence, building organisational capability and creating an inclusive culture focused on continuous improvement.
• Demonstrates sound commercial judgement in identifying, assessing and mitigating commercial, supplier and delivery risks across complex programmes, whilst maintaining effective governance and compliance with procurement legislation.
• Deep commercial expertise across procurement, contract management and supplier engagement, with the ability to develop commercial strategies that balance cost, risk, performance and operational outcomes.
• Uses commercial, market and programme data to identify opportunities, challenge assumptions and provide strategic insight that informs decision-making and future delivery approaches.
• Proven track record of delivering complex procurement and commercial outcomes within large-scale technology, infrastructure or transformation programmes, maintaining momentum in a demanding environment.
• Builds credibility with senior leaders, suppliers and delivery partners, influencing strategic decisions and securing support for commercial approaches across complex stakeholder landscapes.

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 2 September 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.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 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 : Lynsey Munro
• 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

472701 - Deputy Director Procurement ESMCP – Commercial Specialist - Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 449kB)Guaranteed Interview Schemes (GIS) Opens in new window (pdf, 70kB)