Commercial Lead - Digital

• A fantastic opportunity with numerous public sector benefits
• Hybrid working - 3 days per week in office

About Our Client

As the challenge of protecting London evolves so must the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). Thanks to large-scale transformation, we are developing so we can make life safer for over 9 million Londoners. As a Commercial Lead, your procurement expertise will contribute towards improving our policing activities, our capability to reduce crime, ensuring we deliver on our pledge to Londoners: More Trust, Less Crime & High Standards.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Commercial Function is responsible for delivering end-to-end commercial lifecycle management and supporting the wider business in working with third parties.
The MPS spends c£2bn each year on a diverse range of goods and services and we aim to procure them in the most cost effective and compliant way, while satisfying often-urgent operational needs.
Commercial Services includes five category pillars - i) Covert and Counter Terrorism Policing, ii) Digital, Data and Technology, iii) Corporate and Professional Services, iv) Property and Operations - and v) an Enablement and Performance team. This is an exciting time to be working in Commercial Services, which supports the organisation in delivering the Commissioner's vision for a New Met for London and our counter terrorism policing priorities. There is a unique and ever-evolving challenge of policing London, which means that there are more opportunities for you to get involved with making London the safest global city in a time of unprecedented change within the UK's largest police service.
We are looking for commercial professionals, with experience of managing complex, high value programmes and projects, developing category strategies, leading negotiations with suppliers and working with senior stakeholders across multiple business groups to solve commercial problems in a dynamic environment. With this background, you will bring experience in delivering commercial solutions throughout the commercial lifecycle, balancing the delivery of high value and complex projects in a fast-paced environment whilst managing stakeholder relationships at a senior level. You will have a proven track record of value-based leadership with an emphasis on modelling behaviour, coaching and mentoring. 
We currently have the following vacancies but would consider candidates with a broad range of category experience as we anticipate opportunities in the future cross category and/or are open to individuals who are looking to broaden their experience into other areas.
In return, you will have the opportunity to make the role your own: increasing innovation, delivering social value to communities in London, lead category strategies, influencing commercial strategy, procurement and execution of Contracts. Your experience in developing commercial models that create best value in procurements will directly benefit front line policing in London, the UK and globally. 
As part of a larger team, you will collaborate across multi-disciplinary teams and enable front line policing and best value. No two days are the same and you will gain invaluable commercial experience, helping to deliver commercial solutions in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. 
The MPS can offer you a competitive salary, flexible working and benefits, with excellent career and professional development.

Job Description

This role is an integral part of Commercial Services and sits in the Technology, Innovation and Solution Delivery team which are responsible for sourcing new technology infrastructure hardware, software and services to deliver on the Commissioner's mission: More Trust, Less Crime and High Standards.

The team's focus is:

• Working with operational policing stakeholders to translate front line policing requirements;
• Leveraging the knowledge of small medium enterprises and leading global Tech companies to create commercial models and;
• Delivering market solutions through innovative sourcing to deliver best value for the organisation.
• Providing innovative and flexible commercial solutions and forming strong relationships with stakeholders and suppliers to deliver Data & Digital solutions is the key objective for the team.

To be successful in this role, you'll need to be agile and flexible with a proactive mindset, whilst delivering the best value within a regulatory environment. During a typical working day, the team will be working on projects of different size and complexity from c.£50k to c.£150m per project, working collaboratively with stakeholders from critical business areas of the Met including Transformation, Forensics, DDaT and Estates. You will be providing best value commercial models for; proof of concepts, sourcing technology, applications development, software as a service, platform as a service, turnkey projects and resource technology services.
In this role you will be expected to provide Category Management leadership of a particular area within the pillar, contributing to delivering Commercial Excellence for the Met, providing a customer focused service, understanding the business need and stakeholder drivers, with the aim of becoming a trusted commercial advisor. You will also develop relationships with MPS's key and strategic suppliers, driving value for money and risk management excellence across the category.
You will play an essential part in leading parts of the overall commercial life cycle, primarily focused on the key aspects of Category Management, including strategy and policy development, understanding needs and sourcing options, and the procurement process itself. This will be done through the development and execution of category management strategies, leading supplier negotiations, where needed, and delivering timely and effective support, guidance and expertise to the business.
The Technology, Innovation and Solution Delivery team are responsible for sourcing new, high value and complex Technology, technology professional services, infrastructure, hardware, software and services to deliver on the Commissioner's mission: More Trust, Less Crime and High Standards.
The team's focus is:

• Working with operational policing stakeholders to translate front line policing requirements
• Leveraging the knowledge of small medium enterprises and leading global Tech companies to create commercial models and;
• Delivering market solutions through innovative sourcing to deliver best value for the organisation.
• Providing innovative and flexible commercial solutions and forming strong relationships with stakeholders and suppliers to deliver Data & Digital solutions is the key objective for the team.

The Successful Applicant

What does the average day look like? Your core duties will include (but are not limited to):

Strategic delivery and management within a category:

• Developing commercial approaches that deliver requirements that are in line with business needs, category strategies and market trends
• The development of category strategies and delivery of sourcing requirement within the pillar, as part of the team supporting business as usual and project activities
• Understands demand by forecasting and planning requirements with internal stakeholders and suppliers
• Developing and maintaining category plans for key spend areas

Understands relevant sourcing options and analysis, and delivers positive outcomes through the procurement process:

• Performing end-to-end strategic sourcing activities for MPS and serving as a subject matter expert
• Works with key stakeholders to develop a clear and agreed view of business requirements, and supports business units in articulating their commercial requirements
• Advising and providing professional guidance throughout the sourcing process, considering and evaluating a range of sourcing models
• Supports the development of options for a business case, including articulating associated benefits and producing supporting arguments for the preferred option
• Identifies opportunities to develop collaborative partnerships with suppliers
• Provides a procurement service to the MPS which delivers demonstrable value for money and compliant goods and services contracts as part of a team of procurement professionals on larger procurement activities
• Leading negotiation relating to commercial activity, and has knowledge and experience with negotiation techniques. Leads and guides others in negotiation
• Understanding and being accountable for sourcing compliance and frameworks

Ensuring effective Commercial Contract and Supplier Management within the pillar:

• Support Contract Management of contracts within relevant category

Building andmaintainingkeyrelationshipsacrosstheMPS and with important external stakeholders:

• Developing key stakeholder relationships, enabling early engagement and challenging business need and demand. Seeks early active involvement of internal stakeholders in the sourcing process. Internal stakeholders will include MPS colleagues who are users and buyers of the goods and services within the category, and relevant business units and MPS colleagues within the DDaT function.
• Provision of commercial advice to stakeholders on all aspects of commercial
• Engaging, where required, with the relevant senior business lead, ensuring that business requirements are supported by category strategies
• Working closely with external stakeholders, including MOPAC, Home Office, ACPO

Enabling and developing the MPS:

- Feeds into catalogue and content management for the MPS, setting the direction for their category

- Performance and day-to-day management of a team where applicable.

- Mentoring and providing guidance to junior members of the team.

- Working within a secure environment upon sensitive projects as required.

- Deputise for Head of Commercial if required.

What's on Offer

- Salary between £68,662- £75,638 + £1,841 location allowance + £1000 non-pensionable allowance

- 36 hours per week

- Blended working with three days per week in office at Kilburn, West London. The successful applicant will have a hybrid approach with the ability to work from home 40% of the time. The successful candidate will also be required to attend stakeholder meetings when required at separate sites across London.

- When you start as a member of police staff, you'll have a choice of joining one of the civil service pension schemes

- 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), rising to 33 days after 5 years

The closing date for all applications is 15th January 2024

PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU ARE SHORTLISTED FOR AN INTERVIEW, INTERVIEWS WILL BE TAKING PLACE AT KILBURN POLICE STATION ON 29th JANUARY 2024. CANDIDATES WILL BE REQUIRED TO ATTEND ONE OF THESE DATES.

CTC level clearance is required for this role.

Where specific UK qualifications are required we will take into account overseas equivalents. All third party applications will be forwarded to Michael Page.

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