Commercial Compliance and Investigations Manager

Sitting in the Cabinet Office Strategy, Assurance and Standards (SAS) team, the Procurement Review Unit has an unparalleled level of visibility across all public sector contracting authorities. As the Head of Commercial Compliance and Investigations, you will have an opportunity to positively influence commercial outcomes and improve commercial practice pan public sector including the most complex of environments, by drawing on your experience and sharing best practice.
In your role you will be responsible initially for supporting the design and implementation of a new Procurement Compliance Service within the PRU. You will work closely with the Public Procurement Review Service also within the PRU to establish an end to end system surrounding the identification, management and oversight of contracting authority systemic and institutional non-compliance against the Procurement Act 2023 focussing. Post design you will then facilitate and participate in both informal and formal investigations, providing advice and recommendations to the Cabinet Office Minister; Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service; and the Government Chief Commercial Officer.
Working with Contracting Authorities across the Public Sector and with devolved administrations you will liaise with contracting authorities who will develop an action plan to remedy any non-compliance and monitor progress reports to address the implementation of recommendations. You will drive continuous improvements across the commercial function and the public sector through close collaboration with other central teams, such as Commercial policy, Complex Transactions, Markets and Suppliers, and Central Digital and Data Office., This is a high-profile role, advising Ministers and Senior Officials on commercial non-compliance against the Procurement Act 2023. As a member of the Commercial Strategy, Standards and Oversight team (SCSO) within Strategy Assurance and Standards, you will lead on the delivery of the Cabinet Office Procurement Compliance Service, influencing commercial operations influencing commercial practice across a spend profile of approximately £300bn per annum.
As Commercial Compliance and Investigations Manager you will be responsible for supporting the implementation of the government’s procurement oversight commitment as set out in part 10 of the Procurement Act. This Act will introduce the biggest changes to how public sector organisations buy goods and services for a generation!
As a senior member of the Cabinet Office, you will play an active role in the Strategy, Assurance and Standards senior team through leading, supporting and coaching more junior team members; developing and enforcing Cabinet Office Commercial Policies and Governance arrangements across our area of work.
You will act as the day to day operational lead as we develop and implement the new procurement oversight system and therefore work closely with the Cabinet Office policy team, central commercial teams, the cabinet office legal advisors, departments, arms-length bodies and the wider public sector to ensure the process is fit for purpose under the new regime.
There will be a significant amount of stakeholder engagement and cross working with the Debarment and Investigations team, Commercial Standards as well as the Procurement Review Unit Portfolio Office. You will support the maintenance of the integrity of the procurement regime and ensure contracting authorities act in line with our international obligations including under the World Trade Organisation’s Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA).
Locations
The successful candidate 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., + Supporting the mobilisation of investigation teams, managing and leading informal and formal pan public sector investigation and reviews
+ Facilitate and participate in investigations that are to expected standards as set out in the PRU operating standards
+ Taking a lead role in the creation, management and utilisation of an independent procurement compliance advisory panel to make fully informed recommendations, ensure actions meet recommended outcomes and develop guidance on learning from experience.
+ Working alongside the PRU portfolio team to identify emerging risks and trends, ensuring the risk triaging and prioritisation process is effective, fair and transparent against the unit’s Key Performance Indicators whilst managing stakeholder expectations.
+ Manage a portfolio of cases including compiling reports based on investigation findings, making recommendations to an independent panel before securing ministerial sign off
+ Ensure that investigations proposed/delivered are to expected standards as set out in the PRU operating standards
+ Develop ministerial relationships in relation to investigation activity
+ Support the Deputy Director and the Head of Compliance and Investigations to lead the team and to effectively communicate commercial policy to drive continuous improvements, deliver key engagement & programme management activities in support of both Government Commercial Function and Cabinet Office priorities as part of the Transforming Public Procurement Programme.
+ Developing guidance on the reforms; and lead on ministerial correspondence and parliamentary questions relating to the role and related work.
The successful candidate will have an appreciation and understanding of the barriers facing contracting authorities.
You will enjoy working in an agile environment, have a track record of leading teams, applying a variety of investigation techniques and tools whilst being able to work under pressure thus ensuring effective and efficient delivery of commercial outcomes in fast paced, political and ambiguous environments., 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.
Details of schemes available are attached in the advert.
For full details of our process, and a likely timeline, please read the explanation provided in 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 essential criteria for the role which are detailed in the attached Candidate Pack.
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.
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 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 the Civil 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
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The role requires an individual who can demonstrate substantial experience of procurement rules either from a buyer or supplier perspective. You will also have contract management or supplier relationship management experience with in-depth understanding of the new public procurement regulations, legal framework and up to date knowledge of commercial policy, data and Management Information good practice.
You will be adept at using data and information enabling the PRU to establish a baseline for monitoring benefits of the new regime - and using this to drive continuous improvement

Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
+ Risk Mindset - Experience analysing risks and margins of error whilst drawing together and presenting sound recommendations through making reasonable conclusions from a wide range of complex evidence
+ Manages Complexity – Experience of investigating complex commercial activities, with demonstrable experience across the commercial lifecycle
+ Resilient – The ability to challenge senior stakeholder decisions, work under pressure, and deliver multiple projects within agreed timescales
+ Builds Relationships – Solid stakeholder management. Can develop & instigate different approaches to support collaborative relationships with senior leaders. Collaboration across boundaries & communicating complex solutions clearly
+ Political Insight - Acts decisively and clearly recommends the best option articulating risks and impacts on economic, environmental, political and social factors

Please be advised that the Virtual ADC is taking place on 20th June 2024 and will require a full day's attendance.

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.