Associate Commercial Practitioner

Job summary

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, covering a range of key economic, social, and demographic topics. These include measuring changes in the value of the UK economy, estimating the size, geographic distribution, and characteristics of the population, and providing indicators of price inflation, employment, earnings, crime, and migration.

On behalf of ONS, Commercial Services deliver all procurement and contract management activity within the organisation and are looking to appoint an Associate Commercial Practitioner. In this role you will have an opportunity to support the Commercial Director in delivering the Commercial vision of being a key partner in strategic business decision making, adding value through innovation, collaboration, and shared sense of purpose.

You will have responsibility for providing commercial support to ONS stakeholders that enables business goals through market knowledge, effective communication, and teamwork. You will contribute to the aim of delivering value for money through innovation, cost reduction and efficiencies, with fairness, transparency, sustainability, and diversity woven into everything we do. Commercial Services sits in the Finance Planning and Performance (FPP) Directorate.

The Government Commercial Function defines how all government departments should operate commercially to guarantee consistency of commercial behaviours and purchasing across government. Commercial Services uses their standards, benchmarks and training materials for staff involved in procurement and contract management to make sure best practice is followed. The strategic aim is securing optimum value for ONS through delivery of Commercial excellence.

Job description

Are you looking for a new challenge?

In this role you will work collaboratively with colleagues from within Commercial Services and stakeholders from across the business to ascertain demand and manage and deliver effective commercial activity – in line with the new step-change approach to Commercial activity delivery within ONS. You will be expected to ensure delivery compliance whilst driving the successful application of quality and Value for Money (VfM).

The post holder will also be accountable for ensuring complete end to end Commercial activity from pre-sourcing to contract management and the successful development and ongoing management of a comprehensive Commercial pipeline of work for their area of responsibility.

Role Responsibilities:

• Ensuring compliant end to end delivery of commercial activity including pre-market engagement and route to market analysis, ITT pack development, contract management and contract exit for low complexity procurements.
• Maintaining good relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Supporting the Sourcing team to deliver high volume procurements compliantly for the organisation.
• Maintaining the Commercial Pipeline to ensure consistency and an equal work allocation to the team.
• Supporting the efficiency drive in commercial by identifying Value for Money opportunities and delivering quality procurements.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Experience of coordinating and completing activities to agreed timescales that deliver outcomes.
• Experience of problem solving and dispute resolution.
• Experience of working to a strategy to achieve successful outcomes as part of a team.
• An awareness of actions required to support delivery of Value for Money (VfM) and efficiency.
• Experience of relationship management and working with stakeholders (at all levels) demonstrating effective communication skills (verbal and written).

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together