Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Senior Technology Procurement Manager
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Bristol, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Reading, Warrington, York
Job Summary
Defra is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.
Digital, Data, Technology and Security (DDTS) is the trusted team for digital across the entire Defra Group.
We have around 1000 colleagues across DDTS and our ambition is to make it easier and faster than ever for people to interact with Defra. If you are ready to drive innovation and push boundaries, we want to hear from you. Join us and together we will create a great place for living, and a green and healthy future for all.
Find Out More About DDTS
Job Description
The DDTS Technology Procurement Team plays a critical role in shaping, assuring and delivering some of Defra's most strategically important technology procurements.
As a Senior Technology Procurement Manager, you will lead complex, high-value procurement activity across a diverse technology portfolio that includes cloud platforms, hosting and storage, end-user services, digital delivery, cyber security, service management tooling and major transformation programmes.
This is a senior leadership role responsible for supporting the procurement strategy with Defra Group Commercial, driving supplier engagement, governance and delivery across a multi-supplier environment. You will work directly with DDTS senior leaders, Defra Commercial, legal advisers, service owners and suppliers to ensure procurements support Defra's long-term technology strategy whilst delivering sustainable value for money.
You will also help shape and mature the Technology Procurement function, develop commercial capability across DDTS and influence how future technology services are sourced, mobilised and governed.
Person Specification
Responsibilities
- Leading complex technology procurements from strategic concept through to contract award, mobilisation and transition.
- Providing Service Management, Supplier Management and Commercial acumen across significant programmes and high-value contracts.
- Developing procurement pipeline, sourcing approaches and commercial models aligned to DDTS priorities.
- Leading supplier engagement and market-shaping activities across the technology sector.
- Supporting evaluation and moderation activities for complex procurements.
- Providing expert advice to senior stakeholders on technology procurement, contract strategy and supplier management.
- Driving consistency and governance across procurement documentation, requirements, evaluation methodologies and supplier assurance.
- Leading the development and application of technology procurement standards, including service management, sustainability, security and supplier governance requirements.
- Supporting supplier onboarding, transition and implementation activities within Defra's multi-supplier operating model.
Skills And Experience
We are looking for an experienced technology procurement professional who can combine commercial leadership with a strong understanding of digital, technology and supplier ecosystems.
Ideally, You Will Have
- Experience leading complex procurement, commercial, supplier management or contract management activities, ideally within technology, digital or IT-enabled services.
- Experience delivering medium to high-value procurements from strategy development and market engagement through to contract award, mobilisation and transition.
- Strong knowledge of public sector procurement, commercial frameworks, procurement regulations and governance requirements, with the ability to apply these in a practical and proportionate way.
- Experience developing sourcing strategies and commercial approaches for technology services such as cloud, hosting, networks, cyber security, digital delivery, end-user services, service management tooling or managed services.
- Experience influencing and advising senior stakeholders, including operational, technical, commercial and executive-level audiences within complex organisational environments.
- Strong supplier and market engagement experience, with the ability to build productive supplier relationships whilst maintaining commercial integrity and delivering value for money.
- Experience operating within a multi-supplier environment, including supplier governance, performance management, mobilisation, transition and service integration activities.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex information, assess risks and opportunities, and make evidence-based recommendations to support decision-making.
- A proven ability to balance commercial, technical, operational and strategic considerations to achieve successful business outcomes and long-term value for money.
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Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £56,375, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £16,331 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
- 25 days leave (rising to 30 days over 5 years) plus bank holidays.
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
- A day off per year for the King's birthday.
- Access to a range of retail discounts (these include supermarket, tech, gym, holiday, phone and more).
- Flexible working options such as condensed hours, part-time and flexi time.
- 3 paid volunteering days per year.
- Funding for professional membership of a recognised professional body.
- Learning and development tailored to your role and budget for training or qualifications.
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
- Cycle to work scheme.
- Health cash plan to help you manage health costs for a reduced monthly fee.
- Access to the Employee Assistance Programme open 24 hours, 7 days a week, that provides support to you during any times of stress or difficulty.
- Free access to Headspace for wellbeing.
- Season ticket loan for public transport.
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 Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
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The Civil Service marks each element of the selection process on a merit basis. You can visit the gov.uk website for further information on the Civil Service rating scale.
Ensure you have tailored your CV and Personal Statement to the 'skills and experience' section of the job advert by providing examples on how you are suitable for the role using the STAR method.
Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your personal statement, how you meet these requirements, as the information you provide will form a key part when the panel is scoring your application.
For further information on STAR, you can check out our Hints and Tips document.
Application process
As Part Of The Application Process, You Will Be Assessed On Your Experience. This Will Be Evaluated By Looking At Your CV And Personal Statement, So Please Provide The Following And Ensure Your Experience Is Clearly Demonstrated
- A CV
- A 500-word Personal Statement: Referring to the'skills and experience' sections of the job advert, please demonstrate how you are suitable for the role by providing relevant examples.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Sift
Sift will begin shortly after the advert closes.
Should there be a large number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted using your personal statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment or interview.
Interview
If successful at sift, you will be invited to an interview where you will be assessed on the Behaviours and listed below, as well as Experience and Strengths.
Interview dates are to be confirmed. Please note that these may be subject to change.
Interviews will be held virtually on Microsoft Teams.
For further information on Success Profiles, you can visit the links below and watch our videos on DefraJobs.
Behaviours
Experience
Strengths
Location
As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s).
Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.
The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.
Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.
The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.
Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.
Reserve list
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Childcare Vouchers
Any move to DEFRA from another employer will
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