Vacancy -- Director of Commercial and Procurement

Recruitment Principles

The Welsh Government's recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

Vacancy Details

Office of the First Minister
Senior Civil Service 2
Circa £100,000
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Permanent
Pan Wales

Closing Date

11/05/2021, 12:00

Purpose of Post

The Welsh Government wants to adopt a contemporary model of procurement that deploys public contracts to secure the greatest possible public value. We are seeking to appoint a Director of Commercial and Procurement who understands the potential of procurement to improve outcomes across the Welsh Government and the public sector in Wales.

 Procurement is a crucial lever to deliver the Welsh Government’s ambitions for a more prosperous, more equal and greener nation. The Director of Commercial and Procurement will lead this work, driving the future of the profession in Wales, shaping procurement policy and delivery, and working across the Welsh Government to support wider policy priorities. This will require strategic leadership and direction in innovative / collaborative procurement in order to maximise public sector spend to drive wider benefits.

 

The role requires an individual who understands the wider policy agenda, including social value and wider community benefits, and the need to ensure value for money/effectiveness and efficiency. Understanding the pressures and sometimes conflicting objectives; and demonstrating strong collaborative/partnership leadership (internally and externally) will be vital.

 The successful candidate needs to be attuned to the policy imperatives in Wales and can operate within the UK and international context.

 The Welsh Government and the wider public sector regularly procure high value items where commercial negotiations could result in significant financial and non-financial benefits to the Welsh public purse and improve delivery of public services. The Director would not engage in all negotiations for all such procurements, but will be pivotal in working across the Welsh Government and the public sector, providing leadership and building capacity. They would provide assurance that appropriate negotiations are taking place and the negotiators are suitably skilled.

The Commercial Procurement Directorate is a cross Welsh Government Directorate and is accountable to the Minister for Finance and Trefnydd. The Directorate oversees development of the Welsh Government’s policy for procurement in Wales, providing advice and support to Ministers. It provides leadership to the procurement profession in Wales, as well as having oversight of the Welsh Government’s own procurement policy and practices.

Equality and Diversity

The Welsh Government is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and which promote equality of opportunity. This is underpinned by the Equality Act 2010 and will be adhered to at each stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure that these commitments are also embedded in our day-to-day working practices with all our customers, colleagues and partners.

We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation and increasing diversity in the Welsh Government by removing barriers and supporting all our staff to reach their potential. We are committed to recruiting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and disabled people who are currently under-represented in Welsh Government.

We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, marriage and civil partnership (both same sex and opposite sex), impairment or health condition, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, gender identity or gender expression.

We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion and a Disability Confident Level 3 (Leader) organisation. Key to supporting this work and providing peer support are five Board sponsored Staff Networks (Disability Awareness and Support (DAAS); Minority Ethnic Support Network (MESN); Mind Matters (Mental health and well-being); PRISM (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex +) and Women Together.

Disability Confident

Welsh Government accepts the social definition of disability, in which it is recognised that barriers in society act to disable people who have impairments or health conditions or who use British Sign Language. We are committed to removing barriers so that all (or potential new staff) can perform at their best. The Equality Act 2010 uses the medical definition of disability (“a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term impact on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities”).

We guarantee to interview anyone who is disabled whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. By ‘minimum criteria’ we mean that you must provide us with evidence in your application which demonstrates that you generally meet the level of competence for the role and any qualifications, skills or experience defined as essential. We are committed to the employment and career development of disabled people.

If you have an impairment or health condition, or use British Sign Language and need to discuss reasonable adjustments for any part of this recruitment process, or wish to discuss how we will support you if you were to be successful, please email SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales as soon as possible and a member of the team will contact you to discuss your requirements and any questions you may have.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

Welsh Language Requirements

The Welsh Government is a bilingual organisation and Welsh language skills are considered an asset to the organisation. We encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills in the workplace. 

The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the line manager on behalf of the Welsh Government of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.

Desirable
Can read some basic words and phrases with understanding
Can hold a basic conversation in Welsh
Can understand parts of a basic conversation
Can write basic messages on everyday topics

Social Partnership

In Welsh Government, the relationship between the employer and trade unions is based on social partnership. We believe our goals can best be achieved by management and trade unions working together.

Our 3 recognised trade unions are:
•         PCS
•         Prospect
•         FDA

This relationship is underpinned by a partnership agreement. This sets out how our unions work with Welsh Government on issues such as:
•         pay
•         terms and conditions
•         policies and procedures
•         organisational change.

Our Welsh Government trade union colleagues work together to give their members a real say in the workplace. They make sure that the interests of their members are promoted and protected. They also help reduce inequalities and improve terms and conditions.

The Welsh Government has an excellent track record of working in partnership with its trade unions. We encourage staff to get involved. We support you to join a recognised trade union, to ensure your voice is heard in the workplace. and to learn more about trade unions and partnership working.

Assessment Process

The Recruitment Team via the Welsh Government system will acknowledge your application and when appropriate you will be advised about the outcome of the short list meeting which will be held 17 May 2021  

 

Assessments for shortlisted candidates only

 

Online Psychometric Tests – details of these will be provided to shortlisted candidates. You will receive a link to these online tests the w/c 24 May 2021

If you have completed the online psychometric tests in the last 2 years, for a post at the same grade, it will not be necessary for you to take these tests again for this particular recruitment exercise.

 

Staff/stakeholder engagement sessions - these will take place w/c 24 May 2021.

 

A brief meeting with the relevant Minister will take place w/c 24 May 2021.

 

Panel Interviews – these are scheduled for 9 June 2021. Interviews will last around 45 minutes.

 

All of the above assessments will be held remotely via Microsoft Teams

How to apply

Completed application form, an up to date CV, together with a personal statement of suitability for the post should be submitted by the closing date.  All applications for this vacancy should be made online via the Welsh Government's online application system.  If you have an impairment which would prevent you from applying on-line, please e-mail SCSrecruitment@gov.wales to request an application pack in an alternative format or if you need to request a reasonable adjustment related to an impairment in order to submit your application.

To apply, you'll need to have an account on our online application system.  Click the 'Apply' button below, and you'll be asked to 'Log in' if you already have an account, or 'Register' if you don't yet have an account.  Registration takes just a few minutes to complete.  You'll need an e-mail address to be able to register.  Once you've registered for an account and logged in, you'll be taken to the online application form, which you'll need to fully complete and submit before the deadline on the closing date.  

If you’d like to apply for this vacancy in Welsh, please use the ‘Newid Iaith / Change Language’ link at the top of this page, to take you to the Welsh version of this advert, from which you can apply in Welsh.

For further information regarding the Senior Civil Service recruitment process within the Welsh Government, please see the SCS Recruitment Guidance for External Candidates (link). Further guidance on Preparing Your Personal Statement (link) is also available.

When evidencing your suitability for the post, it is recommended that you refer to the Civil Service Competency Framework (link)

Other information about the vacancy

09/06/2021

This vacancy is closed to applications.