Opportunities

ROLE DEFINITION

Post title: Deputy Director, IMS Sourcing and Contracts

Reports to: Chief Information Officer (CIO), HMRC

BACKGROUND AND JOB SUMMARY

IMS Sourcing and Contracts (S+C) manages the commercial arrangements related to IT solutions and services provided to HMRC via existing contracts with external suppliers.

The vast majority of departmental spend on IT is with external providers. Sourcing and Contracts manage over 100 contracts with a total spend of approximately £1billion. This level of spend make us a consumer of some significance within the IT industry.

The Deputy Director, IMS Sourcing and Contracts is expected to provide leadership, management, direction and governance across the full range of the commercial, contract and supplier management activities and acts as champion of commercial best practice in the Department and across Whitehall.

THE ROLE

• Deliver “value for money” and savings targets from IT contracts, whilst ensuring quality of service is protected through contract terms and conditions
• Identify opportunities to enhance current contractual arrangements
• Lead and negotiate agreement of change to IT contracts
• Primary owner of supplier relationship management, with responsibility for the commercial aspects of the Department’s “Intelligent Buyer” capability
• Act as the focal point on behalf of the Department, working with key suppliers to develop long term partnerships at senior levels, steering their performance to meet key performance indicators and enabling contract flexibility
• Develop, own and maintain the IMS Sourcing Strategy
• Set the direction for all commercial advisers within S+C, ensuring they are motivated and skilled to consistently conclude commercial outcomes in the Department’s favour
• Ensure that latest Departmental thinking, operational and strategic, has reflected any implications on the management and arrangements with current and future IT suppliers
• Develop a presence of some influence in the IT industry such that the industry is well sighted on, and responsive to, the current and future needs of HMRC
• Make substantial contributions to cross-government groups and thinking as it pertains to commercial relations with the IT industry
• Maintain information sources on developments in the IT industry that have a material bearing on the Department’s current suppliers, including the overall performance of those suppliers
• Provide commercial approval and authorisation on all work initiated with external suppliers (e.g. Letters of Engagement, CRs, HPGF Approval stages)
• Authorise all contractual changes through both Heads of Agreement and Contract Change Notes
• Ensure all departmental IT contracts are well maintained and are consistent with industry best practice

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

• The CIO and has Leadership Team
• Key IT internal and Outsource Providers and Suppliers
• The HMRC Commercial Director and his teams
• Senior managers within IMS
• Internal audit team
• Govt CIO Council – Supplier Forum
• OGC
• NAO

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and maintain the sourcing strategy to determine the optimum blend of service providers
• Lead, direct and develop the professional IT commercial management function, providing leadership to approx 60 staff
• Ensure the appetite to create competitive tension within the Department is facilitated by the means to do so (introducing specific competitions or developing frameworks that allow us access to a wider set of alternatives in the marketplace)
• Ensure the burden of risk bearing afforded to us in our IT contracts is realised in the Department’s favour
• Proactively manage contract lifecycles so the organisation can be prepared for contract terminations, renegotiations, extensions or renewals
• Analyse the Departmental Transformation Plan to assess future sourcing requirements and ensure that the appropriate commercial framework exists with key supplier to enable delivery of the Plan
• Lead commercial intervention at the relevant approval stages of the Department’s change programme, to drive value for money
• Analyse market trends in technology and IT service delivery. Including market and technology developments that involve leading and emerging suppliers, evolving pricing models and emerging delivery models
• Evaluate tools, processes and frameworks for improving supplier management
• Develop polices, processes and standards to be applied to create and maintain effective supplier relationships
• Develop, manage and refine guiding principals for supplier relationships, and drive the principals across the organisation
• Overall responsibility for supplier reviews and performance assessments, including the cross-government evaluation mechanism – CAF
• Provide advice and guidance on matters commercial and contractual to senior executives within HMRC as required
• Represent HMRC views at the OGC Supplier Forums
• Identify and mitigate commercial risks and issues which could jeopardise supplier performance
• Develop and maintain a robust commercial governance regime and provide assurance of expenditure through definition and management of processes, systems, risks, policies and guidance
• Chair the Aspire Joint Partnership Board and ensure the functions (CIF and Contract Operations Board) which escalate to this board are performing effectively
• Confirm the annual work programme discharged under the Contract Operations Board addresses the departmental priorities at that time
Confirm the annual Open Book Audits on various supplier partners meet departmental needs and ensure agreed actions are discharged

WORKING WITH OTHERS

• Leverage effective working relationships with suppliers to good effect on the Department’s behalf, fostering a willingness to ‘go the extra mile’ from our partners
• Develop working relationship with HMRC Commercial Directorate to ensure the sharing of best practice and effective co-management of areas of overlap
• Facilitate a culture of best practice within IMS through maintaining a network of relationships with specialist organisations to ensure that current developments in the management of IT suppliers become integrated within organisation.
• Initially to be responsible for ensuring that IMS Sourcing and Contracts meets the needs of HMRC and to finalise its operating processes and interaction with other elements of IMS and the Department.
• Responsible for the recruitment, development and motivation of IMS Sourcing and Contracts
• Produce and disseminate education materials that aid all departmental stakeholders in an appropriate understanding of relevant IT contracts
• Build and develop constructive working relationships with appropriate external representative bodies (e.g. OGC, Intellect, CIO Council)
• Help facilitate effective decision making within the Department by representing IMS on appropriate departmental bodies
• Become a valued member of the IMS Leadership Team and of the senior team within HMRC
• Have due cognisance of our role in wider public sector IT delivery, maintaining a positive and productive working relationship with the eGovernment Unit and other IT commercial directors across government

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS FOR GOVERNMENT

As well as the qualities and skills above, the post holder will need to demonstrate to a high level the Professional Skills for Government (PSG). The PSG skills framework is at www.civilservice.gov.uk/skills. The four elements of the framework are Leadership, Professional expertise, broader experience and Core skills. The core skills are:

• People Management

• Financial Management
• Project and Programme Management
• Analysis and Use of Evidence
• Communications and Marketing
• Strategic thinking

THE PERSON

For this high-profile role we are looking for an individual with strong experience of managing a series of complex relationships with a range of IT suppliers – preferably in a significantly outsourced environment. You will need to have substantial experience of working in a large multi-site organisation. Your background could involve working directly for an outsourced provider, as well as subsequent procurement experience, or you may be already managing a sizeable IT outsourced agreement directly. You will have substantial experience of handling complex negotiations and finding win-win solutions among different parties - adjusting your style as appropriate.

You will also need experience of managing and developing a team.

Previous knowledge of Central Government is beneficial but is in no way essential

SALARIES AND OTHER BENEFITS

Salaries

The salary level for this role is circa £100,000 plus bonus and final salary pension scheme.

Pay and grading is based upon broad pay bands. There are annual salary increases based on performance.

In addition to the annual salary there is a performance related bonus, which is paid annually. HMRC believes in transparent target setting and having an achievable bonus and so all targets and deliverables will be discussed openly with the successful candidate at the start of their employment.

Location

The post will be located in Telford or London.

Pension

All new appointments are pensionable from the outset. You will normally be able to choose between two Civil Service Pension arrangements:

• Premium, a final salary occupational pension scheme with a 3.5% member contribution rate.
• Partnership Pension Account, a stakeholder pension with an employer contribution based on your age. You do not have to contribute, but if you do, we, as your employer will match your contributions up to 3% of pensionable pay.

Full details of the choices available to you will be provided if you take up an appointment, however for further information on Civil Service pensions visit the web site www.civilservice-pensions.gov.uk/Menu.asp

Leave

You will have an annual leave allowance of 30 days and in addition you will receive:

• Public holidays and additional privilege days off
• Maternity and paternity leave where appropriate

Retirement Age

The retirement age for Senior Civil Servants is 65.

Terms of Appointment

An offer of appointment will be made once all candidates have been interviewed, and will be subject to satisfactory completion of eligibility checks. If you are offered an appointment you will receive a detailed summary of your main terms and conditions.

Relocation expenses

You will have to pay your own relocation expenses, if any, when you are first appointed. Where a residential move is required as a result of a departmental transfer during your career, a relocation package may be available.