Third Parties - Head of Commercial

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Job Description

This role can be Birmingham or London based.

Base salary:

Birmingham - £67,450 - c.£84,350 pa depending on skills and experience. In addition, we offer flexible benefits fund of 20% which is paid on top base salary and is fully pensionable, as well as a range of competitive benefits - check them out in the Benefits section on our website.

London - £79,300 to c.£99,150 pa depending on skills and experience. In addition, we offer flexible benefits fund of 20% which is paid on top base salary and is fully pensionable, as well as a range of competitive benefits - check them out in the Benefits section on our website.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential. In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

The Third Parties - Head of Commercial role is responsible for delivering and leading Commercial and Stakeholder Management activity with Internal Customer teams across their commercial & agreement interfaces with Third Parties (external to HS2 Ltd.) The role provides leadership to HS2 staff within the broader Third Parties Commercial Team in their management of Internal Customers, external Third Parties and the development of agreements to ensure the overarching functional strategy is effectively delivered. The role is responsible for co-developing the functional strategy and ensuring the team is effectively enabled and trained to meet the needs of the Programme.

About the role:

General

• Manage a portfolio of complex and bespoke Commercial Agreements with Third Parties, ensuring alignment with the HS2 Commercial Strategy and overall HS2 objectives, including the delivery of wider benefits
• Engage with other HS2 Directorates to identify requirements for third party agreements and to devise programmes for delivery and implementation.
• Provide subject matter expertise into other Directorates within HS2
• Undertake assurance activity across a portfolio of awarded agreements throughout the agreement life cycle
• Establish collaborative ways of working with Third Party stakeholders assisting in brokering, negotiating and delivering schemes that interact with the HS2 programme
• To be responsible for supporting Monthly Business Reviews (MBRs) and contract performance reviews and other ad hoc reviews.
• To be accountable overall for the commercial relationship and engagement with key third parties.
• Responsible for setting up and ensuring team adherence to functional processes, procedures and broader functional integration

Leadership

• To be responsible for providing second key corporate governance approval on cost, variations and risk in accordance with corporate governance requirements
• To be responsible for providing domain knowledge in the development and maintenance of efficient and effective contract and commercial management policies, processes and procedures
• To be accountable for managing and supporting agreed external relationships with strategic stakeholders by agreeing joint ways of working that maximise opportunity for both HS2 and Third Parties
• Represent HS2 at forums conducted by external Third Parties where decision making is required on maximising HS2 as a catalyst for growth.
• Work with Third Parties to enhance HS2 scope for regional benefit, where feasible to do so.
• To be responsible for leading team members, agreeing objectives, managing performance and development to ensure staff have the necessary skills and support to deliver in their roles.
• Actively promote and embed Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work, and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI

About You:

Skills:

• Ability to develop, manage and administer high value and delivery critical contracts to support the delivery of complex infrastructure or similar projects and programmes.
• Strong analytical, commercial and negotiating skills and the ability to settle disputes whilst maintaining business critical commercial relationships.
• Ability to deliver value driven management of commercial relationships with Third Parties.
• Skilled in developing stakeholder engagement programmes.
• Ability to network, influence and build collaborative working relationships with internal and external stakeholders - in particular with large public and private sector organisations.
• Demonstrate leadership, promoting collaboration across teams, with all internal and external stakeholders.
• Be proactive at promoting core behaviours including innovation, agile management techniques, lean, flexibility collaboration and commercial awareness.
• Skilled in managing the complex dynamic that exists in matrix organisations by demonstrating the ability to influence others to emulate the right behaviours.
• Prioritisation - Able to work to tight deadlines in a calm manner even in a fast-moving organisation.
• Able to manage political ambiguity within the project engagement workstreams

Knowledge:

(1) Aware: Awareness/ theoretical appreciation of the competence.

(2) Practiced: Applies the competence under supervision, primarily in non-complex situations.

(3) Competent: Applies the competence independently or with minimal supervision, often in situations of some complexity.

(4) Proficient: Can critically evaluate and adapt to situation as required. Applies the competence independently, primarily in complex situations. Can supervise others applying the competence.

(5) Expert/ Strategic: Can critically evaluate, adapt or develop new theories and/or methods. Recognised as an expert by other senior professionals, who is called on

• Bespoke Third-Party Agreements (5)
• Governance, Assurance & Compliance (5)
• Strategy Development (5)
• Project Management & Planning (4)
• Stakeholder Management (5)
• Estimating & Cost Planning (5)
• Procurement (4)
• Contract Management & Administration (4)
• Negotiation (4)
• Dispute Resolution (4)
• Cost Control (4)
• Risk & Value Management (4)
• Processes (4)
• Systems (4)

Type of Experience:

• Experience of managing commercial management teams in major complex infrastructure projects and programmes to deliver value for money for the Client/Employer.
• Experience of working with or for publicly funded bodies and/or a major publicly funded programme.
• Experience of building strong working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders
• Either experience of procurement of services or the management of large value complex contracts or providing client relationship management during the planning stage of infrastructure projects.
• Experience of implementing innovative solutions in complex partnerships to broker agreements
• Experience of high-profile stakeholder management with public and/or private sector organisations
• Experience of providing counsel at a senior leadership level across an organisation

Leadership Competencies:

• Inspirational Leadership: Demonstrating leadership flexibility, motivating and inspiring people from diverse functions and cultures
• Execution: Stretching the performance of people with a wide range of skills and capabilities
• Influence: Cross-matrix influencing, using a range of interpersonal approaches to persuade people with differing perspectives and interests
• Collaboration: Collaborating across boundaries, to establish reciprocal relationships and alliances across the organisation
• Direction: Co-ordinating cross business teams, creating a shared sense of purpose and keeping diverse teams focused on the same HS2 goals
• Business Judgement: Ensuring values for money, making judgements on what will ensure commercial viability, appropriately balancing risk and return
• Innovation: Inspiring differentiation, innovating and encouraging early adoption of new ideas and 'pushing the boundaries'
• Growing Talent: Fast-tracking talent, taking risks with growth opportunities for high potential performers to 'raise their game.'

The HS2 Leadership Framework can be accessed via the following link: https://assets.hs2.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Leadership-Framewor...

The post-holder is expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with the HS2 values of Safety, Leadership, Integrity and Respect

As HS2 Ltd do not hold a sponsorship license from the Home Office, we are not able to provide sponsorship to any applicant. Applicants must already have the Right to Work in the UK at the time of application and our process involves a Right to Work validation prior to the interview stage. Note, there are certain types of time-bound visas that we cannot accept.

Any offers made to applicants will be subject to satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks which include Nationality & Immigration Status, employment references, DBS, Financial and Education checks.

We ask for a variety of detail in your online application, however we perform the first assessment of suitability for a role based solely on the information in your CV. In a further development of our efforts to create a more diverse workforce, your CV will be anonymised and personal information will be removed during the first stage of the application review. This removes bias from the process and makes it even more important that you attach an updated word version of your CV for each new application ensuring you include evidence directly related to the criteria in the job advert. Watch this video on how we remove bias in the recruitment process: Removing bias in the recruitment process - YouTube

Any applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

About Us

High Speed 2 (HS2 Ltd) will be the UK's new high speed rail network. As well as improving capacity, the new scheme will shorten journey times between a number of Britain's major population centres, boost the economy and create thousands of jobs.

HS2 Ltd will create a skills legacy and develop a diverse range of talent. We aim to be a leader in EDI practice by creating a safe & inclusive working environment for all our staff - living our values of Safety, Respect, Integrity and Leadership.

In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

HS2 Ltd is also a safety-critical organisation. Employees are required to ensure reasonable care of their own and others' health and safety by taking personal responsibility for working to our 'Safe at Heart' programme principles and following safe working procedures at all times.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential.