Defence Business Services (DBS) - Digital, Information & Technology (DIT) Contract Manager

UK Ministry of Defence; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 37,000; Full time

Job description

Bristol, Abbey Wood north BS34 8JH,

Kentigern House - Glasgow G2 8EX,

Tomlinson House – Blackpool FY5 3WP.

Job Summary
Are you a dedicated person who is passionate about making a difference?

Would you like to work for the Ministry of Defence?

Defence Business Services (DBS) is one of the largest shared service organisations in Europe that provides a wide range of corporate services, to over 1.2 million end users, including serving and past military and families, as well as MoD civil servants and industry. DBS delivers large scale administration and smaller specialist services to enable the wider MOD to focus on its core aims, maintaining the UK’s Defence and Security. Services include Human Resources, Pay, Veterans, Finance and Procurement.

• Our Vision - To support UK defence customers with outstanding service every time.
• Our Mission – Together we will proudly support Defence, continuously improving and delivering flexible, timely, sustainable and value for money services that underpin the whole force and enhance operational capability.
  
  

DBS is committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues. We are building an inclusive culture and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society.

We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us through opportunities to develop your skills and experience. We also offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career accessible to you and offer a Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%. Where your role permits, we support a blended working approach alternatively known as hybrid working.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

DBS has recently undertaken a review of its operational locations in the North West, and have consolidated all activities in Norcross, Blackpool. A further move, to the new Government Hub at Talbot Gateway in Blackpool, is scheduled to take place in 2026.

Job Description

The DBS DIT contract management team is responsible for ensuring greater visibility of both obligations and performance of DBS DIT Contracts, and to ensure effective Contract management is embedded in future DBS DIT contracts.

Working as a contract management SME, your main responsibilities will include:

1. Supporting the DBS DIT Contract Management Lead in implementing best practice in Contract Management, ensuring suppliers meet the desired requirements and deliverables, and the Authority meet their contractual obligations to facilitate this.
2. Supporting DBS DIT Contract Management Lead in Governance meetings and Ad Hoc meetings producing minutes as required and engaging with internal stakeholders to ensure information is up to date in governance meeting packs.
3. The post will have responsibility for centralised CP&F actions for DBS DIT contracts, including Library contracts, PGRMC and Professional Services contracts ensuring spend is monitored and within the forecast profile, and authorised demander lists are managed and communicated to the supplier.
4. The post holder may also be required to produce clear reports on contractual performance against deliverables and spend analysis, presenting data and conclusions logically and concisely in the most appropriate format highlighting any insights generated from current activities.
5. Assist in ad hoc Supplier Management activities, such as supporting the collation of slide packs and responses to data requests or briefings.

DBS operates a “blended working” approach which will be a combination of office based and homeworking. The post holder will be required to work on a 60:40 office:home ratio. Occasional travel to other DBS or MOD sites may be required.

Person specification

Experience of CP&F, both in contract management actions such as raising requisitions and also exploiting contractual MI contained in the system.

Experience of contract management activities including implementing contract management plans, supporting and minuting governance meetings with stakeholders.

Stakeholder engagement and management with a range of stakeholders both within and outside your immediate team.

Experience working with suppliers and commercial support to identify and enable continuous improvement over the life of any given contract.

Ability to communicate and convey proposals, ideas and recommendations to different audiences.

Experience of tracking progress against long term deliverables.

Experience of tracking and forecasting contractual spend.

Experience of raising and amending contract and purchase requisitions in CP&F.

Ability to balance the requirements of several stakeholders, their priorities and deadlines, with agility and diplomacy.

Self-motivation to plan, develop and deliver significant pieces of work with light touch management, whilst also being part of a team which needs to pivot to deliver an overriding priority on occasion.

Enthusiasm for own and colleagues continuing professional development.

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and Improving

Alongside your salary of £36,530, Ministry of Defence contributes £10,582 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• An environment with flexible working options Monday-Friday
• 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years' service (pro rata). In addition to 8 public holidays per year, you will also receive leave for the King's birthday.
• Hybrid working, where role permits.
• An opportunity to be considered for Reward & Recognition- £250-£5000 per year.
• Family friendly policies including parental leave and adoption leave.
• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• Professional and personal development of skills.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• Minimum of 15 days special leave in a rolling 12 month period for volunteer reserve commitments.
• Special paid leave to volunteer up to 6 days per year.
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.

Allowances

This post does not offer relocation expenses.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

Employment Hours

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience. Your suitability for the role will be assessed using the Success Profile elements that have been chosen for this campaign. Each element will be scored accordingly, and the successful candidate will be appointed on merit.

Please ensure that at the application and interview stages of the campaign you review the Success Profiles Framework to assist you in the demonstration of your skills and experience.

When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected.

Applications Will Be Sifted On All Success Profile Elements, But In The Event Of a High Number Of Applications, An Initial Sift Will Be Conducted On The Following Success Profile Elements:

Primary: Career - Job History
Secondary: Behaviour - Managing a Quality Service

At application stage you will be assessed against the following:
Experience

• CV
• Personal Statement - 500 words - Please provide information of how you meet the criteria set out in the job description. You may wish to further include examples of how you have tackled similar tasks or demonstrated the skills outlined in the job advert.

Behaviours

• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and Improving
• Delivering at Pace

At Interview You Will Be Assessed Against The Following

In the rare case where individuals have exact matching scores, the order of merit will be determined based on the behaviour scores at interview in the following order:

1. Behaviour - Managing a Quality Service
2. Behaviour - Changing and Improving
3. Behaviour - Delivering at Pace

If Candidate Scores Are Still Exact, The Merit Order Will Then Be Determined On The Sift Score In The Following Order:

1. Behaviour - Managing a Quality Service
2. Career - Job History
3. Behaviour - Changing and Improving
4. Behaviour - Delivering at Pace
5. Career - Personal Statement
6. Career - Qualification Details
7. Career - Previous Skills

We want to offer opportunities to all who are successful at interview for our roles, but this isn’t always possible, so we do hold candidates on an active reserve list for 12 months.

Application sifting to take place late April. Interviews are currently taking place via the following method: Face to Face. Interviews will be conducted late May.

A minimum of 2 full working days’ notice will be provided for interviews. We endeavour to stick to these dates, but these are subject to change around business needs.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: [e-mail].

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical.

The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

To assist with your application please find attached -

DBS Candidate Information Guide - Working for Defence Business Services - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

(26) UK Ministry of Defence: Life, LinkedIn

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check. See our vetting charter.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.

Nationality requirements
This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service.

Further information on nationality requirements.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

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

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants
Job Contact

• Name : Andrew Pickard
• Email : [e-mail]

Recruitment team

• Email : [e-mail]

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact [e-mail] in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages.