View Vacancy - MNL - Deputy Head of Regional Procurement Hub, SEO

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer.  We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Operations and Corporate Services)
Procurement

Main purpose of job:

Based in Manila and reporting to the Head of Hub, the jobholder will provide procurement/commercial expertise to the Regional Procurement Hub for Asia Pacific, Middle East & North Africa, based in the British Embassy Manila.  The jobholder will have a line management and coordination role, with responsibility for the procurement life cycle across the regional network including Embassies, High Commissions and posts, ensuring compliance to FCDO global policy and UK procurement regulations.

The jobholder will provide guidance and support to stakeholders through management of the Hub on daily procurement activities and the most complex procurement requirements. Increasing commercial influence of procurement and commercial improvements across the region to deliver Value for Money (VfM) and alignment to transparency initiatives for the FCDO.

The jobholder will work closely with the head of hub, to establish the hub’s service offering and working with the wider team to implement across the regions covered.  Building key relationships with stakeholders at Post they will be influential in work planning and risk mitigation leading to continuous improvement to the delivery of an efficient service. 

Part of this role will include building relationships with the UK and wider hubs network to collaborate on workstreams to proactively seek opportunities to drive efficiencies globally. 

Alignment and input into the UK category strategies ensuring local knowledge is captured and used to influence where required. 

Through strong management skills the job holder will have responsibility for the management of the team, effective work planning and efficient resource allocation will be required to ensure the team provide a quality service across the region.   They will provide support and coordination of the team’s activities ensuring trust is built through encouragement and empowerment. 

The job holder will be a self-starter, requiring emotional intelligence with a solution orientated mindset.

Roles and responsibilities:

  • Line management and coordination responsibilities of the team, ensuring effective leadership to include work and resource planning enabling the team to provide a high-quality service
  • Provide support and coordination of the team’s daily activities to ensure all procurement/commercial outputs are compliant
  • Development of team though supporting L&D learning opportunities, ensuring trust is built through encouragement and empowerment
  • Creativity and innovation will be required when developing and implementing service requirements for complex procurements to ensure value for money is achieved for the stakeholder
  • Provide input to category plans where necessary and ensure engagement in business cases and lead on the drafting on the commercial case for all planned in scope procurements or commercial activity requiring FCDO Commercial engagement in the area under your remit. 
  • Influencing and alignment to category strategies development from the UK, ensuring hubs expertise of local markets is embedded, fit for purpose and included
  • Work with the Head of Hub to develop, maintain and leverage effective relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.
  • Actively work with stakeholders to review the range of commercial opportunities available to them and raise awareness and understanding of Commercial policy and best practice
  • Proactively engage with stakeholders across the region to provide commercial advice, direction and assurance on all commercial issues
  • Use judgement, interpretation and co-ordination to ensure that the solutions developed and delivered are acceptable to senior stakeholders and, when applicable, partners across government
  • Use Judgement, interpretation and coordination to ensure effective solution resolution of risk and issues at both transactional and strategic level, escalating to the Head of Hub as required
  • Ensure continuity and consistency of approach across the hub from project to project, using required tools, systems and processes to guide commercial activity and produce high quality commercial management information, sharing best practice with the wider hubs network
  • Support the pipeline of projects and contracts using the FCDO eProcurement platform to enable accurate and timely reporting.
  • Provide input to category plans where necessary and ensure engagement in business cases and lead on the drafting on the commercial case for all planned in scope procurements or commercial activity requiring FCDO Commercial engagement in the area under your remit
  • Resolve complex issues, including those that are perceived to be novel and contentious
  • Provide management, support and advice to other members of the team to develop business requirements and viable solutions and provide oversight and assurance of tender documentation and procurement compliance 
  •  Manage internal governance controls and support team in progressing through the respective assurance, governance and approvals processes
  • Providing cover for the Head of Hub during periods of leave/absence
  • Ad-hoc duties as required

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

The role will report to the Regional Head of Procurement Hub.  Line management arrangements may change following review, but will initially entail direct management of 1 x HEO (Procurement Manager) and countersigning responsibility for 4 x EO (Procurement Leads); 2 x AO (Procurement Officers)

  • Commercial Technical Skills - Previous experience in leading on complex commercial situations and leading teams to deliver great commercial outcomes (demonstrable line management experience)
  • Management and coordination skills
  • Working Internationally - Previous experience in working in a procurement capacity which is regional/international and beyond domestic market
  • Managing Change and Improvements - Evidence of the ability to identify potential improvements and successfully manage changes that deliver beneficial commercial outcomes
  • Team management experience
  • Developing Self and Others - Experience in coaching and mentoring to build capability at all levels of a commercial function, including a team and direct reports
  • Communicating and Influencing - Proven experience in influencing internal and external stakeholders
  • Bachelor’s degree in business or related field; MCIPS or CPSM (or studying towards) or relevant certification or MBA
  • Extensive English language
Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Leadership, Communicating and Influencing, Developing Self and Others
2 April 2023
Senior Executive Officer (SEO)
Full-time, Permanent
36
Asia Pacific
Philippines
Manila
British Embassy
1
PHP
141, 293.19
15 May 2023

Benefits:

The British Embassy Manila offers the following:

  • A competitive compensation package
  • 36-hour work week
  • Guaranteed 13th and 14th month pay
  • 20 days paid annual leave (calculated on Pro-rata basis if joined after 1 January)
  • Extensive medical insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Access to a guaranteed 5 days of learning opportunities a year. 

Learning and Development Opportunities:

  • Continual professional development through CIPS certification up to MCIPS / or CPSM - Multiple Options
  • Foundation Level Contract Management Training - Government Commercial Office

Working Patterns:

There may be requirement from time to time for early start times or late night calls to ensure effective management with UK teams and other Hub teams on different time zones. A mix between office/home-based working is currently practice but increased presence in the office will be expected.   

Other Information:

Employment offers are subject to successful clearance of pre-employment checks. Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy Manila is subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Philippine employment law.

No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit. Any costs related to obtaining or renewing permits and visas are the responsibility of the successful applicant.

Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.

Candidates are expected to have a valid NBI Clearance.

Please note that your application must be submitted before 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field "Application deadline."

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.  Applicants called for an interview will be assessed on the core behaviours listed above.

All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the online application form completely including the employment and educational details, experience, professional skills and behaviour-based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the applications and incomplete form in any respect may not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.
 
Only shortlisted candidates for interview will be contacted. Interviewees will be assessed on the core behaviours/qualifications listed above. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified via the system in due time. Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’.  If during the reserve period of 6 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.

For inclusivity and diversity, please remove the following personal information when uploading your CV: name, address, email address, age, date of birth, gender, and nationality.

The start date mentioned in the job advert is a tentative start date and the successful candidate will be required to undergo security vetting procedures. Any offer of employment will be subject to the candidate achieving suitable clearances.

Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.

This opportunity is closed to applications.