Contract Manager (Synergy Programme)

Birmingham, Blackpool, Leeds

Job Summary

Do you want to be part of an energetic, innovative team and bring your skills to one of the biggest changes to the administration of the Civil Service in decades? We’re looking for people who are flexible, intuitive and are comfortable taking high levels of volume, speed and complexity in their stride. A number of exciting new roles have come up in the Synergy Programme , a cross-departmental group formed in response to Government Business Service’s request for individual departments to group together in ‘clusters’ to drive efficiencies, increase buying power and improve the quality of shared service to our end users – our people. The Synergy Programme is the largest of five departmental clusters, comprising the Ministry of Justice, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Home Office. The Department of Work and Pensions hosts the Synergy Programme. Your work will impact the procurement arrangements for the next 15 years, impacting over 50% of all Civil Servants – that’s 230,000 people across the four departments and arm’s length bodies. Success of the Programme is crucial as Civil Servants rely on shared services to provide business critical tools in human resources, finance, payroll, and procurement. It affects everything we do, from joining a department as a new starter, the way we claim for expenses, how we buy goods and services such as our laptops and canteen provisions, to the way we receive our pensions when we retire. If you’re someone who can use your experience to streamline procurement to drive out error, waste, and duplication we want to hear from you. But most importantly, we’re looking for applications from people who can also demonstrate a passion for our core ambition - delivering a once in a generation, transformed service that Civil Servants will use as a result of the Synergy Programme.

Job Description

Whilst no 2 days will be the same, your duties will include:

• Provide operational ownership, influence and management throughout the life of contracts.
• Maintain a live Contract Management Plan (CMP) and ensure all associated trackers (risks, issues, variations, performance) are kept up to date.
• Support the Head of Contract Management by owning the contractual relationship between Synergy and Suppliers.
• Offer exceptional customer service to internal and external stakeholders, to build strong links and understand cross-cutting issues, whilst contributing towards their resolution.
• Act as a central point of contact and source of information for operational stakeholders and end users.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement in all aspects of contracts.
• Develop and maintain supplier performance dashboards (Excel or Power BI), reporting monthly to programme governance boards.
• Performance management of the achievement of qualitative and quantitative standards against mutual key performance indicators.
• Ensuring the timeliness and accuracy of supplier data entry and returns.
• Provide advice on contract management practices, providing guidance and insights to manage and develop key supplier relationships.
• Financial management of contracts, working with Finance and Commercial colleagues to ensure forecasts are accurate and spend is accurate against supplier delivery.
• Ensuring contract changes are appropriately controlled and supporting stakeholders through the correct governance channels.
• Support exit and transition planning, ensuring all exit-related obligations are documented, risk-assessed, and monitored through governance.

Person specification

Essential

• Experience of contract management, and experience of delivering ongoing contract management in a complex environment (Lead Criteria).
• Experience managing end-to-end contract performance and variation control across high-value digital or ERP-related contracts.
• Ability to lead and maintain Contract Management Plans (CMPs), trackers, and governance documentation.
• Skilled in performance reporting (Excel/Power BI) and interpreting KPIs to drive corrective action.
• Effective cross-functional working with Commercial, PMO, Legal, and Finance to resolve complex contract issues.
• Strong communications skills, to effectively challenge assumptions and influence direction, with the ability to build consensus across a large and diverse group of stakeholders.
• Evidence of critical problem solving and issue resolution in a fast-paced and often ambiguous environment.
• Previous experience in a contract or supplier management role and experience of providing strategic direction and leadership.
• Previous experience of managing the delivery of a wide range of services.
• Good commercial acumen with experience of projects involving procurement activity.
• Willingness to undergo the Cabinet Office Contract Management Programme to obtain a minimum of Foundation accreditation.

Behaviours

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

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Alongside your salary of £55,557, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £16,094 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. DWP have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

• Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Generous annual leave – at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
• Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
• Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
• Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
• Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. Applications should be made via CS Jobs. We select using Success Profiles. As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and a 1000-word personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. A CV is requested but will not be assessed, so please put the bulk of your evidence in your personal statement. Selection Will Take Place By Sift Based On The Person Specification. If a High Volume Of Applications Are Received, An Initial Sift Will Be Conducted Using The Lead Criteria Experience of contract management, and experience of delivering ongoing contract management in a complex environment. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or straight through to interview. At interview, we will select based on behaviours and strengths. There may also be a presentation, which will be assessed on the behaviours we will select on. These Are Behaviour 1 - Changing and Improving Behaviour 2 - Making Effective Decisions Behaviour 3 - Working Together Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. Any move to DWP from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website. If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out. In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band. Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Reasonable Adjustment

At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce. We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via DWPRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in a new window) checks. Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in a new window) 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) (opens in a new window)
• 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 (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window). 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 (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window). 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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative. The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in a new window).

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 : Synergy Resourcing Team

Email : synergy.resourcing@dwp.gov.uk

Recruitment team Email : dwprecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DWP by email: HR.BUSINESSASSURANCE@DWP.GOV.UK. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.