Commercial Deputy Director, Financial Transactions and Negotiations Support Team

Job summary

In DESNZ, we are leading the Government’s focus on being a clean energy superpower by 2030 and accelerating our transition to net zero. Consequently, our commercial landscape is very broad across entity-to-entity contracts, First of a Kind (FAOK) investments in Hydrogen and CCUS, SMR Procurements amongst many others. This role will focus on being a critical friend to Policy colleagues at the early stages of policy exploration to test multiple commercial arrangements including contracts, grants, concessional finance, equity to deliver the policy objective, whilst looking to standardise and embed knowledge management across this space. This will include negotiation advice and design. For someone with broad commercial experience, it presents a great opportunity to work across the full commercial lifecycle, well beyond procurement.

Job description

You will need to be able to build strong customer relationships and influence our internal stakeholders on the value commercial can bring. This is a critical remit with a wide-ranging responsibility and accountability for developing customer relationships and building the pipeline as well as managing, developing and increasing the maturity of the commercial team.

As a key member of the Directorate's senior leadership team, you will play an active role in supporting the leadership and management of the directorate, embedding its vision and values to create a supportive working environment for all.

You will also be responsible for the strategy and operation of the Commercial profession within the Department, and an ambassador for the commercial function. You will deputise for the Commercial Director when needed/appropriate, ensuring effective representation of views at committee(s).

The Commercial function in DESNZ is embarking on an exciting programme to review and change the way we operate with the Department, to put Commercial at the heart of everything the Department does, and impact the whole lifecycle of commercial activity, from investment to operational commercial management of projects on site. As part of our senior leadership team, you will play a key role in shaping this development, driving growth and enriching the function.

As a member of the GCO's senior team, you will enjoy cross-Whitehall Commercial leadership responsibility, and a role in continually developing and improving the Commercial Profession.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide advice to SROs on routes to market and ‘deal’ incentives including advice on Grants, equity models, loans and procurement models.
• Provide advice on negotiation planning, models, concession matrices and styles.
• Assemble and collect Departmental negotiation models and plans already used in a ‘knowledge management’ architecture to enable ‘invent once, use many times’.
• Lead as requested red team challenge reviews of plans in flight.
• Create an overview of Departmental capability and expertise in this field outside commercial.
• Support the Commercial Director in the leadership of the Commercial Collaboration Group.
• As agreed, lead negotiation on behalf of SRO and / or support the Department’s Chief Negotiator.
• Provide Commercial input and resource into the Policy Industrial Strategy group.
• Support the ICS Assurance team with assessing Outline Business Case of SROs coming to Portfolio Investment Committees.
• Line managing a team of 3 to 4 Grade 6 colleagues.
• Be amongst the most senior members of the Government Commercial Function and play a role in the broader commercial reform programme led by the Government Chief Commercial Officer;
• Play a key leadership and change management role in developing a strong commercial function for the DESNZ and across government.

Technical skills

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

• Advanced negotiator with a track record of leading multiple large deals. Proven ability to be assertive to secure deals, while maintaining strong customer/supplier relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Significant and comprehensive category expertise, likely to have been gained from working in large complex organisations, ideally in the financial space, at a senior level. Evidence of running insource/outsource conversations and transitioning.
• Expertly navigates complexity to influence key outcomes. Confidently handles rigorous questioning from senior stakeholders without much oversight.
• Outstanding consultancy skills. Ability to gain credibility and influence through, network development, stakeholder engagement and effective communication skills. Often acting as the key contact point within an organisation.
• Working with the highest-level senior stakeholders, both internal and external, to shape their thinking and understanding of the dynamics of the markets.
• Senior leader with extensive experience designing, shaping and agreeing innovative sourcing and commercial strategies in a complex organisation. Expert at guiding high-performing teams to achieve the same.