Flexible working: we recognise the importance of a healthy work-life balance, which is why we offer flexible working options including flexi-time, part-time, full-time, job share and compressed hours. Please note this role requires a minimum of 3 days per week in the office, with flexibility to work from home 1-2 days per week. There will also be a requirement to travel to other locations as needed.
About Us
MI5 keeps the country safe from serious threats like terrorism and attempts by states to harm the UK, its people and way of life. We carry out investigations by obtaining, analysing and assessing intelligence, and then work with a range of partners, including MI6 and GCHQ to disrupt these threats. Through our protective security arm, we provide advice and guidance to government, businesses and other organisations about how to keep themselves safe. A role in MI5 means you’ll do unique and challenging work in a supportive and encouraging environment, making a real difference to UK national security.
The Role
At MI5, we’re heading into a fascinating period of development and organisational change: and we’re looking for a Procurement Lead to join us. The role could be in our customer-facing team, managing key relationships where you will be responsible for unique procurements and the development of our commercial pipeline and in-year delivery. Or in the Commercial Delivery team, where you will look after sub-category strategies for Estates, People & Professional Services or Technology and help to deliver those needs.
Whichever team you join, there has never been a more exciting time to progress your career at MI5. You will help us shape the commercial activity for key projects, leading the delivery of strategic commitments. You will also have opportunities to be involved in business change initiatives across the Commercial function, translating business goals into action.
An empathetic and engaged manager, you will support the team in developing their skills and abilities to achieve goals together, whilst we support you in a stimulating environment that manages an interesting portfolio of procurement projects. A role model to your team, you will build their confidence through coaching and mentoring, sharing your expertise to ensure they deliver an excellent procurement and supply service. Alongside enabling and managing these procurement projects, you will continually look to improve our service.
Driving improvements, innovation and performance from suppliers, you will support cross-agency (MI5, MI6 and GCHQ) working and deliver the procurement and supply service to a wide range of customers, displaying professionalism and a collaborative attitude throughout. You will have opportunities to visit other national locations (depending on the location of your team), where you can grow your network and discover new ways of working.
As a valued leader at MI5, you will also represent our shared corporate services management team at senior meetings with government departments, offering professional advice and constructively feeding back on strategic issues, to ensure the best outcomes for our people and teams. If you’re dedicated, proactive and experienced in procurement, this could be a rewarding new stage in your career.
About You
You will have extensive experience in a procurement and supply chain environment, and a proven track record in leading and implementing complex decisions with best practice procurement, supply chain processes and methodologies. Management experience is also essential. Combined, this experience and expertise will help drive quality outcomes that deliver value for money whilst balancing change and complexity.
You will lead on providing commercial judgement for your area of responsibility. Using your experience of working in a commercial environment, you will analyse risk and identify potential trade-offs. As an experienced commercial professional, you will be involved in influencing strategic drivers which support complex business demands. As the focal point for your customers, you will prioritise the work to deliver tactical through to strategic requirements. You will demonstrate excellent customer engagement and problem solving, be motivated and proactive and continuously look for opportunities to enhance the overall commercial experience.
At MI5, we know that fostering a supportive environment is essential to thriving in a role – and so do you. Your experience in delivery of commercial, procurement or category management will be supported by your resilient and optimistic attitude, which will help you to maintain positive working relationships. A confident communicator, you’re as comfortable building constructive relationships with customers, sponsors and suppliers as you are writing commercial strategies and plans. In short, you will have both professional experience and proven interpersonal skills.
We are also particularly interested in individuals who have experience of contracting for Cloud or Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled services or experience using AI or other Cloud-enabled platforms in commercial delivery. We would welcome you highlighting that you have relevant experience in these areas in the application stage.
You will also hold, or be willing to study towards, a professional commercial qualification such as Membership of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS) or equivalent.
Training and Development
One thing you can count on when you join MI5 is our dedication to your professional development. When you start, you will be assigned a buddy to help you settle in, and as you progress you will have regular check-ins to ensure you’re receiving the right support and opportunities. You could benefit from a wealth of in-house technical training programmes – and even funding for external training, where appropriate.
As a senior member of staff, you will have access to the Senior Leadership Programme to help you thrive in your role. You will have the opportunity to study towards a professional commercial qualification such as Membership of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (MCIPS) or equivalent. If you are successful in joining us, you will become part of the Government Commercial Organisation, with access to conferences and much more.
Continuous development is at the heart of what we do, and we’ll work with you to help identify the skills and experience you need to lead, progress and flourish with MI5. What’s certain is that you won’t be on your own; from day one and throughout your career with us, you will be surrounded by colleagues who want you to succeed.
Assessment Development Centre
Commercial work should be assigned to people who are capable, experienced and, where applicable, accredited by the Assessment Development Centre (ADC). The ADC provides a robust method to evaluate commercial professionals against government-published commercial people standards. It provides rigour and consistency when selecting our senior commercial staff and ensures that the government has capable people to improve commercial delivery and prevent contract value leakage. Before being offered the role non-Government Commercial Organisation candidates will need to attend the Commercial Lead - Commercial Assessment and Development Centre (ADC) and achieve an “A” accreditation (Meets Threshold).
Candidates from the Government Commercial Organisation need to have a valid ADC accreditation of “A.”
The ADC will require a day's full attendance. The ADC takes place virtually by default, using a virtual platform for meetings and the Government Commercial College platform for online materials.
Rewards and Benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of between £71,067 - £77,399 plus other benefits including:
- 25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 public and privilege holidays
- opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
- dedicated development budget
- interest-free season ticket loan
- excellent pension scheme
- cycle to work scheme
- facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)
- paid parental and adoption leave
Equal Opportunities
At MI5, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website:
https://www.mi5.gov.uk/careers/working-at-mi5/diversity
We’re Disability Confident
MI5 are proud to have achieved Leader status within the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people. Being Disability Confident, we aim to offer a fair and proportionate number of person-to-person interviews to any candidate who self-identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role. This is our ‘Offer of Interview’ (OOI). To secure an interview for this vacancy, the essential criteria (in order of application process) are:
- pre-screening questions, which will ensure you meet our initial eligibility to apply
- application sift, which will assess your motivation for the role, the organisation and your relevant experience. You will be required to meet the minimum pass mark set to be invited to an online interview
There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to enable you to do your best, see our website for information on reasonable adjustments we can offer.
What to Expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:
- pre-screening questions, which will ensure you meet our initial eligibility to apply
- application sift, which will assess your motivation for the role, the organisation and your relevant experience
- online interview, which will include motivational questions, technical questions and competency questions
- Government Commercial Organisation ADC accreditation
- if successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, subject to vetting
Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take up to 12-months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.
Before You Apply
To work at MI5, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. You can read our full eligibility criteria here.
This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. You can find out more about the vetting process here.
Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can’t take any recreational drugs and you’ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.
Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate email address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname and date of birth. This is good practice and will help you to manage your application with us more securely.
The role is based in Cheltenham, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application.
Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.
Right to Withdraw Statement:
Please be aware that we withhold the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.