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Contract & Change Manager

Hybrid in London·Added today (last checked 2 Nov)

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra)

10 open roles

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Our summary

Salary
£64,015 - £71,178 a year

About £3,970 - £4,320 a month after tax.

Work mode
Hybrid, London
Closing date
Apply by Sunday 15 November
Pension
28.97% employer pension

Skills

Requirements

What we're looking for

Essential Criteria:

  • Proven experience of contract management and/or contract governance within a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
  • Demonstrable experience of managing contractual change, governance processes, assurance activities or supplier management arrangements, balancing competing priorities and stakeholder requirements.
  • Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills, with experience of building effective relationships and influencing outcomes across a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders.
  • Experience of working with suppliers, commercial teams and business stakeholders to resolve complex issues, negotiate solutions and support effective decision-making.
  • Experience of identifying and managing contractual, commercial or governance risks and ensuring appropriate controls, reporting and escalation mechanisms are in place.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and provide advice and guidance to a range of audiences, including senior stakeholders.
  • Experience of working within a complex governance environment and contributing to strategic objectives, organisational change or transformation activity.

Nice to have

Familiarity in the following would be helpful within the role:

  • Experience of working within government, shared services, outsourced service delivery or other large-scale multi-customer environments.
  • Knowledge of Government Shared Services strategies, frameworks and operating models.
  • Experience of managing contract audits, assurance reviews or compliance activities.
  • Knowledge of Defra Group, its Arm's Length Bodies and the wider operating environment.
  • Experience of working with major transformation programmes and understanding the contractual implications of organisational change.

Pay & benefits

What you'll get

£58,207 - £71,178

National £58,207 - £64,715
London £64,015 - £71,178
For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading 'Salary'.

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Alongside your salary of £58,207, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £16,862 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

  • Learning and development tailored to your role
  • An environment with flexible working options
  • A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
  • A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

Visa & relocation

Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

The role

Defra Group receives a diverse range of shared services through the Government Shared Services Framework, delivered through outsourced providers and supporting critical business services across Defra Group. Operating within a complex landscape of contractual arrangements, stakeholders and governance structures, the Shared Services team plays a key role in ensuring contractual obligations are effectively managed and future business requirements are supported.

As Contract and Change Manager, you will support the Head of Contracts, Change and Improvements in managing key aspects of Defra Group's shared services contractual arrangements. The role has a particular focus on contract governance, supplier engagement, contractual change management, audit and assurance activities, and ensuring contractual obligations are effectively managed across the shared services portfolio.

Working closely with suppliers, the Framework Authority, Defra Group organisations and wider government stakeholders, you will lead activity that supports the effective operation and evolution of the shared services contract. You will provide expert advice on contractual matters, coordinate complex change activity, manage contractual risks and dependencies, and help ensure that business requirements, strategic priorities and transformation initiatives are appropriately reflected within contractual arrangements.

This is a varied and influential role, requiring strong stakeholder management, commercial awareness and the ability to operate confidently across multiple workstreams, bringing together contractual, governance and strategic considerations to support the successful delivery of Shared Services across Defra Group.

  • Uphold and enhance effective contract management across Defra Group's shared services arrangements by establishing and maintaining strong relationships with suppliers, the Framework Authority, internal stakeholders and wider government partners. Work across organisational boundaries to understand cross-cutting contractual issues, support their resolution and promote Defra Group's Shared Services strategic objectives.
  • Lead the management of contractual change, acting as the focal point for the Request for Change (RFC) process. Work with stakeholders, suppliers and programme teams to assess, negotiate and implement contractual changes, ensuring proposals are effectively governed and aligned to business requirements, contractual obligations and strategic priorities.
  • Utilise extensive knowledge of contractual arrangements and supplier management principles within a multi-customer environment to support effective decision-making. Take a leading role in negotiations between stakeholders, suppliers and the Framework Authority, balancing differing priorities and achieving successful contractual outcomes through the application of best practice contract management techniques.
  • Lead and coordinate contract audit and assurance activity, working with stakeholders and suppliers to ensure contractual compliance, appropriate governance and effective management of audit findings, recommendations and resulting actions.
  • Work collaboratively with Group Corporate Services (GCS) functions, Defra ALBs, departmental representatives and Process Owners to understand emerging business requirements, assess contractual implications and ensure contractual arrangements continue to support organisational objectives and strategic change initiatives.
  • Provide expert advice and guidance on contractual, governance and supplier management matters, developing solutions to complex issues within contractual, policy and best practice frameworks.
  • Support the Head of Contracts, Change and Improvements in identifying and managing contractual risks, dependencies and opportunities arising from changing business needs, government policy developments and transformation activity, including impacts associated with the Synergy programme.
  • Lead, motivate and develop team members, fostering a collaborative and professional culture, supporting recruitment activity and ensuring the team has the capability and resilience required to deliver its objectives.

How you'll work

Permanent

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s).

Where the location is 'National' the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra's location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.

Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.

The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.

Apply before

Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 15th November 2026

Reference number

487881

Job grade

Grade 7

Location

Birmingham, Bristol, London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, York

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Job contact :

  • Name : Synergy Resourcing
  • Email : Synergyresourcing@defra.gov.uk

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Hiring process

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

  • Seeing the Big Picture
  • Making Effective Decisions
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Working Together

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, and a Personal Statement (no more than 250 words) based on the Essential criteria under the Person Specification section.

Further details around what this will entail are detailed on the application form.

Should there be a large number of successful applications, the sift will be based on the Personal Statement only.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on Behaviours and Experience.

If selected to attend an interview you may be required to make a short, informal presentation to the panel. Those invited to interview will be provided with further information as part of the interview invitation process.

Your interview will be conducted virtually via MS Teams.

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

About Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra)

Industry
Government Administration

In their own words

About the company & team

DEFRA - DGCS - GCS Strategy, Partnerships & Operations

Operational Delivery
Project Delivery

1

Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.

  • Email : defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Additional information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Defra 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 a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the 'Assistance required' 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.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be appointed in merit order for each location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.

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.

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.

All of these posts require the successful candidate to hold basic security clearance. Candidates posted to London may be subject to a higher level of clearance because of the security requirements for that location. Job offers to these posts are made on the basis of merit. Security vetting will only take place after the receipt of a job offer.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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)

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 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 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.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: here

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