Job Description

Details

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Reference number

417852

Salary

40,669
The salary for this role is 40,669 (National).




For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If you apply for a role that requires a transfer of location, for example if you are transferring from London to a National location, your salary will be adjusted in accordance with our policy on transfer between HQ pay ranges.
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP

Job grade

Senior Executive Officer

Contract type

Permanent

Type of role

Policy

Working pattern

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

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

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Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information

Location

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Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh

About the job

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Job summary

Do you excel at staying organised and focused, even when priorities shift--proactively planning your work while confidently managing competing demands?



Are you keen to promote collaborative ways of working amongst your team and stakeholders?



If so, we have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Policy Adviser to join our team at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and we'd love to hear from you!



Here at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), we work on things that make a real difference to people's lives. The UK Government is committed to driving economic growth across all parts of the UK, ensuring no community is left behind. The Plan for Change is focused on five key missions: revitalising economic growth, modernising the NHS, enhancing public safety, promoting equal opportunities, and positioning Britain as a leader in clean energy. MHCLG has a key role in helping to deliver this plan, through directly funding programmes and interventions at local and regional levels, as well as working closely with key external stakeholders (e.g. devolved governments, local authorities, and other key partners) to help understand local needs and opportunities.



This role is within the Nations, Strategy and Engagement Team (NSET) which brings together staff from across the UK to deliver the department's priorities in the nations. Our vision is for MHCLG policies and initiatives to be tailored to the unique needs of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and we use our knowledge of place and relationships with local stakeholders to adopt a systems thinking approach. We enable collaboration between MHCLG, devolved governments and local stakeholders, to tackle challenges and improve outcomes for places and communities in the nations.



We are seeking an SEO to support our team in delivering departmental priorities across all of the UK. The successful candidate(s) will be instrumental in supporting our goals and ambitions by driving key projects across our division. They will also help coordinate activity across teams and across places, and support on engagement in the department, across government and with external stakeholders. The postholder will be a self-starter, and organised individual who will coordinate a wide range of team and departmental activity, whilst providing support to colleagues across a number of portfolio areas.

Job description

Responsibilities will depend on ministerial, departmental and division priorities, and could include:


Coordinating and supporting strategic projects:

Support specific projects across the division in identifying opportunities and managing risks to UK wide working across specific policy, funding or legislation priorities.

Supporting effective UK-wide policy and devolution strategy:

Maintain a strategic overview of MHCLG's activities across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Provide sound, timely advice on matters relating to devolution and support the development of UK-wide policy making.

Supporting internal and external engagement across the UK:

Support comms and engagement activity across the division, through central oversight as well as dedicated support for specific projects, and co-ordinate the timely production of high-quality products including correspondence, briefings and parliamentary questions, and wider information management.

Building UK devolution capability to improve delivery:

Lead work to improve nations devolution capability across MHCLG, including implementing the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland capability plan; developing and maintaining the divisions intranet resource; and being the main point of contact to the Cabinet Office Capability lead. This will include leading on the annual cross-government devolution learning week for MHCLG. Promote understanding of the specific UK wide aspects of departments' policies and facilitating connections with UK devolution teams in Cabinet Office and other departments on shared priorities.

Fostering a collaborative and inclusive team culture:

Be an active leader across the division, including taking responsibility for certain corporate strands that build and sustain a supportive and inclusive culture across the multi-located division.

Person specification

We are looking an enthusiastic, proactive, and organised individual to join the Nations, Strategy and Engagement Team. The individual will be personally resilient and with a proactive attitude and the ability to work independently. Experience of working in a fast-paced environment would be beneficial.



In return, this role offers the opportunity to work closely with senior leaders as part of a challenging but supportive team. We also offer a range of learning and development opportunities, including developing a broad understanding of MHCLG's work.


Essential criteria:


The below criteria are essential and will be assessed at application stage :

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with an understanding of possible sensitivities and an ability to tailor your approach to different audiences. Effective stakeholder management skills and the ability to confidently build and maintain excellent relationships, including with internal and external stakeholders. High levels of personal resilience with the ability to exercise good judgement and work effectively under pressure. Strong organisational skills, with the ability to work flexibly and proactively across a busy portfolio. Able to work independently, within and across teams in a matrix management system.

Desirable skills/criteria:

Knowledge of devolution landscape in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Benefits

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Alongside your salary of 40,669, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes 11,781 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.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%

Things you need to know

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Selection process details

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

CV Declaration

As part of our pre-employment checking process, we will be using your CV to confirm your job history. Please note that by providing us with your CV you are consenting to us using the information enclosed as part of the checking process. Unless stated otherwise in the advert, your CV will not form part of the assessment but will be used for information purposes and only shared with the panel at interview stage.



Our application system is designed to remove as much bias as possible from the recruitment system - this means that a hiring manager does not know your name, your details, see your whole application in one go (or have your CV at review stage unless stated otherwise).



Your answers are randomised and chunked up. This means that each assessor views sets of responses to each question rather than seeing a candidate's full application. The science behind this is that recruitment can be subject to ordering and fatigue effects and we want to reducethis as much aspossible.



Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.



When writing your application, remember:

the assessor won't be reading your answers sequentially do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers if talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)

At sift, we will be assessing

Behaviour 1 (lead behaviour) - Working Together


Behaviour 2 - Making Effective Decisions


Behaviour 3 - Communicating and Influencing


Behaviour 4 - Delivering at Pace


There is a 250 word limit per question.


In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead behaviour listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of the following success profiles elements:

Behaviour: Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together, Delivering at Pace


Strength: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

In the full campaign we will test the below Success Profile Elements:

Behaviours: Yes


Strengths: Yes

We do not consider direct CV applications to our Recruitment mailbox - you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs

Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign.

SEO salary

The salary for this role is

40,669 (National).

For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If you apply for a role that requires a transfer of location, for example if you are transferring from London to a National location, your salary will be adjusted in accordance with our policy on transfer between HQ pay ranges.

Please note that the average employer pension contribution is based upon the National minimum salary for this role. Should your agreed starting salary for this role be different, the average employer pension contribution will be calculated accordingly. If you are a Secondee, this will not apply as you will remain on your home organisation's terms and conditions.

BENEFITS

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Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018:

Any move to MHCLG 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. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk


For further information about the benefits available to MHCLG employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:

Cardiff Edinburgh Belfast

There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly depending on the business needs. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis if you are successful for the role.

SIFT AND INTERVIEW DATES

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Sifting is envisaged to take place 25/08/2025 with interview dates to be confirmed. All interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall.

Reserve List

In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details in a reserve list for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact recruitment@communities.gov.uk to be removed from the reserve list.

Security Clearance Requirements:

Important note

Please note that successful candidates will need to pass the CTC security checks - this requires you to have been resident in the UK for the past 3 years. Please refer to the MHCLG Notes on Security Clearance section of our Candidate Pack for further information on Counter Terrorism Clearance (CTC).


Candidates should also note that with effect from 1st August 2018 the department will also check all applicants who are successful at interview, against the Internal Fraud Database (IFD) held by the Cabinet Office. In accordance with the Civil Service Internal Fraud Policy, any applicant who is included on the IFD will be refused employment by MHCLG. Please see the Candidate Pack for further information on the Internal Fraud Database.

Candidate Pack Information

Please see attached Candidate pack for further information. The candidate pack contains information about the CS Commissioners appeals and complaints procedure.

Before starting your application it's very important to make sure that you are eligible to apply and meet the Civil Service nationality requirements. All candidates are expected to read the information provided in the MHCLG candidate pack regarding nationality requirements and rules

Internal Fraud Database

The Internal Fraud function of the Fraud, Error, Debt and Grants Function at the Cabinet Office processes details of civil servants who have been dismissed for committing internal fraud, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned. The Cabinet Office receives the details from participating government organisations of civil servants who have been dismissed, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned, for internal fraud. In instances such as this, civil servants are then banned for 5 years from further employment in the civil service. The Cabinet Office then processes this data and discloses a limited dataset back to MHCLG as a participating government organisations. MHCLG then carry out the pre employment checks so as to detect instances where known fraudsters are attempting to reapply for roles in the civil service. In this way, the policy is ensured and the repetition of internal fraud is prevented.


For more information please see - Internal Fraud Register



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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check .



See our vetting charter .
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in 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) 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

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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 .
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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

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This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
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

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Job contact :

Name : Amy McWilliams Email : amy.mcwilliams@communities.gov.uk
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Recruitment team

* Email : recruitment@communities.gov.uk