Job Description

Details

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Reference number

427037

Salary

40,669
The salary for this role is 44,319 (London) or 40,669 (National).
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP

Job grade

Senior Executive Officer

Contract type

Permanent

Type of role

Strategy

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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Bristol, Darlington, London, Manchester, Wolverhampton

About the job

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Job summary

Do you want to help shape how a government department delivers for communities across the country?


Are you someone who enjoys making sense of complexity, working with others to solve problems, and spotting risks before they become issues?


If so, this is an excellent opportunity to join the Strategy Directorate at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).


We are looking for a motivated and collaborative Senior Executive Officer (SEO) to play a central role in MHCLG's business planning and portfolio oversight work. You'll sit at the heart of the department, helping to ensure our resources, programmes, and activities are aligned with ministerial priorities and wider government objectives -- and that risks and interdependencies are well managed.



This is a stretching and visible role, where you will work closely with senior leaders, programme teams, and central functions. You'll be task managed by a Grade 7 Head of Planning and Portfolio Oversight and be part of the Departmental Governance, Planning and Oversight Team.



This is a unique chance to work at the heart of MHCLG, with exposure to senior officials and cross-Whitehall partners. You'll gain first-hand experience in strategy, strategic planning, governance, and portfolio management -- skills that will equip you for future leadership roles in the Civil Service.

Job description

As an SEO in the Governance, Planning and Oversight Team, you will:

Support MHCLG's annual business planning process - coordinating inputs from across the department, ensuring milestones are met, and producing clear summaries for senior decision-making. Draft and prepare high-quality documents - including contributions to the MHCLG Delivery Plan and Outcome Delivery Plan, ensuring they are clear, accurate, and strategically aligned. Strengthen portfolio oversight arrangements - monitoring programme performance, working with PMOs and portfolio leads to track delivery against plans, and escalating risks and issues where appropriate. Surface risks and interdependencies early - analysing data and evidence from programmes to provide clear, actionable insights for senior leaders. Champion strong programme management disciplines - supporting consistency across PMOs, helping to embed good practice in planning, reporting and assurance. Maintain strong relationships across the department - building links with policy teams, finance, private offices, and delivery leads, acting as a trusted point of contact for planning and portfolio matters. Support departmental governance - ensuring that accurate, timely information flows into senior boards and that decisions are followed up and acted on. You'll also have opportunities to stretch beyond your core role, for example contributing to cross-departmental strategy projects, supporting corporate reform initiatives, or improving the way MHCLG manages delivery across its portfolio.

Person specification

We're looking for someone who is organised, collaborative, and keen to take responsibility for important areas of work. You should bring:

Strong organisational skills - able to keep complex processes on track and manage competing priorities.
Clear written and verbal communication - able to draft concise, compelling documents and engage confidently with colleagues at all levels.
Analytical ability - comfortable handling information on programme performance, identifying risks, and drawing out trends and interdependencies. Collaboration skills - able to work across boundaries, building positive relationships with programme managers, PMOs, finance, and senior leaders. Initiative and problem-solving - someone who can spot risks early and help find solutions. Commitment to personal growth - this is a stretching role with significant exposure, and you'll be supported to develop the skills you need to progress.

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.


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.

CV and Cover Letter Declaration

We recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - this is called name blind recruitment.



Please remove references to your:

name/title educational institutions age gender email address postal address phone number nationality/immigration status

You will need to merge your CV and covering letter into one document.

When submitting your application Applied will ask you to upload a CV, when doing this you should upload your merged document of your CV and covering letter

.



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

At sift, through your CV and covering letter we will be assessing:

Experience


Your covering letter should be between 500-750 words referencing how you meet the criteria set out in the job description

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

Behaviour: Seeing The Big Picture, Communicating and Influencing, Changing and Improving.


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


Candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation, further details will be provided on invitation to interview.

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

Experience: Yes - Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description


Strength: Yes


Behaviours: Yes

Please contact the vacancy manager if you have any questions about the role.

We do not consider direct CV applications - 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 44,319 (London) or 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

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.

Location

London Wolverhampton Darlington
Bristol Manchester


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.

Please note:

The Darlington Economic Campus is a pioneering new cross-government hub which will bring together people across departments and public organisations to play an active role in the most important economic issues of the day. The work of the Campus will make a real difference to people both across the UK and internationally. There will be substantial career opportunities and exciting prospects - a career at the Campus means you will be working at the heart of Government, with access to the benefits and fantastic opportunities offered by the civil service.

For further information on the DEC, please take a look at the attached DEC candidate pack.


At present, a minimum of 60% of your working time will be spent in your contractual office location. Requirements to attend other office locations or off-site meetings will be counted towards this. You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process.

Sift and Interview dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place W/C 22/09 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 on 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.


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.

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

Candidate Pack Information

Please see attached Candidate pack for further information.

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 : Isaac Turner Email : isaac.turner@communities.gov.uk
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Recruitment team

* Email : recruitment@communities.gov.uk