* Please note, you will need to merge your personal statement and CV 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 personal statement. If you experience any technical issues, please contact recruitment@communities.gov.uk.

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Role Information

This page contains role information which you must read before completing your application' College_of_Experts_Recruitment_Pack_Dec24_Final.pdf

Overview

Organisation: MHCLG’s Chief Scientific Adviser’s office

Sponsor department: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Location: Remote with possibility of occasional travel

Time commitment: Various, approximately up to 2 days per month. However, this is flexible, and we will take into account any other time commitments you may have. Please note that inclusion in the College does not guarantee that you will be called upon to undertake work for MHCLG, though there may be opportunity to participate in events related to your area of expertise.

Remuneration: £300 per day

Length of term: 1 year, with the option of extending based on mutual agreement

This campaign is to become a member of the College of Experts - and you will not be appointed as a Civil Servant for employment purposes.

If you would like to attend an information session with MHCLG's Chief Scientific Advisor on 9th January 2025, or would like further information please email collegeofexperts@communities.gov.uk

Role Summary

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is at the heart of the Government's agenda for change, aimed at growing the economy and improving people's lives right across the United Kingdom. We do this by empowering local communities, rebuilding local government, fixing the foundations of an affordable home, ensuring building safety, enabling social cohesion, strengthening employment rights and supporting local growth.

In order to create policies that deliver for the British public, are resilient to current and future challenges, and encourage trust in their intended outcome from Ministers and the public, MHCLG’s policies must be underscored by a diverse range of science, engineering and industrial expertise. We welcome expertise from a range of academic disciplines to help design policies which will create growth across the country, strengthen employment rights and raise living standards, reform our planning system, help ensure everyone has access to secure, affordable and safe homes, and breathe new life into our towns and cities through empowering local leaders and communities.'

To ensure that MHCLG receives the best available science, engineering and industrial expert advice, the department is seeking to appoint members to its College of Experts. As a member of our College of Experts you will have the opportunity to directly inform and influence our work, and ensure your research and expertise has a real-world impact and helps shape Government policy. The College will consist of a list of pre-approved experts held on retainer from whom MHCLG can commission short pieces of ad hoc work under contract to provide science, engineering and industrial expert services.

Role Description

Examples of the type of advice you may be asked to provide includes:

• Ad hoc advice and support to ministers or policy and analytical colleagues where appropriate, aiding with project and programme development and evaluation.

• Provision of training, workshops or roundtables on specific technical or subject-specific areas.

• Participation in working / advisory groups for MHCLG R&D projects.

• Provision of support to the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) by making extended expert/ scientific networks that can help guide MHCLG decision making.

This list is non-exhaustive, and you may be asked to provide other types of advice in addition or instead.

Personal Specification

We are committed to ensuring diversity of thought within the College of Experts and are looking to appoint members with scientific, engineering and industrial expertise across the range of MHCLG’s remit.

Key themes include: housing; the planning system; communities and social cohesion; local government; local growth; devolution; homelessness, rough sleeping and policies to support vulnerable groups; net zero carbon emissions and housing quality; building safety; strengthening employment rights, resilience and recovery from emergencies and voting and electoral systems. We are also interested in cross-cutting research methodologies such as theories of change, systems thinking, project, and programme management.  

Essential criteria

• A high level of relevant experience and expertise in the areas you have identified, evidenced by qualifications to a postgraduate level or equivalent experience.

• Experience and evidence of working in multidisciplinary groups to provide evidence-based assessments or advice.

• A proven ability to communicate complex scientific/ technical advice clearly and persuasively orally and in writing to a non-technical audience.

• A desire to increase the use of science, engineering or industrial advice in government to produce better policy.

Desirable criteria

• Experience in applying expertise in your area to inform policy.

• Experience of influencing and negotiating outcomes in a range of stakeholder environments.

Selection Process

At sift, you will be assessed against a CV and personal statement.

You will need to merge your CV and personal statement 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 personal statement.

In one document, please include:  

A current CV (Two pages maximum) setting out your career history with key responsibilities and achievements. Please include publications which highlight your expertise and academic / industry experience of relevance to this application.  

A Personal Statement (750 words maximum) setting out: how your area of expertise links to either MHCLG’s remit, areas of research interest or the particular areas of expertise set out in the recruitment pack; why you want to be a part of MHCLG’s College; and what previous experience you have which make you a suitable candidate for the College. Within your statement, please state how you would describe your level of experience. Please note we are seeking college members with a diverse range of experience and knowledge. Some examples below are:  

• Early career researcher, 

• Newly qualified professional, 

• Mid-career researcher, 

• Experienced practitioner, 

• Established expert or academic/researcher or fellow. 

Your CV should not be more than two sides of A4 and your personal statement must not exceed 750 words.

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 

• Age 

• Gender 

• Email address 

• Postal address 

• Phone number 

• Nationality/immigration status 

The selection panel will be in contact to discuss next steps, if you are successful at sift.

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 baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window)

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

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

There may be instances where it is necessary to obtain clearance to a higher level – this will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. 

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 

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this recruitment campaign, please feel free to email us at: CollegeofExperts@communities.gov.uk.