Please read before applying:

To apply for this role you will need to submit a CV and statement of suitability. These need to be merged 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 statement of suitability. There are further details in the Selection Process section further below in this advert.

If you experience technical issues during the application process we have found using a different browser or device in the first instance can be a quick fix.

If those don't work please email scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk with your application and/or CV before the submission deadline. Any applications received after the deadline may not be considered.

Short Summary

RED leads local tier emergency preparedness and response, and MHCLG's own crisis arrangements. The Strategy and Insight Deputy Director in RED is a key, high profile role: the jobholder will help shape the future direction of local resilience, strengthen Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) and improve the information and data flows to and from the local to the national. During crises, the jobholder is part of the central SCS team, exercising judgement at pace, and having significant exposure to senior Ministers.

Job Description

The jobholder works closely with RED colleagues who lead on local partnership and engagement, response and recovery and risk planning, as well as with analytical and digital specialists and wider teams across MHCLG including those working on devolution, local government reform, community cohesion and much more. It is essential to also create trusted and deep relationships with CO colleagues who own resilience policy and have developed tools for building systems for data and information sharing to improve decision making. The postholder should also develop strong working relationships with local partners, and with key organisations like the Local Government Association.

The team of approximately 20 works on a project basis on a range of issues and programmes of work, including LRF preparedness reporting and capability assessment, follow up the COVID-19 and Grenfell inquiries, Stronger LRF programme, LRF funding, LRF assurance and devolution. 

Key accountabilities

• Lead on implementation of and further development and embedding of LRF preparedness reporting and local capability assessment and ensuring it is aligned with LRF funding and performance monitoring 

• Lead on SR and business planning for LRF capacity and capability funding and the next tranche of Stronger LRF trailblazers, and future reform of LRF funding 

• Lead work to understand the opportunities and challenges for resilience and for LRFs from English devolution, local government reform and wider public service reform (e.g. health services) 

• Strategic liaison with Cabinet Office on key aspects of local resilience policy (assurance, devolution, legislation and standards etc) and influence input and follow up to Resilience Strategy, Grenfell and COVID-19 inquiries given broad shared HMG and MHCLG-specific commitments made

• Working with CO (including new UK Resilience Academy, Resilience Directorate and COBR Unit) to ensure a joint up approach to assurance on resilience

• Joint work with CO, wider HMG, and local partners to improve the two way data flow between local and national decision makers to assist during preparedness, response and recovery 

• Duty Response Director (in practice 1 weekday duty shift each week, and 1 weekend duty shift each fortnight; does not attract supplementary pay) 

• Bronze (Response Director) during incidents/emergencies 

• Leading a project-based division who work across a number of cross-cutting projects and building project teams and task and finish groups across RED 

• Co-leadership of RED Reporting, Assurance and Insight Steering Group and membership of RED Programme Board 

• Involvement in x-HMG and CO resilience fora and boards 

• Corporate and people leadership across RED, focusing, for example, on capability and skills, performance and tackling poor behaviour 

• Wider corporate leadership across MHCLG and HMG 

Person specification

The ideal jobholder is someone who has significant policy or strategy experience, with a background in bringing together a diversity of stakeholders and colleagues to develop strong and evidence-based policy solutions, including at pace. The successful jobholder will be able develop strategic vision and see the possibilities for change and what levers we can pull ourselves, and where we need to influence others to do so. The jobholder should also be someone who has experience working alongside analytical colleagues to design processes and systems to best gather and analyse information. Ideally, the postholder will have worked with and across multi-disciplinary teams and departments.

Resilience experience is not essential for this role; applying skills from other policy or strategy roles would be welcome. 

There is a duty requirement for all SCS in RED – this includes evening/overnight and weekend duty, shared across the SCS cadre in RED. There is also a need to act as ‘Bronze’ (response director) during incidents or responses. Training will be provided.

SC clearance (minimum) is required for the role. 

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 D&I Strategy.

Essential criteria

• Critical thinking and strategy skills, so that strong and evidence-based positions are developed on local resilience policy, assurance etc, and during response to crises 

• Strong communication and influencing skills, both written and verbal, including but not limited to briefings for senior leaders and ministers 

• A collaborative and cross-cutting approach, working across teams, professions and departments 

• Analytical literacy, to be able to commission and interrogate intelligence and data, including in the design of formal reporting processes and as part of wider preparedness, response and recovery activity 

• Ability to work at pace (particularly during response and recovery), and to be able to delegate effectively and ensure that high quality work is delivered 

• Inclusive leadership across RED, MHCLG and HMG, and the ability to clearly articulate the importance of local resilience and the work that we do 

How to apply

Please click the Be Applied link to provide the required information and complete your application through the Be Applied website by 23:55 on Sunday 25 May 2025.

You will be asked to enter some personal details, upload your CV and to provide your responses to the role’s advertised essential criteria.​

When prompted to upload your CV, please upload a single document consisting of:

• a CV (including the names of 2 referees and your current remuneration) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities, achievements and your relevant qualifications. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years. ​ 

• a statement of suitability explaining how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria provided in the person specification. (max. 2 pages)​ 

Please remember to save these two items in one document. Both items will be assessed to determine sift outcomes.  

Failure to submit both a CV and statement of suitability will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the Essential Criteria. 

Please note that only completed applications through the Be Applied route will be considered and that any further progress updates will be sent through Be Applied. 

The hiring manager, Robert Arnott, would be happy to have informal discussions with candidates who would like further information about the role before submitting an application. If interested, please contact scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk  

The selection panel will be made up of: 

• Robert Arnott, Director, Resilience and Recovery

• Two additional Directors

Additionally, the panel will be joined by one of our staff representatives from a pool of volunteers as part of our commitments to diversity and inclusion. 

Selection process and assessments

During sifting, both your CV and Statement of Suitability will be assessed against the role’s Essential Criteria. These Essential Criteria will also be used to form the basis of the panel’s questions in your final interview.

If a role lists Desirable Criteria, these will only be used to determine the merit order of candidates who rank evenly when assessed against the Essential Criteria.

Candidates that are shortlisted may be invited to attend a staff engagement panel.  

At MHCLG we hold staff engagement panels as an integral part of the recruitment process for Senior Civil Servants (SCS) – they are designed to help us build up a rounded picture of each candidate and give us an insight into how you might engage and interact with your team should you be successful. The purpose of the session is to help us assess your engagement and communication skills and is not about testing your subject knowledge or expertise for this particular role. Feedback from the session is passed onto the selection panel for consideration alongside the final interview.

Candidates may also be invited to a meeting with a senior stakeholder. This is not a formal part of the selection process but an informal chance for candidates to find out more about the role and the organisation.

Shortlisted candidates will also be invited to give a short presentation or complete an exercise at the beginning of their final interview. Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates when invited to interview.  

All of the evidence presented as part of the process will be considered in the final assessment. 

Location 

This role is available in one of the locations listed below. During the application process you will be asked to express a location preference, from the advertised locations. Any offer made will be based on that specific location. ​ 

• London

• Wolverhampton

• Darlington

• Manchester

• Bristol 

Salary 

For external appointments, remuneration for this role will be £76,000 pa plus a bonus opportunity depending on performance (within the normal Civil Service pay arrangements) and attractive pension.​

For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and temporary promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If appointed on promotion you would get the higher of 10% uplift or the new minimum for Director.

Future pay awards will normally be made in line with current SCS performance-related pay arrangements.

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 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this.

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Near Miss Offers​ 

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.

Security Clearance 

All DLUHC colleagues must meet the Baseline Personnel Security Standard. This is a series of basic security checks to confirm identity and employment history.

In addition to the BPSS, the level of security clearance required for this role is Security Check (SC) and the process can take up to 8 weeks to complete. For more details of vetting levels and requirements please refer to the Cabinet Office HMG Personnel Security Controls.

Complaints Process 

Please see candidate pack slide 23 for details.