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.

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

Short Summary

Safer Greener Buildings (SGB), a unit of DLUHC, started work 6 years ago to make buildings safer following the Grenfell Tower fire. Since Grenfell, the extent of the challenge and nature of the work needed has become clear: it is now estimated ~ 11,000 buildings require some form of remediation.​

Until now, all delivery has taken place in two programmes within DLUHC, supported by delivery partners in Homes England and the Greater London Authority. In future, delivery will be conducted through five programmes, with a much greater role for Homes England, the newly established Building Safety Regulator, and industry itself through Developer Self Remediation. ​

As the complexity and scale of remediation increases, a Portfolio model is being implemented. The Portfolio itself will be made up of 7 functions, and will lead some areas of work, and co-ordinate others between the Department and its Delivery Partners.

Job Description

The Engagement role has been created to sit within the Portfolio, leading the Engagement Function. The purpose of the role is to drive affiliation between the portfolio, programmes, manage communication and engagement beyond the programmes, and support briefing across the entire group.

In this role, the Deputy Director ('DD') will design an Engagement function to build affiliation throughout the portfolio. The DD is expected to outline and deliver long-term external comms strategy for portfolio and programmes including delivering targeted campaigns, targeting stakeholders in the supply chain, and overseeing a grid of key partners to engage. The role requires outlining and delivering long-term internal comms strategy including supporting transformations taking place in SGB. They will also be responsible for ensuring key concerns from residents are heard and acted upon and that the resident’s voice informs our delivery. Finally, the candidate will deliver cross-cutting briefings for the entire SGB group, as well as running collection, tracking and analysis of comms across programmes and portfolio.​

The Engagement DD will report into the Portfolio Director and is expected to manage a team of approximately 10 FTEs on a day-to-day basis whilst also providing support, guidance and coaching. They will promote both effective individual and team performance.

Responsibilities

- Develop and deliver long-term external comms strategy for portfolio and programmes​

• Outline and deliver external comms strategy to deliver specific targeted campaigns to support portfolio objectives such as promoting awareness and encouraging action

• Oversee a grid of key partners to engage (outside of programmes), e.g., MPs, fire services, and co-ordinate a strategic approach to engagement​

• Monitor activity to identify comms opportunities, managing and coordinating comms announcements

- Develop and deliver long-term internal comms strategy ​

• Outline and deliver internal comms strategy including supporting the implementation team during comms touchpoints such as townhalls, offsites, surveys, etc.​

• Maintain good working relationship with department internal comms team ​

-Lead on resident engagement

• Work with residents and resident engagement groups to understand opportunities, issues and concerns and use these to drive change through the system

- Deliver cross-cutting briefings for the entire group and run tracking and analysis of correspondence across programmes and portfolio ​

• Manage, analyse and share collection of feedback, stakeholder sentiment and concerns, both from internal and external comms​

• Deliver insights gathered from correspondence and engagement to deliver performance improvements across programmes​

• Own and coordinate briefings for the entire Safer Greener Buildings group​

 - Build up the remediation portfolio's comms capabilities through trainings and formal feedback

The Person

You will be experienced in complex external stakeholder management dealing and influencing with various actors from across HMG and non-governmental agents, mainly management of both citizens and industry.

You will be experienced in comms campaign development and delivery in sensitive, complex and uncertain environments, including with citizens and industry​.

You will have significant external and cross-departmental briefing experience, ideally within HMG, as well as correspondence management experience.

You will have developed an agile, modern communications team that uses insight and evaluation to improve performance.​

You will have excellent written, verbal and interpersonal skills in order to liaise at all levels of the organisation and with external bodies.

You will be an experienced and visible leader, able to engage and motivate a team working under pressure and at pace, and to actively contribute to the wider leadership agenda of the Directorate and Department.

You will be comfortable working at pace and responding flexibly to change, but also able to plan and lead teams to deliver key monthly tasks.

You will be a strong communicator, someone who can draw insights from data and bring complex concepts to life for non-experts.

We particularly encourage applications from those of an ethnic minority background and those with disabilities, as well as those based in locations outside of London, who are underrepresented at this level in DLUHC.

As one of the Department’s senior leaders, you will also be a visible role model for the Civil Service leadership behaviours. These can be found in the Civil Service Leadership Statement which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-leadership-statement/civil-service-leadership-statement 

Essential Criteria

The essential criteria for this role are:

• To possess excellent stakeholder management and handling skills, with a good sense of the media landscape and ability to build successful relationships with both systems and industry.​

• To be experienced in communications management, with extensive demonstrable experience in leading and developing high-performing teams. ​

• To demonstrate significant experience of issues management and managing communications around a crisis situation. ​

• To be able to brief senior members of staff and present information to groups at the highest level of an organisation. ​

• To demonstrate leadership experience of managing a team to build affiliation, manage stakeholders and to set, coordinate and deliver targeted campaigns.

Selection process details

How to apply

Please provide the required information and complete your application through the Be Applied website by 23:55 on 13 August 2023.

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.​

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 selection panel will be made up of:

• Ben Llewellyn, Director, Remediation Portfolio

• Two additional Directors, TBC

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

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

At DLUHC 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 Minister or the Secretary of State, and/or other senior stakeholders. 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.

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, all staff based at our Marsham Street office in London (and some based in our other offices) must be cleared to at least Counter Terrorism Check level. It is a requirement of some roles at Marsham Street and other DLUHC offices that the holder obtain either Security Check or Developed Vetting clearance. The nature and level of the security checks will vary subject to the level of clearance required.

Salary

For external appointments, remuneration for this role will be circa £73,000pa 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 promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If appointed on promotion you would get the higher of 10% uplift or the new minimum for Deputy Director.

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