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.recruitment@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

The Freeports programme sits in the Levelling Up: Major Programmes directorate ​

The role is for a Deputy Director to lead the delivery of the Freeports programme, which is part of the Government's Major Programmes Portfolio and a departmental and HMG priority. The role involves working with senior stakeholders, including Local Authority Chief Executives, Chief Executives of the Freeports and senior representatives from business, alongside Freeport leads in HM Treasury, HM Revenue & Customs, the Department for International Trade, the Department for Business and Trade, and the Home Office. The postholder will build and maintain credibility with these partners by providing dedicated Senior Civil Service leadership across the programme.

Job description

The successful candidate will be responsible for :​

• Providing key strategic leadership for the programme working with strategic delivery issues and providing advice to Ministers​

• Providing oversight of delivery systems and processes, ensuring they are effective, timely, proportionate and appropriate.​

• The design and delivering of Freeports in the devolved administrations, ensuring it is strategic and fully integrated with UK wide programme​

• Delivery of Freeport policy, ensuring it is strategic, owned and delivered by key stakeholders​

• Leadership of Freeports Delivery Team, ensuring inclusive, happy and a high-performing team​

• Corporate leadership and engagement, engaging in corporate activities across the group to champion work on areas including well-being, Diversity & Inclusion and Learning and Development​

DLUHC offers a blend of office and home working. Given the leadership role, the successful candidate will be expected to attend their primary office location (or other DLUHC offices and/or meetings at partner or stakeholder premises) an average of at least two days per week.

Responsibilities

Working closely with the SRO the postholder will be responsible for:  ​

• Leading a division of some 30 people across multiple locations, ensuring good line management practices are in place, support for diversity and inclusion and development of staff.​

• Play an active  role in the leadership of directorate and wider Group through participation in the senior leadership team.​

• Overseeing the specific governance and assurance regimes for the programmes ensuring they are effective, proportionate and appropriate.

• Accurate and timely reporting including the escalation of issues as appropriate to the SRO and securing Ministerial approval to any programme changes to scope, delivery approach, milestones, outputs and outcomes.

• Management of the relationship with the Government Major Projects Portfolio and Infrastructure and Projects Authority for the Freeports programme and on-boarding to the Major Projects Leadership Academy.

• Lead senior stakeholder engagement as part of stakeholder management plans, including maintaining key Senior Civil Service cross-Government relationships.

• Overseeing regular monitoring, evaluation and assurance reporting from delivery partners to understand and manage performance.  ​

• Overseeing regular payments to delivery partners and related management of programme funding.   ​

• Sponsoring the evaluation of the programmes. ​

• Accurate and regular programme reporting and escalation of issues and risks if needed.​

• Working with the devolved administrations on the  delivery of freeports in Scotland and Wales and the design and the design and delivery of a bespoke Special Economic Zone policy in Northern Ireland.

The Person

​You will have the ability to command confidence with senior stakeholders across government, including ministers, and the private sector.  You will have excellent judgement, strong influencing and communication skills and the ability to manage competing demands   You will be also experienced in leading, developing and empowering diverse teams to deliver in a complex and changing environment ​

This is a high profile and important role which requires an ability to think strategically and operationally, to identify and manage risk and delivery, and lead a challenging and high-profile programme. ​

You will be an experienced and inspirational leader, able to empower, develop and inspire teams to deliver, even under pressure. You will also be passionate about sharing your expertise across the organisation to drive delivery excellence, as well as demonstrating a commitment to DLUHC’s values and principles and the Civil Service code principles of objectivity, integrity, impartiality and honesty.​

We particularly encourage applications from those of an ethnic minority background and those with disabilities, 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

To be successful in this role, you will need to provide evidence against the following essential criteria: ​

• An inspiring, confident and empowering leader, who can set strategic direction, build and maintain delivery focussed teams, lead effectively through ambiguity and get the best out of a diverse workforce through promoting an inclusive, high- performance culture.

• The ability to communicate complex messages clearly and succinctly and with impact and able to present effectively to ministers and senior colleagues. ​

• A track record of driving successful delivery at pace and managing risks effectively, providing an excellent service to ministers and the wider Department. ​

• A strong influencer who will be a critical part of the senior leadership across the Levelling up major projects directorate. ​

• Ability to make the right decisions even when working with ambiguity and incomplete information ​

• Ability to respond to external change and plan and implement improvements to your own team and function and deliver great results in challenging circumstances. 

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working in local growth and/or investment issues combined with familiarity with the local growth and investment agenda.​

• Experience of managing both capital and resource expenditure over multiple financial years to deliver desired outcomes. 

Selection process details

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 Monday 3 July 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 academic qualifications, specifying subject and degree level achieved. 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. For an informal discussion about the role, please contact the Recruitment team by emailing scs.recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk.

The selection panel will be made up of:

• Jessica Blakely / Carmen Suarez (Job Share), Director, Levelling Up: Major Programmes – Hiring manager​

• Dharmesh Nayee, Director, Place​

• Tom Smith, Director, Spatial Data Unit

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.​

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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.​

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For more details of vetting levels and requirements please refer to the Cabinet Office HMG Personnel Security Controls.

Salary

For external appointments, remuneration for this role will be circa £73,000 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 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.

Terms and conditions

Please note that existing DLUHC staff currently within their probation period would still need to complete their probation should they be successful for the role. 

Contract

This role is full-time and is suitable for a job share. DLUHC encourages flexible working.

Terms of benefits

• Defined benefit pension scheme (a career average basis for new recruits).

• Occupational Health Services.

• Access to health and wellbeing support.

• Childcare support vouchers. For transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018: Any move to DLUHC 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. 

• Leave provisions including carers’ leave, paid and additional unpaid maternity leave, paid paternity leave and paid adoption leave, volunteering leave.

Contact details

scs.recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk