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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

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a highly-motivated, skilled and collaborative team that is delivering the government’s commitments to end rough sleeping, reduce homelessness and improve outcomes for adults experiencing multiple disadvantage.

The successful candidate will be responsible for delivery of the Changing Futures programme which seeks to improve outcomes for adults experiencing multiple disadvantage – including combinations of homelessness, substance misuse, mental health issues, domestic abuse and contact with the criminal justice system – and for developing future policy direction on multiple disadvantage. 

Job Description

Delivered on behalf of government by DLUHC and funded through £55 million from the government’s Shared Outcomes Fund with £22 million from the National Lottery Community Fund, Changing Futures works with 15 local partnerships across England to test new ways to deliver improvements at the individual, service and system level, bringing together public and community sector partners to transform local services to provide a person-centred approach.

From April 2024, the Changing Futures programme will be brought together in one directorate with DLUHC’s ambitious £2 billion programme to end rough sleeping and reduce homelessness, as set out in the Ending Rough Sleeping for Good strategy published in September 2022.

In addition to delivering the Changing Futures programme, the postholder will also be responsible for key elements of the homelessness and rough sleeping programme.

You will be part of the senior leadership team of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping directorate, working collaboratively with colleagues to lead a team of c.110 people to deliver a demanding and high-profile programme.

This is a welcoming, committed and high-energy directorate. If you are looking for an exciting and motivating role, working closely with Ministers and senior officials across government, with autonomy and the opportunity to develop and deliver interventions that will make a real difference to thousands of lives, then this is the role for you.

We particularly welcome candidates from underrepresented groups to apply, as we work to improve our ability to represent the places and communities we support.

Key accountabilities

As SRO for the government’s Changing Futures programme, you will be responsible for overall programme delivery, including:

• relationship management with the 15 participating areas;

• robust programme management to oversee delivery, monitor progress, and intervene where needed;

• sound financial management in line with Managing Public Money, including robust forecasting;

• manging risk; and

• relationship management with the National Lottery Community Fund and the delivery support partner.

You will also be responsible for national policy development on support for people facing multiple disadvantage, including carrying out a robust evaluation to build the evidence base to underpin future work; maximising learning and disseminating it through guidance, good practice resources and events.

The successful candidate will also deliver key elements of the government’s programme to end rough sleeping and reduce homelessness, including programme delivery and policy development. Specific projects may change in response to changing priorities. Key responsibilities will include:

• developing policy solutions to tackle the causes of homelessness and rough sleeping, advising ministers and implementing strategies to deliver their desired outcomes

• working with other government departments to bring about system-wide improvements to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping where possible and to intervene more effectively where it does it happen

• working in partnership with local authorities and voluntary and community sector partners to deliver the most effective and best value for money interventions

• building the evidence base of what works to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping

• representing the directorate across the department, government and externally - confidently engaging and influencing others.

Person specification

We are looking for a leader who thrives in a demanding environment, who is ambitious about the impact that excellent public services can deliver, and who can motivate teams to deliver the best outcomes for some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

To deliver your work programme you will need to work collaboratively with other teams in DLUHC, across government and with local partners. You will report to the Director for Homelessness and Rough Sleeping in DLUHC but will work closely with departments that co-sponsor the Changing Futures programme and hold crucial policy levers to end rough sleeping and reduce homelessness, including the Department for Health & Social Care, Ministry of Justice, Department for Work and Pensions, Home Office, Department for Education and Office for Veterans’ Affairs.

The successful candidate will lead a multidisciplinary team, including people developing and evaluating policy interventions and advising ministers, and those overseeing programme delivery with partners.

You will be an active and visible leader within the directorate, group and department’s Senior Civil Service, contributing to and shaping a fun, inclusive and diverse team culture where colleagues feel safe and supported to be bold about transforming services to deliver better outcomes.

This role is suitable for hybrid working with the expectation that you will spend more than 60% of your working time in a DLUHC office or partner organisations’ sites.

This role will be based in one of the following DLUHC offices only: Wolverhampton, Darlington, Leeds, Manchester or Bristol. You should be prepared for frequent travel to collaborate face-to-face with partners in local areas, including the 15 participating Changing Futures areas, as well as to collaborate with DLUHC colleagues across our office estate, including our London headquarters.

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 here.    

Essential Criteria

• A track record as an exceptional leader. You will need to demonstrate that you are an inspiring, confident and empowering leader, who can set strategic direction for your policy area despite ambiguity and uncertainty.

• The ability to build and nurture a fun, welcoming, inclusive, and high-performing team, bringing together people from different professional and personal backgrounds to achieve demanding goals.

• Experience of working in partnership with and delivering through others, including working confidently with other central government departments to identify and deliver mutual goals and building credibility and influence with local government and the voluntary and community sector.

• Experience of taking bold and innovative steps to transform services and deliver better outcomes for vulnerable people.

• The proven ability to make clear and well-evidenced decisions taking into account a range of economic, political and social factors, even when under time pressure.

Desirable criteria:

• Experience developing national policy to improve system-wide working at central and local level.

• Experience of delivering or commissioning local services for vulnerable adults in a service delivery organisation or local government.

Selection process details

How to apply

Please provide the required information and complete your application through the Be Applied website by 23:55 on Sunday 10th December 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:

• Penny Hobman, Director, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping

• Two additional panel members TBC

Selection process

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, 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.

Salary

For external appointments, remuneration for this role will be circa £75,000 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.