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Short Summary

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is responsible for delivering a high-profile policy and legislative agenda for the government, which will level up communities across the country.

We are recruiting up to two Higher Executive Officers (HEO) to join the department’s central Strategy Unit. The Strategy Unit is responsible for a broad programme of work right at the heart of the Department’s ambitious agenda. We ensure all of DLUHC’s work aligned with our Secretary of State’s strategic priorities, underpinned by clear departmental objectives and a strong overall narrative. We also push progress on internal priorities, including early thinking on key gaps and opportunities.

The successful candidates will join a friendly and high-performing team. The roles will suit enthusiastic, self-starting and committed individuals, with the ability to see the bigger picture, good political nous, and a track record of working at pace with a wide range of stakeholders. In return, you will also have the opportunity to build your leadership and engagement skills, gain an excellent understanding of how the department operates, develop insight into a wide range of policy areas, and have significant exposure to senior decision making.

We welcome applications from anyone interested in the role from all backgrounds.

Job Description

The roles are likely to involve working flexibly across the Strategy Division to meet the needs of Ministers and the Executive Team as required. Key responsibilities include:

• Contributing to the department’s strategic narrative, and supporting Strategy colleagues to establish and track the Department’s priorities and ambitions, alongside identifying opportunities, gaps and risks in the achievement of these;

• Contributing to the department’s preparations for fiscal events (for example, Spending Reviews and Budgets), ensuring there is a collective ‘house view’ on our approach to fiscal events; and supporting the development of an evidence base to guide decision making.

• Contributing to the department’s legislative programme, including working closely with Bill teams to ensure the successful delivery of the Department’s primary legislation, ensuring any risks to delivery are escalated as appropriate and managing the relationship with the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Secretariat.

• Supporting a Secretariat function for key groups of senior leaders to deliver the department’s objectives successfully; supporting the effective running of these.

• Contributing to the preparation and briefing for Cabinet and Select Committee appearances by Secretary of State and the Permanent Secretary – ensuring they can promote departmental priorities and policies at the highest level. 

• Contributing to advice for Ministers, on departmental priorities.

• Supporting the delivery of priority projects across the Department, working with the Secretary of State’s Policy Unit, Executive Team, Private Office and colleagues within the wider Levelling Up Directorate.

• Working flexibly across the Strategy Division to meet the needs of Ministers and the Executive Team as required

Both roles involve working flexibly across the Strategy Division to meet the needs of Ministers and the Executive Team as required. We expect all our team members to play an active role in making the division a good place to work, including taking personal responsibility for creating an inclusive environment, where everyone feels valued, building on the excellent results in our last People Survey.

Responsibilities / Person Specification

These are complex, challenging and rewarding roles. To be successful candidates will need to be able to demonstrate the following key skills and experience:

• Strategic thinker who considers the bigger picture.

• Proactive attitude who can be trusted to get on with delivering difficult priorities

• Political nous who can build trust quickly and easily

• Collaborative shaper

• Confident communicator

• Organised on top of shifting priorities and fast-moving developments

Selection process details

We are for everyone

At DLUHC we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce. We promote equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment and a working environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation.

We would strongly recommend that applicants get in touch with the vacancy manager to find out more information about this role.

We are for everyone

DLUHC want to bring in a diverse workforce at all levels.

Our application system is designed to remove as much bias as possible from the recruitment system – this means that a hiring manager does not know your name, your details, see your whole application in one go (or have your CV at review stage unless stated otherwise).

Your answers are randomised and chunked up. This means that each assessor views sets of responses to questions for example all candidates’ responses to ‘Seeing the Big Picture’ rather than seeing a candidate’s full application. The science behind this is that recruitment can be subject to ordering and fatigue effects and we want to reduce this as much as possible.

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.

When writing your application, remember:

The assessor won’t be reading your answers sequentially.

Do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers.

If talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)

At sift, we will be assessing:

Behaviours:

- Seeing the Big Picture (Lead Criteria)

- Delivering at Pace

- Communicating and Influencing

- Making Effective Decisions

Experience:

- Please outline any past experience and how this is relevant to being successful in this role.

There is a 250 word limit per question.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift based on the lead criteria.

The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of behaviour and strength based questions as listed in the advert. The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

In full the campaign will test the below Success Profile Elements:

Behaviours: Seeing the Big Picture, Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing, Making Effective Decisions

Experience: Yes

Strengths: Yes

We do not consider direct CV applications to our Recruitment mailbox – you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs

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

HEO salary

The salary for this role is £33,210 (London) or £30,188 (National).

For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable.

BENEFITS:

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. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.

For further information about the benefits available to DLUHC employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:

- London

- Wolverhampton

There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly depending on the business needs. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis if you are successful for the role.

SIFT AND INTERVIEW DATES:

Sifting is envisaged to take place W/C 20/06/22 with interview dates to be confirmed. All interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall.

RESERVE LIST:

In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details on a reserve list for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Due to the length of time CTC checks can take, our HR Shared Services team will contact reserve list candidates for London based roles to commence CTC checks. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk to be removed from the reserve list.

CTC (Counter-terrorism Clearance):

Important note

Successful candidates for roles based in our 2 Marsham Street building must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check and the process can take up to 8 weeks to complete.

Please note that successful candidates will need to pass the CTC security checks – this requires you to have been resident in the UK for the past 3 years. Please refer to the DLUHC Notes on Security Clearance section of our Candidate Pack for further information on Counter Terrorism Clearance (CTC). Thank you.

Candidates should also note that with effect from 1st August 2018 the department will also check all applicants who are successful at interview, against the Internal Fraud Database (IFD) held by the Cabinet Office. In accordance with the Civil Service Internal Fraud Policy, any applicant who is included on the IFD will be refused employment by DLUHC. Please see the Candidate Pack for further information on the Internal Fraud Database.

Candidate Pack Information

Please see attached Candidate pack for further information.

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 DLUHC as a participating government organisations. DLUHC 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 details

Job contact:

• Name: Luke Crimi

• Email: Luke.Crimi@levellingup.gov.uk

Recruitment team:

• Email: recruitment@communities.gov.uk