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.

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a multi-disciplinary team at the heart of a critical policy agenda for the Government. As Deputy Director for Strategy and Portfolio you will operate across – and help to deliver successful outcomes for – the Local Government, Growth and Communities (LGGC) Group in MHCLG, which has responsibility for major programmes and reforms including local government stewardship and finance, English devolution, local government reorganisation, local growth and community cohesion.

Job description

The Strategy and Portfolio team is based within the Local Government Reform and Strategy directorate, led by Fran Oram and Sophie Langdale, but operates across the wider Group. The team carries out its duties via three Grade 6 led functions for which you will have overall responsibility, as well as ensuring synergy between the different functions:

i. A strategy team which supports ministers and senior leaders through bringing coherence and operational efficiency to the Group’s broad agenda as well as delivering discrete priority projects – e.g. recently designing and announcing a review of local government statutory duties. This team also leads the Group at fiscal events for all spending other than the local government finance settlement.

ii. A Portfolio team responsible for owning and delivering an effective Portfolio Management system across the Group, working with programme teams, the DG’s office and the Department’s central portfolio function to provide delivery information and assurance and manage risk. This team also looks after business and financial management for the Group.

iii. A Projects Unit which acts as a flexible resourcing pool able to provide expertise and support for the Group’s highest priorities.

This is a vital, exciting and challenging time for our agenda and we are looking for a leader who can inspire and develop their team, balance big picture thinking with operational effectiveness, and build strong, trusting relationships with ministers, senior leaders and others across the Department and outside.

As one of the department’s senior leaders, you will also be a strong and visible role model for the Civil Service leadership behaviours. 

Key accountabilities

• Providing effective cross-cutting support to the Local Government Minister, Secretary of State and/or other ministers / their offices, through the delivery and continuous improvement of regular products and meeting support. This includes being the secretariat for the Local Government Minister’s weekly delivery meetings.

• Working with policy and programme teams across the Group to ensure that their deliverables stack up to a coherent whole and that ministerial and departmental bandwidth is managed to enable effective decision making.

• Delivering key strategic projects that are cross-cutting and/or or time-limited and therefore require targeted strategy team focus. Recently this has included planning for future legislation, scoping a review of council statutory duties and drafting a comprehensive plan for local government to be published shortly.

• Owning a group narrative and key briefing products and managing the Group’s response to incoming enquiries such as from Select Committees or the PAC.

• Leading on fiscal events, business planning and financial monitoring for the Group, including all its spending other than the Local Government Finance Settlement.

• Providing the Portfolio Management operation to the Group, including the planning and delivery of Portfolio Boards, a Risk and Delivery Sub-Committee, and being senior point of contact for the Department’s central portfolio office and external assurance bodies.

• Ensuring the Projects Unit fulfils its purpose as a skilled flexible resource for supporting key priorities, ensuring it has the right skillset and supporting the allocation of the team to projects.

• Leading an inclusive, high performing team by ensuring team members share clear priorities and are stretched with support for their development. This will involve playing an active and visible leadership role in the division as well as in the wider group, role modelling behaviours and working flexibly across teams in an agile way. 

The person

This is a demanding Deputy Director role that requires an ability to work quickly and effectively under pressure. 

You will need to be able to blend strategic thinking and programme management rigour. Given the breadth of responsibilities, you will take a system wide perspective across the Group’s portfolio to identify issues, tensions or constraints and work to resolve them.

You will work with others across the Group, department and more widely at a senior level, including with ministers, and will be an effective verbal and written communicator with strong influencing skills.

You will have exceptional leadership skills. You will inspire your team to think creatively, drive delivery and engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, and support the continuous growth of the team through learning and development opportunities and encouraging diverse skills and backgrounds.

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

• Being a visible and compelling leader – driving the success and growth of the team and being a part of the Group and directorate leadership group.

• Being able to see the big picture, combined with political nous, and being able to help communicate this effectively so that the Group’s work adds up to a coherent whole.

• Being able to make good decisions at pace including knowing when more information is needed and when to challenge others.

• Experience of delivering change and improvement to policies, systems or organisations to bring about more effective outcomes.

• Being an effective communicator, able to digest and communicate complex information and relay key points, with experience influencing others.

• Experience of developing and growing teams and self, especially across wide range of skills and backgrounds.

Desirable Criteria

• Knowledge and experience of local government, growth or communities policy helpful but not essential.

Selection process details

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 4th January 2026.​

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. 1000 words)​​​

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

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@communities.gov.uk. 

The selection panel will be made up of:​

• Frances Oram and Sophie Langdale, Directors, Local Government Reform and Strategy

• An additional Director, 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​

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.​

Shortlisted 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 may 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. ​

Full details of the assessment process will be provided to shortlisted candidates at the earliest opportunity.​

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

Contract

This is a permanent appointment. This role is full-time and issuitable for a job share. MHCLG encourages flexible working. 

Location​

Bristol, Darlington, London, Manchester and Wolverhampton. ​

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. ​Please note that, as your normal work location, costs cannot be claimed for travel to and from your base office location.

Salary​

For external appointments, remuneration for this role will be circa £81,000 p.a. 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 SCSPB1. Please also note that, if successful, any existing specialist allowances you currently receive will not automatically transfer or be retained upon moving to this role.​

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.

​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 

In addition to the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), all Senior Civil Service staff are required to have at least Security Clearance (SC) prior to starting the role.

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. 

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : SCS Recruitment

• Email : scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk