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Short Summary

The Office for Place is a non-departmental public body established to support the creation and stewardship of places that are beautiful, sustainable, popular and healthy. It has its origins in the recommendations contained in the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission’s report Living with Beauty. The Office for Place is responsible for supporting the implementation of government design policy and legislation in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill requiring every local planning authority to produce a design code for its area.      

The objectives of the Office for Place are to:   

• Catalyse a fundamental change within and across all levels of government, communities and the development, planning, and design industries;    

• Help neighbourhoods, communities and public servants working on their behalf, to request and be instrumental in delivering new places, and managing existing places, to ensure they become popular, healthy, beautiful and sustainable;   

• Support public sector planners and the British design and development industries to be world class place makers aided by improving UK and international data on happiness, health, popularity and sustainability.      

This is an exciting opportunity to join a newly established non-departmental public body and help shape its programme of work.  The Office for Place will be subject to the standard review of public bodies which will take place after 3-5 years to ensure continuing delivery for government and the taxpayer.  

More information on the Office of Place can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-for-place  

An information session to find out more about the work of the Office for Place and the role will be held on Wednesday 1st November. Please register here:   Office for Place Recruitment Information Session - 1st November, 1:30-2:30pm 

We particularly welcome candidates from an ethnic minority background and other underrepresented groups to apply, as we work to continually improve our ability to represent the places and communities we support through our work.

Important - To apply for this role you will need to submit a CV and covering letter. 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 covering letter. There are further details in the Selection Process section further below in this advert. 

Job description

We are seeking a Director of Corporate Services to develop and oversee the organisation’s corporate support functions, with a particular focus on managing governance, finance and audit, acting as the Chief Finance Officer.  The role includes leadership of the human resources, IT, facilities, commercial and communications functions, as well as responsibility for the preparation of the annual management accounts, financial audit and annual report.    

This is a new role and you will be joining the Office for Place at its outset as it prepares for financial independence from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities by 1 April 2024.  Initially, your focus will be on the effective implementation of finance, human resource and IT shared services to enable independent operation and financial management from April 2024.       

It is envisaged that you will have responsibility for a team of 5 employees, but you will play a strong role in shaping and recruiting to these positions, as well as others in the new organisation as it builds its total capacity to 24 FTE during 2024-25.  You will report to the Chief Executive and be part of a leadership team with the Director for Policy and Engagement, and Director for Supporting and Accrediting.     

Your responsibilities will include:  

• Ensuring the Office for Place fulfils its duties and responsibilities in relation to governance and finance, including monthly financial reporting to the board, financial accounting and forecasting, risk management, preparing the annual report and accounts, preparing annual budgets and the annual audit, and the effective running of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.    

• Representing the Office for Place in finance and resourcing negotiations with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. 

• Overseeing the effective implementation and operation of finance and human resources shared services contracts, ensuring prompt payment and payroll systems.  

• Overseeing the provision of IT and facilities management contracts, and assets management policies, ensuring the smooth running of the organisation and delivering value for money.  This is expected to include a change in office accommodation during 2024-25 as the Office for Place moves from a temporary to a permanent home in Stoke-on-Trent, requiring oversight of lease negotiations and office move contracts.  

• Oversee the Office for Place’s human resource function, including compliance with HR, diversity and inclusion, data protection and health and safety policies that are being developed with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.  

• Lead the development of the annual business plan, and work closely with the Director for Policy and Engagement on the organisation’s annual state of the nation progress report.   

• Play an active role in leadership of the organisation, supporting the Chief Executive, senior management team and board to develop an organisational culture that promotes its values, and undertaking any additional responsibilities as required.    

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

You should be a qualified finance professional with CCAB / CIMA or equivalent e.g. ACCA, CIPFA, CIMA, ICAEW, ICAS, ICAI. 

You should have experience of leading teams to successfully manage an organisation’s finance, accounts and audit functions.  You will be familiar with government accounting, specifically the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), the Government Financial Reporting Manual (FReM), the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance (CBG) and Managing Public Money.  

You will be expected to lead across the organisation’s corporate services and therefore should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the requirements of human resources, IT, facilities and commercial functions.   

You will need to quickly gain the confidence of the Chief Executive and board, and be able to respond to their direction which will require you have excellent communication skills and to build strong relationships.      

Most importantly, you will be a self-starter with an ability to solve problems and demonstrate a positive ‘can do’ attitude.  As this is a new small organisation, flexibility will be key as you look to build capacity and manage resources.     

You will be expected to demonstrate an affinity with the work of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission and an understanding of, and willingness to deliver, the Office for Place aims and objectives.    

Desirable Criteria   

You will ideally be able to demonstrate an understanding of how to operate as part of a senior leadership team to deliver results and achieve organisational change.   

The successful applicated will initially be recruited into the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and on 1st April 2024, formally TUPE over to the Office for Place.  Terms and conditions for the new organisation are to be confirmed but will be no less favourable than DLUHC.

Qualifications

You should be a qualified finance professional with CCAB / CIMA or equivalent e.g. ACCA, CIPFA, CIMA, ICAEW, ICAS, ICAI.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving

• Leadership

• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role

• An environment with flexible working options

• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Alongside your salary of circa £67,000, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities contributes £16,631 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

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  

CV and Cover Letter Declaration 

We recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - this is called name blind recruitment.   

Please remove references to your: 

• name/title

• educational institutions

• age

• gender

• email address

• postal address

• phone number

• nationality/immigration status 

You will need to merge your CV and covering letter 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 covering letter.  

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

At sift, through your CV and covering letter we will be assessing:  

Experience 

Technical Ability  

In your CV and covering letter, please include:   

• why you are interested in the role and what you would bring to the Office for Place; 

• your experience that enables you to meet the person specification and would enable you to operate as the Chief Finance Officer and Director of Corporate Services.

Your covering letter should be no more than 1 page.  

The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of experience, technical, 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: Changing and improving, Leadership, Managing a quality service.

Experience: Yes - Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description 

Technical: Yes – Technical questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description. 

Strength: Yes 

Candidates shortlisted for interview will also be provided with a written scenario and asked to present your solution to the interview panel, to test your Experience and Technical Ability. 

We do not consider direct CV applications – 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  

Grade 6 salary 

• The salary for this role will be circa £67k. Subject to meeting the qualification requirements, an additional accounting allowance of £4k is available.

• For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If you apply for a role that requires a transfer of location, for example if you are transferring from London to a National location, your salary will be adjusted in accordance with our policy on transfer between HQ pay ranges. 

• In order to receive this specialist pay band, you must be fully qualified and in a qualifying post as agreed by the Finance Head of Profession.  

Please note that the average employer pension contribution is based upon the National minimum salary for this role. Should your agreed starting salary for this role be different, the average employer pension contribution will be calculated accordingly. If you are a Secondee, this will not apply as you will remain on your home organisation’s terms and conditions.   

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals

• nationals of the Republic of Ireland

• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK

• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)

• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020

• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

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 :Suzanne Kochanowski

• Email :Suzanne.kochanowski@levellingup.gov.uk

• Telephone :07716 079471

Recruitment team

• Email :recruitment@communities.gov.uk