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Job summary

Our reform programme was established following the Grenfell Tower tragedy to make sure high-rise buildings are safe, and that residents feel safe in them, now and in the future.

You will help implement our once-in-a-generation reform of regulation of the built environment, with a new, more stringent regime being introduced for ‘higher-risk’ buildings providing enhanced oversight of building control and a unified and regulated building control profession; further protections for leaseholders; and greater oversight of freeholders.

This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the development and delivery of Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill, recently introduced to Parliament and will be delivered over the coming year. This will provide job holders with a unique experience of taking a Bill through parliament and excellent exposure to Minsters and the political process. Successful candidates will also develop secondary legislation under the Building Safety Act to make a real difference to the quality of housing and building safety in England.

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.

Job description

We are seeking motivated policy officials, who can quickly get up to speed with a range of complex issues and communicate with clarity. These roles will support continued policy development to improve protections for leaseholders, ensuring that interactions with other regulatory regimes operate successfully and securing cross-Whitehall buy-in where necessary.

The Building Safety Act 2022 included robust measures to protect leaseholders from unfair costs associated with remediating historic building safety issues. These roles will involve building on these to develop further legislative measures to be delivered through the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill.

Successful applicants will be strong communicators, both orally and in writing.  They will put these skills to use working with colleagues across the directorate such as legal and analytical colleagues, as well as with other government departments.

Key responsibilities will include:  

• Developing policy positions, writing policy instructions, reviewing draft legislation and regulations to ensure they deliver the Government’s policy intent, and securing collective agreement.

• Working collaboratively with delivery partners such as the Health and Safety Executive and other regulators to build strong relationships, manage issues and ensure that policy is well designed and effective.

• Parliamentary engagement activity, including supporting the passage of legislation by drafting contributions to speeches, notes on amendments, and briefing.

Grenfell Legislation and Policy Teams

In addition to the roles mentioned, we are seeking in the same direction HEO roles (up to eight) in the two Grenfell Legislation and Policy Teams set up to drive new policies and legislation driven by the insights and recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry. We are seeking motivated policy officials, who can quickly get up to speed with a range of complex issues and communicate with clarity. Successful applicants will be strong communicators, both orally and in writing. They will put these skills to use working with colleagues across the wider team, including lawyers and analysts, as well as with other government departments.
 
Their key responsibilities will include: 

• Developing solutions to problems with building safety and writing advice to senior leaders to ensure we make positive changes to people’s lives.

• Working collaboratively with delivery partners, building strong relationships, managing issues and ensuring that new ideas are well designed and effective.

• Parliamentary engagement activity, including learning about the passage of legislation by drafting contributions to speeches and briefings. 

• Contributing to the Grenfell legislation management program by reporting progress, and identifying risks and issues.

• Writing policy papers that describe policy positions and collaborating with other policy areas to identify legislative requirements addressing Grenfell Inquiry concerns.

Person specification

Essential Skills:

· Ability to see the big picture in a complex and fast-moving policy area 

· Strong analytical skills, with an ability to use evidence from a range of sources and make strategic decisions 

· Excellent communication skills, both spoken and written, and the ability to influence 

· Comfortable dealing with uncertainty and working collaboratively to resolve challenging issues in a fast-paced policy and delivery environment 

Desirable Skills

· Experience of working in policy or legislation (secondary or primary)

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing

• Seeing the Big Picture

• Making Effective Decisions

• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,178, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities contributes £8,688 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

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).  

At application stage you will be asked to upload a CV document. Unless stated otherwise in the advert, your CV will not form part of the assessment but will be used for information purposes and only shared with the panel at interview stage. 

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 

Behaviour 1 - Communicating and influencing (lead behaviour) 

Behaviour 2 - Seeing the big picture

Behaviour 3 - Making effective decisions 

Behaviour 4 - Delivering at pace 

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 using the lead behaviour listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progress straight to assessment/interview  

The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of the following success profiles elements:    

Behaviours – Seeing the big picture, Making effective decisions, Communicating and Influencing and Delivering at pace

Strength - The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidates

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

Behaviours: Seeing the big picture, Making effective decisions, Communicating and Influencing and Delivering at pace

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 £32,178 (National). 

• 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. 

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.   

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: 

• Bristol

• Wolverhampton 

• Darlington* 

• Manchester

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. 

*Please note: The Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) is a pioneering new cross-government hub which will bring together people across departments and public organisations to play an active role in the most important economic issues of the day. The work of the Campus will make a real difference to people both across the UK and internationally. There will be substantial career opportunities and exciting prospects - a career at the Campus means you will be working at the heart of Government, with access to the benefits and fantastic opportunities offered by the civil service.  

For further information on the DEC, please take a look at the attached DEC candidate pack. 

SIFT AND INTERVIEW DATES: 

Sifting is envisaged to take place from 05/01/2024 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 n 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. 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. 

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. 

Before starting your application it’s very important to make sure that you are eligible to apply and meet the Civil Service nationality requirements. All candidates are expected to read the information provided in the DLUHC candidate pack regarding nationality requirements and rules 

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

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

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 :Charlene Lewis

• Email :Charlene.Lewis@levellingup.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email :recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk