About the job

Job summary

We are looking for a talented policy professional to join DLUHC’s Freeports and Enterprise Zones Team and lead our work on the future of zonal economic policy. The Freeports programme has delivered billions-of-pounds of private investment into the UK’s industrial heartlands, helping regenerate them and build new clusters in the sectors of the future. This has proved the impact zonal policies can have; but with a Spending Review on the horizon, we now need to consider ‘what next?’ in this policy space.

This is a fast-paced role requiring the ability to marry creative policy thinking with insights and data from on-the-ground delivery. You will need to be comfortable working autonomously, able to rapidly build trust with stakeholders, and confident leading across organisational boundaries. In all of this, you will be well-supported by a welcoming, inclusive team and will play an active role in sustaining and reinforcing this culture.

Job description

The Freeports and Enterprise Zones Team sits within the Levelling Up: Local Investments Directorate, as part of the wider Levelling Up Group. We oversee the delivery of, and continued development of policy relating to, the government’s flagship Freeports programme and its predecessor Enterprise Zones. These policies involve billions-of-pounds of public money, as well as significant amounts of leveraged private investment: in the 3 years since its launch, the Freeports programme has attracted £2.9bn in FDI, creating over 6,000 jobs.

These policies are all about delivering economic transformation for parts of the country that have historically missed out – and about doing so by building new industrial clusters in emergent sectors like hydrogen, offshore wind, and advanced manufacturing, which can serve as regional economic mainstays over the long-term. They therefore have a key role to play in the government’s response to spatial economic inequalities and the decarbonisation of industry on our journey to Net Zero.

The Clusters and Industrial Strategy Lead will be responsible, firstly, for ensuring alignment, and exploiting synergies, between Freeports and Enterprise Zones and wider policy in the local economic growth, Net Zero, and industrial strategy space. You will proactively build networks across government, seek out opportunities to collaborate, and influence wider policy development to deliver the best outcomes for the Freeports and Enterprise Zones programmes.

In the context of an upcoming Spending Review, your second key area of responsibility will be providing cross-government thought leadership on the future of zonal policy. You will work closely with our monitoring and evaluation leads to distil insights about zonal policy design and delivery from the Freeports and Enterprise Zones experience and translate these into options for future policies focused on regional clustering and economic growth. You will establish yourself as a trusted expert in this policy space and effectively influence thinking across DLUHC and in key partner departments, such as HMT, DESNZ, and DBT.

Responsibilities:

• Leading the team’s work, in the run-up to the next Spending Review, on the future of the Freeports and Enterprise Zones programmes.
• Using insights and lessons from delivery of the two programmes to inform and influence wider thinking about the future of zonal economic policy.
• Management of strategic relationships between the DLUHC Freeports and Enterprise Zones Team and key teams/departments, including: DfE, DWP, DESNZ, DSIT, and the wider DLUHC Levelling Up Group.
• Lead the continued development and delivery of Freeports policy across the following areas: Net Zero, Innovation, skills, and customs.
• Work across government to ensure the alignment of Freeports and Enterprise Zones policy with wider thinking relating to Levelling Up, local growth, and industrial strategy.
• Line management of up to 2 SEOs.
• Acting as a visible leader within the wider team, contributing to a positive and inclusive work environment.
• Deputising for the Head of Policy & Benefits as required.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Experience of developing economic policy in a relevant area, for example green industry or local growth.
• A confident leader, able to build relationships and operate effectively across organisational boundaries and nurture an inclusive team environment.
• A creative, big-picture thinker – you will bring new ideas to the table and be adept at spotting and seizing emergent opportunities across the policy landscape.
• An excellent written and verbal communicator, capable of making the complex simple for audiences ranging from ministers to technical specialists.
• A skilled influencer, able to establish credibility with senior stakeholders and win others over through effective handling and argumentation.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £51,934, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities contributes £14,022 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

As part of our pre-employment checking process we will be using your CV to confirm your job history. Please note that by providing us with your CV you are consenting to us using the information enclosed as part of the checking process. 

 

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 - Seeing The Big Picture

Behaviour 2 - Leadership

Behaviour 3 - Communicating and Influencing 

Experience (lead Sift) - Please detail your experience of developing economic policy in a relevant area, for example green industry or local growth.

 

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 progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

 

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

Behaviour – Seeing The Big Picture, Communicating and Influencing, Leadership 

Experience 

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

Candidates invited to interview may be asked to complete a written exercise.  More details on this will be sent along with the invites to interview. 

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

 

Behaviours: Seeing The Big Picture, Communicating and Influencing, Leadership  

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. 

 

 Grade 7 salary 

• The salary for this role is £57,091 (London) or £51,934 (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: 

• Wolverhampton
• Darlington
• Birmingham
• Bristol
• Leeds
• Manchester
• London

 

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 starting 04/07/2024 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 in 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. 

 

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. 

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. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.