About the job

Job summary

As the Programme Director you will play a crucial role in the recovery from the Grenfell tragedy, delivering a memorial determined by the Grenfell bereaved, survivors and immediate community, that honours the memory of those whose lives were lost.

We particularly encourage applications from those of an ethnic minority background and those with disabilities, as well as those based in locations outside of London, who are underrepresented at this level in MHCLG. Please note that, due to the nature of the role, regular travel to London will be required.

Job description

As the Grenfell Site & Memorial Programme Director you will join the Safer & Greener Buildings Group reporting to the Director: Community and Memorial, as the SRO for the Grenfell Site and Memorial Programme. ​​

​As the successful candidate you will bring a blend of strategic vision, operational excellence and empathetic leadership to this critical role, ensuring the Programme is delivered with integrity, transparency and respect for the Grenfell community.​​

​The role includes:​​

• Ensuring the safe and secure management, operation and maintenance of the tower and site.​
• Leading preparation of the site for future use once a decision on the tower has been taken (see published engineering advice Grenfell Tower Summary note. Stage 3 and basement propping is complete).​
•  Leading delivery of the memorial project, providing programme management across all workstreams: memorial design and construction; any deconstruction work (noting no decision has yet been made on the tower); construction of the memorial either directly or via a partner; ownership, digital memorialisation, second site, tower materials) backed by high quality business cases.​
•  ​Keeping the community closely engaged and informed, using trauma aware approaches, as all tower and site related decisions are made and implemented.​​
• Managing a smooth hand-over to a body, acceptable to the community, when the site is prepared for its long-term future.  ​​​
• Providing assurance to the SRO, seniors, Ministers  and the IPA on delivery of the Programme, as a Major Project within the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio.​​
• Working effectively with stakeholders, including contractors, Ministers, public authorities and other local stakeholders.

Key Accountabilities​

As the Grenfell Site & Memorial Programme Director, you will be personally responsible for:​​

• ​Effective management of the Grenfell Tower site, including strategic and operational decision-making, ensuring expert input as appropriate. ​​
• ​Leading an open, sensitive, transparent and trauma aware approach that builds the trust and confidence of bereaved, survivors and immediate local community in Government’s management of the tower and site, alongside the Deputy Director for Grenfell policy and engagement, and ensuring that all partners and those in the supply chain also deliver in this way.
• Delivery of the Grenfell Site & Memorial Programme in line with the vision of the community, and all related projects including managing performance, meeting success criteria, monitoring and controlling progress, managing costs, engaging fully with assurance processes and responding to recommendations, and identifying, prioritising, assessing and mitigating strategic and operational risks and issues.
• Providing high quality advice and assurance on the delivery of the Grenfell Site & Memorial Programme and related projects to Ministers, senior officials, the IPA and others and inputting into advice and recommendations on key decisions.
• Leading and maintaining the performance of a multi-disciplinary delivery-focused team that includes civil servants and contractors, to successfully deliver the Grenfell Site & Memorial Programme and related projects. ​​
• Creating an environment for success, working effectively with a wide range of internal and external partners, managing their inter-dependencies and driving a high performance ‘one team’ culture and approach to ensure successful delivery

​As one of the Department’s senior leaders, you will be a visible role model for the Civil Service leadership behaviours. These can be found in the Civil Service Leadership Statement which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-leadership-statement/civil-service-leadership-statement      

Person specification

This is a high profile and important role which requires an ability to think strategically and operationally, to identify and manage risk and delivery and manage a programme of the utmost sensitivity.​​

You will need to be an experienced Programme Director capable of operating effectively in a high profile, complex, political environment, providing effective governance and assurance to the Programme SRO.  You will have extensive construction or built environment experience, including client-side, with an ability to talk to the sector and work effectively with the supply chain.  You will have commercial experience and be able to deliver the programme within budget. ​​

​​You will understand the importance of the Programme and projects and the need to work in a trauma aware way. You will be motivated by a wish to build the trust of the bereaved, survivors and local community to deliver the Programme and project objectives. You will be able to use your judgment, drawing in outside expertise and assurance as needed, to advise Ministers and ensure delivery.  ​​

​​You will be an effective communicator, credible at senior levels, including with Ministers, senior central government officials, private sector CEOs, local councils, and other stakeholders.  You will be able to handle and balance a wide range of relationships, internally and externally, including sensitively working with community representatives. 

Essential Criteria​

• Strong proven programme and project delivery experience at a senior level, with in depth knowledge in construction and the built environment, including client-side expertise and experience of managing a complex building/buildings or a construction​ site, and ensuring that programmes align with industry best practices and standards.​​
• Proven ability to lead programmes and projects, in a sensitive and complex landscape, with significant stakeholder/community interest, ensuring all actions are taken with the highest degree of consideration.
• Able to manage and control costs, and identify and manage risk, including commercial risk, in a Government environment.   ​
• Able to lead and motivate teams (including virtual groupings across teams) adapting to challenging and changing circumstances and adverse situations, while remaining calm, reassuring others and maintaining high performance.  ​
• Confident communication at all levels including with Ministers, senior officials, drawing on expert advice to communicate complex and technical issues to provide sound expert advice. ​
• Confident in communicating and engaging with the bereaved, survivors and local community to build trust in government’s decisions and delivery.​
• Able to establish and develop productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, bringing people together to deliver mutually beneficial outcomes, and instilling trauma aware approaches throughout.​​
• Willingness to seek accreditation, or a qualification, from either CIOB, RICS, APM (at PMQ level or above), or other GPP Core Accreditation at Chartered, Certified or Fellow grade.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £90,000, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities contributes £24,300 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

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. 

How to apply 

Please click the Be Applied link to provide the required information and complete your application through the Be Applied website by 23:55 on xxx

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 relevant qualifications. 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. 2 pages)​ 

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

Failure to submit both a CV and statement of suitability will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the Essential Criteria. 

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. 

The hiring manager, Camilla Sheldon, would be happy to have informal discussions with candidates who would like further information about the role before submitting an application. If interested, please contact scs.recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk  

The selection panel will be made up of: 

• Camilla Sheldon, MHCLG Director and hiring manager
• Andy Hobart, MHCLG Director
• Lynda Rawsthorne, or another senior representative from the Government Property Profession.

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 DLUHC 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.

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 will 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.  

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

Location 

This role is available in one of the locations listed below. 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. ​ 

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

Salary 

For external appointments, remuneration for this role will be £90,000 pa 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 Deputy Director (£75,000 p/a)

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 

All DLUHC colleagues must meet the Baseline Personnel Security Standard. This is a series of basic security checks to confirm identity and employment history.

In addition to the BPSS, the level of security clearance required for this role is Security Check (SC) and the process can take up to 8 weeks to complete. 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. 

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 security 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.