About the job

Job summary

DLUHC wants to see a strong, resilient and sustainable local government sector, delivering high quality services to local people. The Local Government Policy (LGP) directorate is responsible for oversight and performance monitoring of the local government sector, ensuring it is fit for purpose and resilient to deliver the government's priorities. The Local Government Strategy and Improvement Division sits within LGP and shapes the overarching strategic approach to local government and plays a pivotal role in considering the long-term direction of the sector.

We are looking for an SEO Policy Advisor to help bring together work on the capacity and capability of local authorities and shape the department's strategic role and response to key priorities such as workforce and leadership issues.

The post holder will also be expected to lead on local government commercial capacity issues, working in partnership with the Cabinet Office, as the lead Department on commercial policy, to grip emerging issues and lead DLUHC response accordingly.

This role provides a great opportunity to work in an inclusive and welcoming team focussed on shaping a culture that values diversity and empowering all our people to build rewarding careers.

Job description

The role is well-suited to a confident self-starter who is interested in local government and enjoys working in fast-paced and high-profile areas, with the ability to influence and support senior leaders. Experience of working in and/or with local authorities is highly desirable but not essential. Experience of the local government commercial landscape is also desirable but not essential.

Responsibilities include: 

• Strengthening our understanding of capacity and capability in local government and developing our response to issues, leading on pieces of work in areas such as leadership, and workforce.
• Contributing to strategic thinking on how to best support the local government sector to ensure a sustainable and high-performing workforce fit for the future, regarding issues such as recruitment and retention and leadership pipeline.
• Lead on local government commercial business of state activities (correspondence, written parliamentary questions etc).
• Lead and contribute to high quality advice for senior leaders, the Permanent Secretary and Ministers, drawing from a wide range of sources, and carrying out analysis on the evidence to demonstrate excellent policy appraisal and development of options.  
• Work with teams across DLUHC, Whitehall and external stakeholders to develop a clear set of priorities for local government and support the development of policy that reflects and supports the cross-cutting capacity and capability pressures facing the sector.  
• Ensure positive engagement while building and maintaining trusting relationships across the directorate, the department and Private Offices. 
• All teams within the Division have regular exposure to Ministers; the post holders will need to develop a relationship with Ministers’ Private Offices and will likely have the opportunity to brief Ministers face to face.
• Play an active leadership role in the division, role modelling behaviours and working flexibly across teams in an agile manner.  
• Support wider priorities within the capacity and capability team and Local Government Strategy and Improvement division, as required.

Person specification

This is a complex, challenging and rewarding role. To be successful you will need to be able to demonstrate the following key skills and experience: 

• Have excellent written and verbal skills – confident communicator who can relay complex information in concise and straightforward terms, often at pace.
• Be a politically aware strategic thinker with high levels of attention to detail, sound judgment and the ability to solve problems independently.
• Be a fast learner with the ability to build subject matter expertise. 
• Have an understanding of how to tailor messaging to different audiences (including influencing senior leaders and external stakeholders).
• Have the capability to flexibly adapt to changing circumstances, shifting priorities and fast-moving developments whilst remaining calm and maintaining performance.
• Have the ability to build and maintain good networking relationships with partners and stakeholders, and at times deliver challenging messages to them.
• Have strong organisational skills and the ability to actively prioritise multiple issues/tasks. 
• Have a strong interest in helping to create a supportive an inclusive team culture. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £38,732, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities contributes £10,457 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 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.  

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. 

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 (lead behaviour) - Seeing the Big Picture

Behaviour 2 - Communicating and Influencing

Behaviour 3 - Delivering at Pace

Behaviour 4 - Making Effective Decisions

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 – Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions 

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

Candidates invited to interview will be expected to prepare a 5 minute presentation. Details of this will be sent out with interview invites 

 

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

 

Behaviours: Seeing the Big Picture, Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions

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. 

 

 SEO salary 

• The salary for this role is £38,732 (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: 

• Manchester
• Wolverhampton 
• Darlington* 

 

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  22/3/2024 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. 

 

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.