About the job

Job summary

The Planning Capacity and Capability Team was established in 2022 to support town planners in local government in building the skills and resources needed to deliver a more efficient and sustainable planning system, which can adapt to and successfully implement change.

  
The planning system is currently being reformed through changes set out in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, which require significant changes from an already stretched sector. Increasing the system's capacity and capability can ease immediate challenges and facilitate successful implementation of the reforms.  

The Capacity and Capability Programme aims to deliver a suite of interventions that will: 

•    Provide a pipeline into the profession to local planning authorities to recruit and retain planners.     
•    Deliver direct resource support to local planning authorities to enable them to deliver projects both now and in the introduction of the new planning system.    
•    Provide upskilling and tools for the job to support the implementation of changes to the planning system.    
 
This is a fast-paced and ambitious programme that has been co-designed with the sector and will be delivered through a wide range of delivery partners. You will be able to work at pace, with enthusiasm and confidence, and work with a range of stakeholders. You will be a trusted key point of contact for the programme, and you will need to have extremely good organisational skills. The role is high-profile and is an exciting and unique opportunity to help build the skills and resource needed to support transformational system change.    

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

The successful candidate will work in a small Programme Management Office Team, working to the Project Manager and supporting project leads. You will be pivotal in supporting the programme and the delivery teams on a day-to-day basis. The Project Support Officer will play a crucial role in driving and overseeing the delivery of the projects, alongside the Project Manager, to ensure that the objectives are clearly defined and achieved within the agreed time, cost and quality constraints.  

 The postholder will be responsible for: 

•    Helping to lead the project to deliver the agreed outcomes within time, cost, and quality constraints.   
•    Day-to-day support of the programme and the project interventions. 
•    Monitor project progress and track project deliverables using appropriate tools and techniques to ensure successful and timely completion.  
•    Updating and maintaining the programme plan, tracking, and reporting against milestones.  
•    Identify and monitor project risks, issues, assumptions and dependencies through updating the RAID log.
•    Support in providing key reports and support effective governance and decision-making, such as monthly SRO programme updates and reporting through the Departmental Performance Management system.   
•    Supporting on a range of Capacity and Capability secretariat work, including internal and external engagement.
•    Monitoring and updating change management documents, ensuring effective processes are in place.
•    Supporting on grants and payments across the Capacity and Capability Programme, including finance reporting commissions.
•    Managing the Programme’s SharePoint site.

Person specification

Essential criteria:
•    Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment with multiple tasks. 
•    Good analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex data. 
•    Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to develop effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. 
•    Strong capability in using Microsoft Office applications, specifically Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. 

Desirable: 
•    Experience of working in a project or programme environment.
•    Experience in using Microsoft Project. 

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.

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.

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 (Lead Behaviour): Delivering at Pace

Behaviour: Seeing the Big Picture

Behaviour: Working Together

 

There is a 250 word limit per question. 

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

Behaviours: Delivering at Pace, Seeing the Big Picture, Working Together

Experience 

Strengths

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

Candidates will be expected to deliver a presentation at interview stage, the details of which will be provided upon invitation.

 

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

 

Behaviours: Delivering at Pace, Seeing the Big Picture, Working Together

Experience: Presentation at Interview Stage

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: 

• Manchester
• Birmingham
• 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 W/C 5th February 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. 

 

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.