About the job

Job summary

The Care, Reform and Grants division in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) supports the Government in delivering key objectives relating to adult social care and children’s services, both in terms of shaping policy and in ensuring that councils have the funding to deliver the services communities depend on.

We have two exciting opportunities within the Care, Reform and Grants division.

 

Children’s Social Care Team

One opportunity to join the Children’s Social Care Team, which leads on ensuring that local authorities are appropriately resourced to provide all their statutory duties relating to the provision of good quality and accessible children’s social care services across England. The team leads on co-ordinating the Department’s work in supporting the Government’s reform programme for children’s social care. While the Department for Education holds policy responsibility for children’s social care, DLUHC is the responsible department for the funding of local government services (including children’s social care) through local government funding (Local Government DEL). 

Children’s social care is the fastest rising area of spend for local government. As set out in its implementation strategy, Stable Homes Built on Love, the Government is committed to deliver substantive reform to the children’s social care to both improve outcomes for children and young people, and make the system sustainable. As we approach the Spending Review, this is an exciting opportunity to join the team in delivering on this objective.

Adult Social Care Team

A second opportunity to join our Adult Social Care Team within the Division. The team is responsible for ensuring that local authorities are resourced to deliver the right outcomes for the public, especially those most vulnerable who require adult social care support. With total spend on adult social care equating to over £20 billion each year, the team is responsible for delivering a number of high-profile policies. This includes close working with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to deliver fiscal events, most recently including the Local Government Finance Settlement (of which social care grant funding represented nearly £9 billion for 2024/25); and the delivery of the £10 billion Better Care Fund (BCF), which they work on in partnership with DHSC, NHS England and the Local Government Association.

 

These are rewarding yet challenging roles that would suit an individual looking to develop their leadership and policy skills. The roles come with great progression opportunities.

Job description

Both roles will cover a broad portfolio of work, and so the ability to adapt and see the wider picture across a variety of workstreams is essential. The successful candidates will commission and manage the work of analysts, and work across team boundaries.

 

• You will have excellent communication and influencing skills, written and verbal, and work with other government departments.
• You will have to weigh up evidence and consider competing points of view to make decisions.
• You will take direct ownership of specific policy areas for the team, and have the opportunity to lead relationships and work on these areas with other stakeholders, both internal and external. You will also have the chance to engage directly with ministers and senior officials, advising and influencing them on making decisions.

The posts are primarily funding policy roles, and the successful candidates will play a key role at the upcoming Spending Review, Local Government Finance Settlement, and other fiscal events. However, no background in finance is required.

 

Children’s Social Care role - responsibilities will include:

• Account managing the Department for Education’s children’s social care bid at the upcoming Spending Review, amounting to over £12bn in annual local government spend.
• Working with colleagues within DLUHC leading on local government funding to ensure that local authorities have sufficient resources to deliver statutory services, including supporting the delivery of the Local Government Finance Settlement.
• Supporting cross-Government work to deliver the reforms recommended by the independent Care Review and proposed in the Children’s Social Care Implementation Strategy, Stable Homes Built on Love.
• Engaging directly with and influencing colleagues across the Department for Education and His Majesty’s Treasury to deliver the department’s objectives for children’s social care reform.
• Working with local policy analysts and colleagues in the Secretary of State’s Policy Unit on the key factors that drive local authorities’ costs in delivering children’s social care, and developing solutions to complex policy questions.
• Advising ministers and senior officials on the above. 

 

Adult Social Care role - responsibilities will include:

• Strategic preparation for and delivery of fiscal events, including facilitating joined up working across both teams.
• Ensuring the successful delivery of the Better Care Fund Programme, including co-ordinating governance arrangements between stakeholders and providing quarterly updates to Ministers and senior officials on local systems delivery of BCF policy.
• Owning relationships with key stakeholders, likely to include DHSC, NHS England, and sector representative bodies.
• Briefing for ministers and senior officials on a range of issues relating to local government's provision of adult social care.

Person specification

This role is well-suited to those who enjoy working in a dynamic and prominent area.

Essential Criteria 

• Ability to build relationships and find common ground with departments, often with competing priorities
• Ability to work flexibly and adapt to a complex working environment.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills.
• Experience working with Ministers and senior leaders.
• Ability to see the bigger picture across a complex policy area. 

Desirable Criteria 

• Strong understanding of local government and/or social care. 

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 (Lead Behaviour): Seeing the Big Picture

Behaviour: Making Effective Decisions

Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing

Behaviour: Working Together 

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:    

Behaviours: Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together

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 will be provided upon invitation.

 

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

Behaviours: Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together

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: 

• London
• Darlington* 

SIFT AND INTERVIEW DATES: 

Sifting is envisaged to take place W/C 25th March 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.