Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Communities Policy Lead
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Bristol, Darlington, London, Manchester, Wolverhampton
Job Summary
We are MHCLG
The Communities Strategy team leads on the Pride in Place Strategy - the Government’s plan for giving communities the tools and powers they need to drive change in their neighbourhoods. This includes the Pride in Place Programme which will deliver up to £5.8bn of funding and support to 284 of the most deprived neighbourhoods in Great Britain over the next decade.
It is an exciting moment to join the communities team as we explore how we can build genuine community power from the ground up, and ensure funding for communities is contributing to the strategic priorities of the Secretary of State and Prime Minister. The High Streets team is focused on shaping the future of high streets and town centres as they adapt and evolve. The team offers opportunities to work on a diverse portfolio of policy, funding, and legislation, with significant economic, social, and political impact. Joining the team at this critical juncture will provide an opportunity to work closely with ministers and analysts to generate and stress-test new policy proposals and build support both within and outside of MHCLG to drive these forward.
This advert is for three roles working across the Communities and High Streets teams, with positions to be decided post-recruitment. Whichever team you are in, you will be joining a friendly fast-paced division working across issues that are at the top of this Government’s agenda, though we will ask if you have a preferred role as part of the process. These policy areas are of deep interest to MHCLG Ministers and No10 and come under significant scrutiny from parliament. We work collaboratively across the Department, No10 and across Whitehall, as well as with experts from across business, local government, and the communities sector.
Job Description
The specific responsibilities will be agreed with the candidate, and will depend on the specific role but could include:
- Supporting the development of our new ministerial team’s communities and high streets agenda
- Working to deliver primary and secondary legislation related to communities and high streets policy
- Interrogating data and evidence, working closely with the analytical team, and learning to apply basic concepts of economic theory to communities and high streets policy.
- Drafting accurate, high-quality advice, briefings and correspondence for Ministers, senior officials and No10 on a range of cross-cutting policy issues that impact neighbourhoods and high streets
- Organising and delivering engagement with the sector at an official and ministerial level, bringing in relevant expertise to inform our ongoing policy development and managing relationships with key stakeholders
Person specification
Essential Criteria Successful Candidates Will Be
- Self-starters, confident in leading policy development or project delivery with independence at pace and bring others along with them.
- Strong communicators, able to articulate complex and nuanced issues for senior leaders, ministers and other stakeholders, and adapt their approach for different audiences.
- Collaborative team players, adept at building relationships within and beyond the team and bringing people together to deliver crosscutting projects, over the short and long-term.
- Adaptable and resilient, able to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality work at pace.
Alongside your salary of £58,092, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £16,829 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
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At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Staff Benefits Scheme, Childcare Vouchers, and Cycle to Work Schemes. For more information, please click here.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
Application and Selection
The application process will be split into 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles:
- Behaviours
- Strengths
Stage 1: Sift
- Behaviour: Delivering at pace (Lead Behaviour)
- Behaviour: Seeing the big picture
- Behaviour: Communicating and influencing
There is a 250-word limit per question.
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!)
Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.
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 interview.
If you run into any technical problems when applying through Be Applied (for example, trouble logging in or submitting your application), their support team can help. Please contact them at hello@beapplied.com.
Stage 2: Interview
- Behaviours: Communicating and influencing, Seeing the big picture, Delivering at pace
- Experience: Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.
- Ability:
- Technical: Technical questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.
- Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.
Candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation, further details will be provided on invitation to interview. The presentation will be assessed against Seeing the big picture.
Sift and Interview Dates
Sifting is envisaged to take place starting 21/08/2026.
Interviews are currently being held remotely via video call. This could be subject to change.
Disability Confident Scheme (DCS)
We are a Disability Confident employer.
We apply a fair and proportionate interview process for all candidates. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to progress candidates who apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and meet the required minimum selection criteria.
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However, where high application volumes are received, progression to interview may be limited to those who best meet the role criteria. In these circumstances, the benchmark required to proceed to interview may be raised for all candidates.
How We Recruit
Find out more about our recruitment processes here.
- Applying
- Sifting
- Interview
- Interview Results & Feedback
- Reserve List
- Near Miss
- Civil Service Grades
- We are a Disability Confident Scheme, Redeployment Interview scheme & Great Place to Work for Veterans employer
- Reasonable Adjustments
How To Apply
Find out everything you need to know before applying here.
You must review the following information from the MHCLG Career's Site before submitting your application. This step is essential to ensure your eligibility for the role and that your application is completed correctly.
- Security Clearance Requirements
- Civil Service Nationality Requirements
- Right to Work
- Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles
- CV Declaration
- Sponsorships
- Salary and Grade
- Existing Civil Servants
- Conflict of Interest
- Location and Flexible Working
- Internal Fraud Database
- Appeals and Complaints
- Fixed Term Appointments for:
- External Candidates
- Existing Civil Servants (Including Loans)
- Secondments
- MHCLG employees
Security Clearance Requirements
- National Office: BPSS
- London Office: BPSS + CTC
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
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