Director, Local Government Finance

The postholder will be responsible for leading the Department's overall approach to local government finance, ensuring councils have a sustainable funding framework that enables the delivery of public services and supports Government priorities.

The role is central to the Department's relationship with local government and provides strategic leadership across local government funding, local taxation, financial sustainability, capital frameworks, fiscal events and wider reform of the local government finance system.

The postholder will lead the Local Government Finance Directorate of over 200 staff, ensuring effective leadership of people and resources. This includes managing the Directorate's paybill and budget, maintaining high levels of staff engagement, enhancing an inclusive culture and playing an active corporate leadership role across MHCLG.

This is a high-profile leadership, policy and delivery role, offering significant opportunities to shape the future financial relationship between central and local government. The postholder will work closely with Ministers, senior officials across Whitehall and be a visible leader across the local government sector.

The role has substantial external visibility and requires the ability to build strong and productive relationships with local authorities, representative bodies, professional organisations and other government departments.

Person Specification

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate will:

• Provide strategic leadership on local government finance across Government, shaping funding policy and ensuring the effective allocation of resources to local authorities
• Lead the delivery of the annual Local Government Finance Settlement, determining the level and distribution of funding for local government
• Lead the Department's work on assessing and monitoring the financial sustainability of local government, including preparation for fiscal events and spending reviews
• Oversee policy relating to council tax, business rates and wider local taxation arrangements
• Lead work on local government finance reform and the development of future funding arrangements where required, including on fiscal devolution (business rates reform, overnight visitor levy, etc.)
• Modernise and oversee the local government capital framework, ensuring councils can invest effectively while maintaining value for money and financial sustainability
• Work alongside colleagues across Local Government and Communities to support authorities experiencing financial challenges and requiring exceptional financial support
• Provide strategic leadership on the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Sponsor the Valuation Tribunal Service for England
• Work closely with colleagues across MHCLG to support wider departmental priorities, including local growth, devolution, public service reform and community outcomes
• Oversee the receipt and payment of significant grant funding to local authorities
• Build and maintain strong relationships across central government, local government and the wider public sector
• Lead, motivate and develop a large, geographically dispersed Directorate, promoting inclusion, wellbeing and high performance

The Person

This role is ideal for someone with a strong background in policy, public finance, strategy or delivery, who can operate confidently in a complex and politically sensitive environment.

The successful candidate will be an engaging, visible and credible leader, capable of working across organisational boundaries and influencing at the highest levels of government.

The Role Will Work Closely With

• Ministers
• The MHCLG Executive Committee and Senior Leadership Team
• HM Treasury
• Cabinet Office
• No10 North
• Department of Health and Social Care
• Department for Education
• Other Whitehall departments
• The Local Government Association
• CIPFA
• The National Audit Office
• External auditors
• Local authority chief executives, finance directors and representative bodies
• The Valuation Tribunal Service

Essential Criteria

• Strategic leadership in complex public policy, finance or delivery environments - A proven track record of leading large, complex and high-profile policy, finance or operational portfolios, setting strategic direction and delivering outcomes in politically sensitive environments. Experience working in collaboration with multiple stakeholders, where responsibilities, accountabilities, funding and objectives are shared across multiple organisations.
• Public finance and funding expertise - Significant experience of managing or shaping major public funding, fiscal, spending or financial frameworks, with the ability to apply strong financial judgement to support ministerial priorities and deliver value for money.
• Influencing at the highest levels - A demonstrable ability to build trusted relationships and influence senior stakeholders, such as Ministers, senior officials, local government leaders and external organisations, or C-suite-level or equivalent leaders, often where interests are competing and outcomes are contested.
• Leadership of major reforms - A strong track record of leading large-scale financial or operational reforms, managing significant risks and complexity while maintaining momentum under sustained scrutiny.
• Exceptional judgement and political awareness - The ability to provide clear, evidence-based advice on complex issues, exercising sound judgement in highly sensitive and politically complex situations, whilst balancing local, departmental and cross-government priorities.
• Inspirational and inclusive leadership - Experience of leading, developing and inspiring large, diverse teams through change, encouraging an inclusive, high-performing culture and building leadership capability at all levels.

Salary

Alongside your salary of £105,000, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £30,418 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).

At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Staff Benefits Scheme 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

How to Apply

• To apply you will need to submit a CV and Statement of Suitability via the Be Applied link.
• Your CV (up to two pages) should set out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• Your Statement of Suitability (up to two pages) should explain how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential and desirable criteria for the role.

Equal Opportunities

• We encourage candidates to complete the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Data via Be Applied. The data will be treated in the strictest confidence and used for