Homes England
Head of Innovation and Policy
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Closing date: 7 August 2026
Interviews: Week commencing 17 August 2026
About the role
The Head of Innovation and Policy will build and lead an innovation and policy programme that tackles some of the toughest problems in housing and place-making. This is a pivotal leadership role, responsible for developing a systematic approach to innovation across Homes England, embedding a test-and-learn culture and generating new ideas, partnerships and solutions that improve how the Agency delivers for places and communities.
Working at the centre of the Agency, the postholder will help shape how Homes England identifies opportunities, responds to delivery challenges and develops practical, evidence-based solutions. The role combines strategic thinking, experimentation, policy insight and organisational leadership, with a particular focus on turning complex problems into testable ideas, informed choices and scalable change.
The role has a broad and cross-cutting remit. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Developing and leading an organisation-wide innovation agenda aligned with Homes England’s corporate strategy and risk appetite.
- Identifying high-value problems and opportunities through research, data, frontline insight and partner engagement, and turning them into clear problem statements and testable ideas.
- Designing and running experiments, from small tests of change to larger pilots and sandboxes, with clear hypotheses, metrics and learning loops.
- Turning insights, data and frontline experience into clear choices for senior leaders, with options that are practical, evidence-based and honest about risk.
- Crafting compelling narratives, visuals and artefacts, from concise briefing notes to Board-level presentations, that make innovation tangible and actionable.
- Working closely with colleagues across Homes England, including investment, delivery, digital, data and policy teams, and with external partners to co-create and test new approaches.
- Creating the conditions for successful scale-up of promising ideas, working with strategy, finance and delivery teams to embed innovation into core business.
- Promoting a culture of innovation across the Agency through tools, training, communities of practice and storytelling that celebrates learning, including from things that do not work first time.
- Building a high-performing team and function, developing a small team and supporting colleagues with practical tools, frameworks and coaching.
This is an excellent opportunity to help shape the future of innovation, policy and delivery at Homes England, and to influence how the Agency responds to some of the most important challenges in housing, regeneration and place.
About you
The successful candidate will bring significant experience of leading innovation, product, service design or policy portfolios that have moved from concept to implemented change and impact. They will be comfortable operating in complex environments, bringing curiosity, judgement and credibility to work that spans strategy, delivery, evidence and organisational change.
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They will be confident working with senior leaders and facilitating high-quality conversations about innovation, risk, investment and delivery. They will be able to connect ideas across sectors and disciplines, translate complex concepts into compelling narratives and create the conditions for experimentation, learning and practical adoption at scale.
Homes England is looking for someone with:
- Significant experience leading innovation, product, service design or policy portfolios from concept through to implementation and impact
- Strong strategic judgement and credibility with senior leaders, with the ability to shape decisions and navigate political, organisational and commercial realities
- Excellent communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex experiments, evidence and ideas into clear and credible narratives for Executive and Board audiences.
- Confidence in shaping and facilitating senior-level conversations about innovation, risk and investment.
- Strong collaborative leadership, with the ability to work across organisational boundaries and bring colleagues and partners with you.
- Experience of building teams, capability and conditions that support innovation, experimentation and continuous improvement.
- Curiosity, proactivity and confidence working with uncertainty and ambiguity.
It would also be valuable to bring experience of human-centred design and experimentation methods, comfort working with digital and data teams, and knowledge of the housing, regeneration, planning, investment or wider built environment landscape in which Homes England operates.
Who are we?
Homes England: The Housing and Regeneration Agency
We believe that affordable, quality homes in well-designed places are key to improving people’s lives. As the government’s housing and regeneration agency, we create thriving new places and transform urban areas, combining the full breadth of our powers, expertise, land, capital and influence to bring investment to communities and get more homes built.
How? We form long-term partnerships that bridge the gap between the public and private sector to meet local needs and aspirations. We use our influence to champion the creation of sustainable homes, communities and places that are brilliantly designed for the people that live there now, and in the future. And we use our funding and support to build a more resilient, diverse and innovative housing sector, helping new entrants in the market, encouraging modern methods of construction and design, and promoting the utmost attention to building safety.
Together with our partners, we’re accelerating the pace of house building, remediation and regeneration across the country, as we seek to deliver ever more affordable homes in places people are proud to call home for generations to come.
What we offer
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As well as a competitive salary and 33 days annual leave, we are committed to 50/50 hybrid working. We’ll support you, wherever possible, so that you don’t miss out on what matters to you.
- Membership of the Homes and Communities Agency Pension Scheme, which is a contributory defined benefit scheme with the amount you receive on retirement based on your salary and years worked at the Agency.
- Internal applicants: please note that if you are successful, the salary you are offered will be in accordance with our pay policy. You can find details on the HR Hub SharePoint site.
- If you ever need a bit of extra help, we have a great employee assistance programme, a wide range of healthcare plans, financial wellbeing support and access to many great discounts with leading high street names.
- Our range of network groups are also there to support you to be yourself at work and play a key role in helping shape our future.
- If you are a member of a professional body, we’ll pay for your membership and once you get your digital kit, you’ll be good to go.
Homes England are a geographically diverse community. We work to a 50/50 office/ home based model. Moving back into our office environments has enabled us to utilise our space and time together in the most collaborative way.
We would encourage all applicants to apply as soon as possible as we may close vacancies early should we receive a high number of applications.
We also encourage you to apply using the full application option as opposed to quick apply, this is especially important if you would like to indicate to us that you would like to be considered under the disability confident scheme.
We’re a diverse team of more than 1,000 professionals spanning 17 professions, helping Homes England to be effective, efficient and deliver for communities.
Our people remain at the heart of everything we do, and we’re committed to building an Agency that not only reflects the diverse communities we serve, but also champions inclusion in how we shape homes and places across the country. For more information about our EDI strategy please see our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Report 2024 to 2025 — Second Edition - GOV.UK
You will be required to have the Right to Work in the UK and Homes England do not offer visa sponsorship. If your application is shortlisted to interview we will require you to provide proof of your Right to Work in the UK at this stage.
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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
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