Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Policy Roles - Elections Directorate
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Bristol, Darlington, London, Manchester, Wolverhampton
Job Summary
We are MHCLG
Are you looking to develop strong policy-making skills in a critical and high-profile sector, making and implementing legislation which delivers priority policy measures?
If so, this is an exciting time to join Elections Directorate!
Elections Directorate is responsible for a challenging and dynamic policy landscape, always in the public eye, covering electoral policy and law. This includes how elections are run, who can participate and how elections and campaigning are regulated.
The Directorate delivers changes that realise Government manifesto commitments and other Ministerial priorities. This includes the introduction of Votes for 16 and 17-year-olds, improvements to elector registration, changes to political finance rules following the Rycroft Review into foreign financial influence and interference in politics, and the revised list of Voter Identification that electors can produce at polling stations, to name just a few.
Job Description
We are recruiting for three policy roles within our Electoral Administration team and Registration and Franchise team. The teams both sit within the Elections Policy division, and are close-knit, friendly, versatile, and inclusive, with a broad portfolio of work across complementary policy areas. The teams’ work is high-profile, with significant senior and ministerial interest, including in No.10. The Electoral Administration team has a range of policy interests which set out and support how the electorate chooses the elected representatives that populate our major democratic institutions – such as the UK Parliament and English Local Authorities.
It is responsible for the policy that sits behind the delivery of elections, working with key stakeholders such as the Electoral Commission, the Devolved Governments and the Association of Electoral Administrators to ensure rules and processes are clear and workable. The team has a number of specific responsibilities relating to the running of elections and plays an important role in the lead up to local and UK Parliamentary General Elections. The Registration and Franchise team is responsible for a number of high-profile government priorities, including two manifesto commitments: changing the voting age to 16, and improving voter registration.
It is also responsible for ensuring that the policy and legislative framework for electoral registration and the electoral franchise is clear and fit for purpose. This involves working with a range of Government departments, the Electoral Commission, and the devolved governments, as well as the wider electoral community and external stakeholders such as political parties and civil society groups. These roles offer a rare opportunity to engage with Ministers, administrators and electors and be part of introducing democratic change from policy, through primary and secondary legislation, to delivery.
The Post Holder Will Have a Role That Includes a Variety Of Legislative And Policy Issues. The Responsibilities Of The Post Will Include The Following:
- Leading on multiple areas of policy development within the team portfolio, such as Voter ID, postal voting and Votes at 16, amongst others.
- Working collaboratively with your team and colleagues from across the Department, as a subject matter expert, in particular digital and legal colleagues as well as other government departments.
- Lead on engagement with a range of stakeholders, including the electoral sector, other government departments and statutory bodies such as the Electoral Commission, to support the development of policy and legislation.
- Effectively engaging with Ministers and senior leaders, providing advice and driving forward the work of the team.
- Supporting the passage of a Parliamentary Bill by providing policy expertise, ministerial briefing, and in-person support.
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This list is not exhaustive, and the post holder needs to be flexible and adapt their responsibilities to meet business demands.
Person specification
Elections policy is governed by a highly complex set of legislation and processes. We are therefore particularly interested in candidates with experience working in fields involving complexity and precision, ideally involving legislation.
Essential Criteria
- An ability to assimilate complex information quickly and see connections and the ‘bigger picture’.
- Excellent communication skills, which you can use to explain complicated ideas clearly, enabling effective decision making by seniors and ministers.
- Be highly motivated, comfortable working independently and have excellent time management skills to proactively prioritise workloads and conflicting demands.
- Experience of complex policy development.
- Experience of working as the policy ‘voice’ in a multi-disciplinary environment to implement projects (e.g. working with digital, programme management, legal, analytical, or planning colleagues).
- Ability to work with a range of contacts from Ministers to council staff and representatives of electors with particular needs (e.g. charities such as RNIB).
- Experience of working with primary and/or secondary legislation.
Alongside your salary of £44,004, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £12,747 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, 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
- Experience
Please ensure your CV does not contain any personally identifiable information.
Note: We do not consider direct CV applications. All applications must be submitted via the provided application link.
Important: Your CV and Cover Letter must be merged into a single document before uploading.
Stage 1: Sift (CV & Cover Letter)
Experience: A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.
A Personal Statement of up to 750 words setting out why you want the job and explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential and desirable criteria listed above.
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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.
If we receive many 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.
Lead Sift: Making effective decisions
There is a 250-word limit
Stage 2: Interview
Behaviours: Seeing the Big Picture, Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace
Candidates will be asked to prepare a short presentation, further details will be provided on invitation to interview.
Sift and Interview Dates
Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 10/08/2026.
Interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall. 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.
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
National Office: BPSS + CTC
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
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