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Job summary
We are seeking candidates for up to nine new SEO Adviser policy stewardship roles. They span the breadth of issues across the Safer Greener Buildings group, including shaping our response to civil litigation related to the Grenfell Tower fire; taking a strategic overview of the delivery landscape; managing governance arrangements relating to stewardship and building performance risk; developing advice on building fabric including thermal efficiency, net zero and building safety, including how we engage with the new Building Safety Regulator (an arms-length body). Candidates taking these roles will be critical to the Safer Greener Buildings portfolio. They will need to think deeply and broadly about the built environment; the buildings we are seeking to shape; the institutions we’re seeking to influence; and the outcomes that we’re seeking to improve for residents and owners.
The way we regulate for buildings, support their performance and oversee the built environment is changing. The Safer Greener Buildings directorate is transitioning to a new operational model, which will be a fundamental change for our teams. This is a complex, multi-levelled change; delivering success will require post-holders to take on a range of roles; engage with issues facing the built environment; and develop relationships with sources of expertise who may be outside the department. The model will be built on policy and service teams formed around sector areas who will identify, understand and solve problems to deliver public value. Our teams will develop a multidisciplinary approach and integrate their knowledge of policy, operations, data and digital technology. Team members will need to engage widely, assess, investigate and make recommendations about where the department should focus to improve outcomes for residents and owners. Our capacity for delivering this model will be directly dependent on securing capable candidates.
We particularly welcome candidates from an ethnic minority background and other underrepresented groups to apply, as we work to continually improve our ability to represent the places and communities we support through our work.
Job description
We are seeking candidates for up to nine new SEO Adviser policy stewardship roles. They span the breadth of issues across the Safer Greener Buildings group, including shaping our response to civil litigation related to the Grenfell Tower fire; taking a strategic overview of the delivery landscape; managing governance arrangements relating to stewardship and building performance risk; developing advice on building fabric including thermal efficiency, net zero and building safety, including how we engage with the new Building Safety Regulator (an arms-length body).
These roles will be focused on a range of activities, but all of them are business-critical to delivering built environment stewardship, including:
- Developing clear strategic direction for work areas so that business is aligned across the portfolio and wider directorate;
- Engaging and communicating with internal and external stakeholders, including other government departments, the Building Safety Regulator, the Office for Product Safety & Standards, the Chief Scientific Adviser’s office and industry experts;
- Development of policy and delivery approaches including data analysis; supporting governance; monitoring outcomes and indicators; commissioning research and evidence; evaluation, delivery assurance and managing risk frameworks.
Person specification
BUILDING AND MAINTAINING STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS:
Candidates will need to work collaboratively and develop relationships with key internal and external stakeholders including: other government departments, the Building Safety Regulator, the Office for Product Safety & Standards, the Chief Scientific Adviser’s office and industry experts. Candidates will need to develop their understanding of technical and performance risks; and identify where intervention may be necessary or critical for Building Performance Assurance.
COMMUNICATION & INFLUENCING:
Candidates will need to possess excellent written and verbal communication skills. We will expect them to communicate with others in a clear, honest manner and explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand, taking account of the needs of their audience. They will contribute to reporting, briefing and correspondence. Candidates may work on a public consultation and help to develop stewardship options for regulators, offering support and recommendations to senior colleagues and Ministers.
DELIVERY AT PACE:
Candidates will need to be resilient in the face of ambiguity and changing demands. The department’s stewardship function will, alongside the Regulator, ensure that the built environment system is operating safely and effectively. Candidates will need to support governance arrangements relating to stewardship and building performance risk management, including the Joint DLUHC/DESNZ Net Zero Group; lead on building stewardship research and innovation themes; and develop options and a roadmap for the longer-term role of regulators in the stewardship of buildings (involving some legislative work).
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
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.
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).
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
Experience (Lead Question) - Can you describe a time when you led or managed a group of stakeholders so that their contributions to a piece of work were timely, relevant and helped contribute to a high quality finished product or outcome?
Communicating and Influencing
Working Together
Delivering at Pace
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 progress straight to assessment/interview
The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of the following success profiles elements:
Behaviour
Experience
Strength
The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.
Candidates will require to deliver a presentation at interview. Details will be shared for candidates invited to this stage.
In the full campaign we will test the below Success Profile Elements:
Behaviours: Communicating and Influencing, Working Together, Delivering at Pace
Experience: Yes
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 £40,390 (London) or £37,064 (National).
- For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable.
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
- Birkenhead
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Cambridge
- Darlington
- Exeter
- Hastings
- Leeds
- Manchester
- Newcastle-upon-Tyne
- Nottingham
- Plymouth
- Truro
- Warrington
- Wolverhampton
SIFT AND INTERVIEW DATES:
Sifting is envisaged to take place W/C 31st of May 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 on 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. Due to the length of time CTC checks can take, our HR Shared Services team will contact reserve list candidates for London based roles to commence CTC checks. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact [email protected] 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
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team