Deputy Director - English Devolution Strategy and Institutions

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government -
Leeds

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Job details

Full-time | Fixed term contract
£81,000 a year
14 hours ago

Benefits

Company pension

Qualifications

English
Master's degree
Presentation skills
Leadership
Communication skills

Full job description

Details

Reference number

471729

Salary

£81,000

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Job grade

SCS Pay Band 1

Contract type

Fixed term
Secondment

Length of employment

9-12 months

Type of role

Strategy

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share

Number of jobs available

Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information

Location

Belfast, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Plymouth, Wolverhampton

About the job

Job summary

The English Devolution Strategy and Institutions team in the Local Government, Growth and Communities Group brings together and coordinates the governments policy agenda on English devolution, including delivery of the mission to extend devolution and establish strategic authorities as robust institutions across England. It works extremely closely with its sister division led by a separate DD English Devolution Powers and Funding, which leads on deepening the devolution framework, advancing the devolved funding offer and overseeing delivery and best practice across the strategic authority sector.

The team works across MHCLG, a range of government departments, HMT and No10 to lead the strategic policy thinking on devolution, with a focus on expanding devolution to new areas, ensuring a strong capacity and capability offer to strategic authorities, putting in place strengthened accountability arrangements, and supporting engagement with strategic authorities and mayors, including through the Mayoral Council.

The team also leads on a range of strategy and policy issues relating to the existing system of devolved institutions, for example on devolved accountability, sectoral capacity and capability, the coterminosity of public services with strategic authority footprints, London devolution, and implementing the provisions in the 2026 English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act.

The team is an ambitious, creative, and inclusive group of around 30 FTE, with four direct reports. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a supportive, high-performing team that is delivering on a central plank of the devolution agenda, working on creating real change for places and people across England.

Job description

Provide effective, confident, and inclusive leadership to a high-performing team to deliver against ministerial priorities.

Confidently lead English devolution strategy and institutions policy thinking: working closely and confidently with key stakeholders across government, including No10, HMT, Cabinet Office, DHSC and the Home Office.
Build and maintain strong relationships with strategic authority chief executives and their senior teams, engaging with credibility to act as a key point of contact with government.
Deliver a strengthened accountability system as set out in the 2026 English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act, including secondary legislation and guidance.
Deliver a new capacity and capability offer to strategic authorities that underpins the more ambitious devolution agenda that this government is delivering.
Ensure the successful delivery of the quarterly Mayoral Council, chaired by the Secretary of State and attended by all mayors.
Deliver the secondary legislation and statutory guidance flowing from the 2026 English devolution and Community Empowerment Act.
Oversight of London devolution policy.
Oversight of PMO function for cross-cutting work across both English devolution teams.
Play an enthusiastic role in the wider leadership of the Directorate and DG-led Group, actively promoting diversity and ensuring that the Group is a rewarding and inclusive place to work.

Person specification

The role requires someone who can confidently lead their policy agenda, including by influencing and collaborating with a range of stakeholders within central and local government. You will be able to use your judgement, drawing in outside expertise as needed to develop your advice.

You will need to be able to engage effectively across boundaries at a senior level and have proven and credible experience working with ministers or equivalent senior stakeholders.

You will need to be able to demonstrate excellence in setting strategic direction, helping Ministers to navigate complex policy areas to deliver their priorities.

You will also be an excellent communicator. You will be able to handle and balance a wide range of relationships, internally and particularly externally, and to be credible with a wide range of senior people in and outside government. You will also have the ability to lead complex work streams, drawing on analysis, insight and evidence, supported by credible plans, together with a willingness to challenge and innovate.

The candidates will be experienced and inclusive leaders, able to empower, develop and inspire their teams to deliver, including under pressure. You will need to be confident in coaching your team to deliver this work and be able to provide them with strategic leadership and the support they need from you as a senior leader.

We particularly welcome candidates from an ethnic minority background and other under-represented groups to apply, as we work to continually improve our ability to represent the places and communities we support through our work. All senior leaders in MHCLG will have a diversity and inclusion objective setting out how they promote diversity and inclusion.

We are particularly keen to grow our senior presence outside of London and are therefore recruiting this role as outside of London only.

Essential criteria:

We are looking for:

Strong strategic leadership skills with the ability to draw on a range of sources to inform and provide direction to a high profile, cross-cutting agenda, and to drive action based on well-founded evidence.
Confidence in moving between the big picture and the detail, and an ability to master both.
Experience of working across multi-disciplinary boundaries utilising policy, finance, and analytical expertise to deliver.
A strong track record as a confident and collaborative leader, able to set direction for a team and lead through periods of change and pressure. You will be able to support high performance in your team, whilst remaining inclusive and empowering.
Strong influencing skills, including the ability to build, nurture and maintain relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, inside and outside of government (including in local government and the think tank community).
Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to confidently brief ministers and senior officials on complex policy issues.
Understanding of the local growth and devolution policy landscape.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides .

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 employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

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 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 monitoring and statistical purposes only.

Interview Schemes - MHCLG is a Disability Confident employer and is committed to protecting and promoting the physical and mental health of all colleagues and applicants. We also operate the Great Place to Work for Veterans and Redeployment schemes. Applicants applying under these schemes who meet the essential criteria, will be invited to interview.

The Panel - Will Davis Hiring Manager and Director, Sarah Barrett.

Additionally, the panel may be joined by one of our staff representatives from a pool of volunteers as part of our commitments to diversity and inclusion.

Shortlist - Applications will be sifted after the closing date and shortlisted candidates will be invited to the next phase of assessment and interview. Your CV and Statement of Suitability will be assessed against the essential criteria, these will also be used to form the basis of the panels final interview questions. Desirable criteria will only be used to determine the merit order of candidates who rank evenly against the essential criteria.

Assessment - Shortlisted candidates may be invited to attend a Staff Engagement Panel, designed to provide insight into how you engage and interact with your team. Feedback from the session is passed to the panel for consideration alongside your final interview.

Candidates may also be invited to meet with a Senior Stakeholder. This is not a formal part of selection, but an informal chance to find out more about the role and organisation.

Shortlisted candidates may also be invited to give a short presentation or complete an exercise at interviews - further details will be provided when invited to interview.

Feedback - This will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Expected Timeline*:

Advert closes: 02/08/2026
Shortlisting: W/C 03/08/2026
Assessments: W/C 10/08/2026
Interviews: W/C 17/08/2026
Please note that we try to offer flexibility where possible, but it may not always be possible to offer alternative interview dates.

Duration - This role is advertised on a Fixed Term Appointment or Secondment for 9-12 months. Should you be an existing Civil Servant or Secondee, you will return to your home department/organisation after the role concludes.

Salary - For external appointments, remuneration for this role is advertised at £81,000 pa plus a bonus opportunity depending on performance (within the normal Civil Service pay arrangements) and attractive pension.

For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If appointed on promotion you would get the higher of 10% uplift or the new minimum for SCSPB1. Please also note that, if successful, any existing specialist allowances you currently receive will not automatically transfer or be retained upon moving to this role.

Future pay awards will normally be made in line with current SCS performance-related pay arrangements.

Eligibility - This post is advertised on level transfer or promotion to existing civil servants, and externally.

Full Information & Benefits - 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
Fixed Term Contracts
Internal Fraud Database
Appeals and Complaints

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 security check .

See our vetting charter .

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)
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

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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 .

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 of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name : SCS Recruitment
Email : [email protected]
Telephone : [email protected]

Recruitment team

Email : [email protected]

Apply Now

Details

Reference number

Salary

Job grade

Contract type

Length of employment

Type of role

Working pattern

Number of jobs available

Contents

Location

About the job

Job summary

Job description

Person specification

Benefits

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Selection process details

Security

Nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

Diversity and Inclusion

Apply and further information

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Recruitment team

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