Deputy Director, Head of Analysis – Communities, Devolution and Growth (Jobshare)

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

On-Site

Expires: Expiring in less than 2 weeks

Political

Part time

£81,000 per year

Job summary

This is a really exciting role, sitting at the heart of two of this Government’s big priorities: economic growth and building stronger communities.

Place-based analysis is key to both of these priorities and the division works to ensure that insights about place, regional inequality and empowering local people are at the heart of MHCLG’s decision-making.

Our analysis has helped to drive forward recent announcements of almost £2bn to unlock growth in major city regions and around £5bn to boost Pride in Place for some of the most in-need neighbourhoods.

Job description

You will lead a mixed-profession division of around 35 analysts. As well as overseeing a wide portfolio of analysis to underpin decision-making on funding allocations and investment, business cases, VfM analysis, you’ll also bring your thought leadership, helping shape the debate across Government on communities, devolution and growth. For example –

Shaping and embedding the Government’s Regional Growth Strategy, determining how and where to invest to maximise the potential of our cities and surrounding towns
Building the evidence base on how devolving local powers can drive growth
Looking at where the Department’s current growth and communities funding is going, what impact it’s having and building the evidence base ahead of the next Spending Review, working closely with colleagues in our finance teams
Tackling big questions on how to build strong communities and understand what drives breakdown in cohesion
Developing new approaches to appraise place-based transformational change

As a member of MHCLG’s SCS you'll also be expected to make a strong corporate contribution.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

A track-record of first-class analytical leadership, helping to influence major decisions, including thought leadership to identify and drive forward analysis to shape the debate and set direction for policy-making
Excellent people leadership skills, to manage, develop and motivate an inclusive and high-performing team
Experience in developing analytical strategies, thinking proactively about the big questions that need addressing and thinking creatively about how to address them
A strong track record in delivering high quality outputs across a wide portfolio, including VfM analysis, funding decisions
Experience of economic analysis to inform policy decisions
Strong stakeholder engagement skills, to build a network of expertise around and outside Government
Badged member of one of the following Government Analytical Professions:

oGovernment Statistician Group (GSG)

oGovernment Economic Service (GES)

oGovernment Operational Research Service (GORS)

oGovernment Social Research (GSR)

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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

How to apply

Please click the Be Applied link to provide the required information and complete your application through the Be Applied website by 23:55 on Sunday 25th January 2026.

You will be asked to enter some personal details, upload your CV and to provide your responses to the role’s advertised essential criteria.

When prompted to upload your CV, please upload a single document consisting of:

a CV (including the names of 2 referees and your current remuneration) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities, achievements and your academic qualifications, specifying subject and degree level achieved. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
a statement of suitability explaining how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria provided in the person specification. (max. 2 pages)

Please remember to save these two items in one document. Both items will be assessed to determine sift outcomes.

Please note that only completed applications through the Be Applied route will be considered and that any further progress updates will be sent through Be Applied.

For an informal discussion with the hiring manager about the role, please contact the Recruitment team by emailing scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk.

Drop-in session

We will be hosting an informal drop-in session during w/c 19 January with Fay Graves and the Directors working in this area. This will be a chance to find out more about the role, the team and the wider directorate. If you are interested in joining, please contact scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk to receive an invitation.

The selection panel will be made up of:

Will Davis, Director, Local Growth and Devolution (Hiring Manager)
Fay Graves, Deputy Director, Head of Analysis - Communities, Devolution and Growth
Kay Withers, Director, Communities and Inclusive Growth
Stephen Aldridge, Director, Central Hub of Analysis, Statistics and Evaluation (CHASE)

Selection process and assessments

During sifting, both your CV and Statement of Suitability will be assessed against the role’s Essential Criteria. These Essential Criteria will also be used to form the basis of the panel’s questions in your final interview.

If a role lists Desirable Criteria, these will only be used to determine the merit order of candidates who rank evenly when assessed against the Essential Criteria.

Candidates that are shortlisted may be invited to attend a staff engagement panel.

At MHCLG we hold staff engagement panels as an integral part of the recruitment process for Senior Civil Servants (SCS) – they are designed to help us build up a rounded picture of each candidate and give us an insight into how you might engage and interact with your team should you be successful. The purpose of the session is to help us assess your engagement and communication skills and is not about testing your subject knowledge or expertise for this particular role. Feedback from the session is passed onto the selection panel for consideration alongside the final interview.

Shortlisted candidates may also be invited to a meeting with a Minister or the Secretary of State, and/or other senior stakeholders. This is not a formal part of the selection process but an informal chance for candidates to find out more about the role and the organisation.

Shortlisted candidates may also be invited to give a short presentation or complete an exercise at the beginning of their final interview. Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates when invited to interview.

Full details of the assessment process will be provided to shortlisted candidates at the earliest opportunity.

All of the evidence presented as part of the process will be considered in the final assessment.

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

Contract

This is a permanent appointment. This role is specifically a job share role on a part-time basis of c. 24 hours per week.

Location

Bristol, Darlington, London, Manchester and Wolverhampton.

During the application process you will be asked to express a location preference, from the advertised locations. Any offer made will be based on that specific location. Please note that, as your normal work location, costs cannot be claimed for travel to and from your base office location.

Salary

For external appointments, remuneration for this role will be circa £81,000 p.a. pro rata 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.

Reserve List

In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details in a reserve list for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this.

Near Miss Offers

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.

Security Clearance

In addition to the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), all Senior Civil Service staff are required to have at least Security Clearance (SC) prior to starting the role.

For more details of vetting levels and requirements please refer to the Cabinet Office HMG Personnel Security Controls.

Complaints Process

Please see candidate pack slide 23 for details.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security 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 Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).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 theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) 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

Salary range

£81,000 per year