DIO Head of Housing Policy

Job summary

Do you want to work on one or the most exciting transformation projects in the public sector? The Defence Housing Strategy set out the MOD’s plan to refurbish or replace nine in ten Defence family homes, backed by £9bn in funding and the creation of a new Defence Housing Service to drive this change. Currently part of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, the Defence housing team is responsible for almost 50,000 Defence family homes – making it one of the biggest landlords in the country.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation responds to the evolving needs of our military personnel, and the ways in which they live and work. We are proud to be the expert partner Defence needs for all their infrastructure requirements. From large scale infrastructure projects to homes for our Service families, our activities focus relentlessly on our customers. We deliver value for money and consistently innovate to find proactive solutions to meet their needs.

About the Defence Housing Service

The Defence Housing Service (DHS) is being created through the Armed Forces Bill to deliver a step-change in housing for the UK’s Armed Forces and their families following the publication of the Defence Housing Strategy on 3 November 2025, which marked the most significant change to Armed Forces housing in over 50 years. DHS will bring a dedicated focus to improving the homes, communities and lived experience of Service personnel, placing families firmly at the heart of everything it does.

This is one of the most ambitious housing transformation programmes in the UK today. Backed by a £9 billion investment, DHS will modernise tens of thousands of homes, introduce a more proactive and customer-focused approach to maintenance, and unlock new opportunities to develop housing on Defence land.

DHS will have the focus and agility to deliver change at pace, combining public service values with greater flexibility to build the skills, systems and partnerships needed for the future.

This is a rare opportunity to be part of shaping its culture, influencing how it works, and helping deliver lasting improvements for Service families across the UK.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

This is a unique opportunity to play a leading role in shaping accommodation policy across one of the UK’s largest and most high-profile housing portfolios.

As Head of Housing Policy, you will lead a substantial programme of policy development within Defence housing, with a focus on standards, allocations, and wider landlord policy. You will ensure policy is coherent, deliverable, legally robust and financially sustainable, supporting the Defence Housing Strategy’s ambition to provide safe, high-quality homes for Service personnel and their families.

Reporting at a senior level, you will provide authoritative advice to Ministers and senior leaders, shaping how accommodation policy evolves as the Defence Housing Service is established. You will lead policy reform, embed a family-centred approach, and ensure alignment with statutory and regulatory requirements.

As a senior leader, you will also build and lead a high-performing policy team, foster cross-government collaboration, and represent Defence at key governance forums and external engagements.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Lead the development and implementation of accommodation and landlord policy, including standards, allocations, estate management, repairs and maintenance, and tenancy frameworks
• Provide expert advice and briefing to senior leaders and Ministers on complex, high-profile policy issues and risks
• Drive reform and modernisation of accommodation policy through cross-MOD collaboration, including oversight of impact assessments and regulatory considerations
• Shape the transition of policy into the future Defence Housing Service, ensuring clarity of roles, responsibilities, and compliance with statutory obligations
• Oversee policy assurance, compliance and performance, ensuring alignment with legal, safety and quality standards [
• Lead stakeholder engagement across MOD, Front Line Commands, families’ federations, and wider government, ensuring a family-centred approach to policy design
• Build and lead a high-performing team, promoting evidence-based policymaking, continuous improvement, and strong delivery culture

The future delivery model for this team is currently under review and may change as part of potential organisational developments. This could include the team or function transferring to a different employer or organisational structure in the future. Should activities transfer out of the Ministry of Defence existing employees transferring with those activities will maintain the same or substantially the same terms and conditions of employment.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

This role operates at pace and with high visibility. We are looking for individuals with:

• Strong experience in policy development within complex or high-profile environments, ideally within housing, landlord functions or public service delivery
• Ability to analyse complex evidence and provide clear, balanced advice across operational, legal and financial considerations
• Proven experience supporting senior leaders and preparing high-quality written outputs, such as Ministerial briefings or policy instructions
• Demonstrable leadership experience, including managing teams and driving cross-organisational collaboration
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence at senior levels across government and external partners
• Ability to operate in complex, ambiguous environments and deliver at pace while maintaining high standards

Desirable Criteria

• Knowledge of landlord regulatory frameworks, ombudsman systems, and compliance regimes
• Experience engaging with a broad stakeholder landscape, including legal teams, delivery bodies and customer representatives

Licences

The role involves regular travel to various locations, some of which are not easily accessible by public transport; therefore, applicants must hold a full, valid UK driving licence.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £72,840, Ministry of Defence contributes £21,101 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).

• 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%

The post does not offer relocation expenses.

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

Any move to MOD 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/.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

At sift, you will be assessed against the following:

• Candidates will be required to provide work history (CV of no more than 3 pages) highlighting relevant roles and responsibilities aligned to the essential criteria stated above.
• Personal Statement (750 Words) answering the following question "Describe one policy or service improvement you would prioritise to improve the housing experience of residents and their families.” You may draw on experience from any housing or other relevant organisation, or on ideas in the Defence Housing Strategy 2025. Please explain:

• Why you would prioritise this change;
• The benefits it would deliver for resident;
• The challenges you might face in implementing it; and
• How you would address those challenges.

Applications will be sifted on all Success Profile elements, but in the event of a high number of applications, a sift will be conducted on your Personal Statement only.

At interview, you will be assessed against the following behaviours:

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Interviews will be conducted in person at MoD Main Building, London, SW1A 2HB

Near Miss Clause

We want to offer opportunities to all who are successful at interview for our roles, but this isn't always possible, so we do hold candidates on an active reserve list for 12 months. It is also possible that we may offer similar lower graded role/s to reserve candidates or, if no reserves are appointed, candidates that meet the lower grade criteria in merit order.

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.

There may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all DCS candidates that meet the minimum criteria for the job. For example, in certain recruitment situations such as a high volume of applications, seasonal demand, or peak periods, the employer may wish to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both DCS and non-DCS applicants.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.
Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.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

Job contact :

• Name : James Hall
• Email : James.Hall296@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: info@csc.gov.uk.

Attachments

DIO Candidate Information Guide Opens in new window (pdf, 1963kB)Defence Civil Service Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)Defence Internal Brief notice Opens in new window (docx, 43kB)Candidate Information Opens in new window (docx, 32kB)