Head of Building Standards and Performance & Head of Construction Products

Job summary

The Buildings, Fire and Resilience Group is at the forefront of delivering the Government's priorities for safer, better and more sustainable buildings. Through regulation, reform and partnership with industry, the Group plays a critical role in supporting housing growth, driving improvements in building safety and enabling the transition to net zero.

Within the Buildings Design and Construction Directorate, we are recruiting to two Deputy Director roles. Together, these roles will lead major programmes of reform: setting the standards for our how our buildings perform and the products that go into making them. Both of these roles are key leadership positions for the construction sector – addressing the failures that led to the Grenfell tragedy, whilst also ensuring that we can continue to build new homes and play a key part in the Government’s growth agenda.

Both roles require exceptional strategic leadership, policy development and stakeholder engagement skills. Successful candidates will work closely with ministers, regulators, industry leaders and colleagues across government.

Job description

Deputy Director – Head of Building Standards & Performance Division

You will lead the Department's work on building standards, building regulations and the transition to a low-carbon built environment.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead the Department's thinking on the proportionality of the building safety regime. Overseeing the completion and implementation of some rapid policy sprints and setting up and supporting the Independent Review of the building safety legislation and regime.
• Act as the Department's lead on Net Zero, ensuring the smooth implementation of the Future Homes Standard (the new standard for new homes that will be comfortable and fit for a carbon-free energy sector).
• Liaise with the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) on the built environment's contribution to carbon budgets and ensure that the transition to the new software for assessing energy performance of buildings is implemented seamlessly.
• Work closely with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to ensure that the building regulations are up to date, proportionate and support housing growth.
• Lead the Department's work on building regulations, which are a key tool for setting standards for homes and buildings, including delivering the Government's commitment to review them following the Grenfell Inquiry.

Deputy Director – Head of Construction Products Division

You will lead the next phase of reform of the construction products regulatory regime, delivering one of the most significant programmes of change in the sector.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead the next phase of system-wide reform of the construction products sector, including:
• Leading the design of extensive primary legislation as a key pillar of a third session Bill.
• Progressing a programme of regulations to introduce a general safety requirement to bring unregulated construction products into the regulatory regime and maintain consistency with reformed EU regulations.
• Lead wide-ranging engagement across government and the construction sector to build strong relationships with a significant range of stakeholders, helping to shape reforms and secure buy-in and sector-wide culture change putting ‘safe products, safely used’ at the heart of the industry.
• Maintain ongoing integrity and delivery across the construction products regime, including responsibility for meeting Secretary of State obligations and sponsorship of the construction products regulator.
• Lead change across the Division as it moves into the next phase beyond the White Paper and into legislation, embedding a culture of high performance, innovation and collaborative working.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Proven experience of leading large-scale, high-profile delivery, regulatory reform or service improvement programmes, achieving tangible outcomes in complex and politically sensitive environments.
• Strong strategic leadership and thought leadership skills, with the ability to set a compelling vision, shape policy and organisational direction, and lead teams and stakeholders through significant change.
• Experience of driving innovation and continuous improvement, identifying emerging opportunities, challenging established approaches and translating ideas into impactful outcomes.
• Outstanding ability to build influence and deliver through partnerships, creating consensus and maintaining effective relationships across government, regulators, industry and external stakeholders.
• Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing, multidisciplinary teams, promoting an inclusive culture where people are empowered to innovate, collaborate and deliver at pace.

Desirable Criteria

• Working knowledge of building regulations, building safety, construction products regulation or related regulatory frameworks.
• Experience of building control, engineering, construction, housing, infrastructure or related sectors.

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.At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Staff Benefits Scheme and Cycle to Work Schemes. For more information, please click here.

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

We are MHCLG

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 - Kate O’Neill – hiring manager and Director. Two other panel members TBC.

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 panel’s 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:

• Drop-in session: 23/06/2026 13:30

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join:https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/324404682926217?p=nduhEzlfc9u74xSYPC

Meeting ID:324 404 682 926 217

Passcode:aa6Vj2Tq

• Advert closes: 06/07/2026 23:55

• Shortlisting: W/C 06/07/2026

• Interviews: W/C 20/07/2026

*Please note that we try to offer flexibility where possible, but it may not always be possible to offer alternative interview dates.

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.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 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 (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 : SCS Recruitment
• Email : scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@communities.gov.uk

Further information

If you are unsure about any part of the process or require additional information about the post to enable you to progress your application, you should speak to the Resourcing team - scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk. Candidates can appeal at any stage of the recruitment process if they believe there has been:

a procedural irregularity

an infringement of the Civil Service equal opportunities policy

exceptional circumstances which were not notified to the interview panel which might have affected performance on the day.

It is important to note that these are appeals about the process not the decision. In the first instance, an appeal should be directed to the MHCLG SCS Recruitment Team at scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk.

If the SCS Recruitment Team is unable to satisfactorily resolve your complaint, you may contact put your complaint in writing to the Civil Service Commission, Room G8,1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ or by email to: info@csc.gov.uk