Head of Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission Secretariat

Job summary

We are MHCLG

Following the tragic events of 14 June 2017, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission was created. Our objective was to bring into focus a truly community-led vision for a fitting memorial, to commemorate those who lost their lives and those whose lives were forever changed on that terrible night. We began this process in September 2019 ('Remembering Grenfell: recommendations and next steps to a memorial', November 2023).

A Design Team is in place and work underway to deliver the recommendations set out in “Remembering Grenfell” to take forward work to deliver the vision for the memorial, keeping the community at the heart of the process throughout.

The independent Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission’s Secretariat Team (while sitting within MHCLG) works directly with the independent Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission, to support and help ensure a community-led process in developing a fitting memorial on the site of Grenfell Tower.

The Head of the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission’s Secretariat Team works closely with the Co-Chairs and Commissioners to set the strategic direction for the Commission and is responsible for leading the Secretariat Team’s work, engagement and communications.

Job description

As the Head of Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission Secretariat you will:

Secretariat Management

• Line management of the Secretariat, providing strategic leadership and day-to-day management as the team supports the two independent Co-Chairs and the community representatives of the Commission, ensuring:
• Timely briefings and updates on key matters, escalating risks and concerns
• Timely and accurate meeting papers
• Diary management
• Timely and accurate correspondence with senior MHCLG officials & Ministers
• Logistics to ensure Co-Chairs and Commissioners can attend meetings
• Support the Co-Chairs to set the strategic direction of the Commission including the day to day (meetings and events) and short, medium and long term strategy.
• Provide effective and visible leadership and line management of the Secretariat Team, setting clear objectives, managing performance, providing pastoral support and supporting professional development.
• Ensure the work of the Secretariat Team is compliant with policy and regulation including financial, HR, procurement and GDPR matters.

Community Engagement

• Line management of the G7 Head of Memorial Engagement ensuring:
• Inclusive community engagement to ensure the community’s voice remains at the heart of the memorial.
• Trust-based relationships are developed and maintained with bereaved family members, survivors, the immediate community and other stakeholders including schools, youth groups, residents’ associations, community groups, local business and faith leaders.
• Accurate data is maintained and updated to ensure robust audit trail of engagement.
• Engagement is truly inclusive with a particular focus to ensure effective engagement with all bereaved family members.
• Support for the Design Team to deliver community engagement events and develop their own relationships within the community.
• Continuation of support in community engagement as new organisations come on board including the Principal Contractor for the Memorial and Long Term Managing organisations for the Memorial, the Second Site (where the Grenfell Tower is carefully laid to rest), Digital and Physical Archive and Permanent Exhibition.
• Working closely with the G6 leading the technical delivery (Head of Memorial Project Delivery) and appointed Design Team to ensure engagement is integrated into every step of design development and delivery and the community remain at the heart.

Communications and Digital

• Line management of the G7 Head of Memorial Communications and Digital ensuring:
• External facing trauma-informed timely, honest and accessible information on the work of the commission, engagement events, development of the memorial and recommendations from ‘Remembering Grenfell’
• Internal facing (Co-Chairs and Commissioners) trauma-informed timely, honest and accessible information on progress and on other important and related matters within MHCLG and relevant matters in the media.
• Digital communication remains compliant, relevant and up to date including the Commission’s website and social media.
• Co-ordination of updates with other MHCLG teams and Design Team and other stakeholders to provide updates at the Commission meetings related to the Commission’s work and key workstreams including Memorial, the Second Site (where the Grenfell Tower is being laid to rest), Digital and Physical Archive and Long Term exhibition.
• Manage the interface between the Commission and MHCLG to ensure weekly updates from the Senior Responsible Officer and ensure co-ordination of Government and Commission communications and engagement
• Manage the interface between the Commission and other public authorities on key updates.

Person specification

This is a stretching Grade 6 role in a significant Government Programme. We are looking for candidates with proven track records of managing boards, briefing senior people, and working with complex internal and external stakeholders. Experience of working in complex situations requiring sensitivity is also essential.

• Seeing the Big Picture Understand how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives. Recognise the wider Civil Service priorities and ensure work is in the national interest.
• Communicating and Influencing Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.
• Working Together Form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds, sharing information, resources and support.

Due to the nature of this role, there is a requirement on occasion to work evenings and weekends. We offer a flexible approach to hours and an active TOIL system. The role is hybrid with an option to work up to two days per week at home. It is London-based, working from 2 Marsham Street and the Grenfell Tower site and other venues for community engagement events.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,490, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £21,869 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, Childcare Vouchers, 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

Application and Selection

The application process will be split into 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles:

Behaviours , Experience , Strengths

Please ensure your CV does not contain any personally identifiable information.

Note: We do not consider direct CV applications. All applications must be submitted via the provided application link.

Important: Your CV and Cover Letter must be merged into a single document before uploading.

Stage 1: Sift (CV & Cover Letter)

Covering letter:
Please submit a covering letter of no more than two pages setting out how you meet the criteria in the job description.

Your covering letter should also address the following question:
Given the long-term and complex nature of the Grenfell Memorial project, what do you see as the biggest challenge in achieving consensus to enable the project to move from concept to completion, and what contribution would you make in your role as Head of Secretariat?

If you run into any technical problems when applying through Be Applied (for example, trouble logging in or submitting your application), their support team can help. Please contact them at hello@beapplied.com.

Stage 2: Interview

• Behaviours: Seeing the Big Picture, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together
• Experience: Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.
• Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 27th April 2026.

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 4th May 2026 and will be held either in person or remotely. This is subject to change and the interview format will be confirmed at the point of invitation to interview.

How We Recruit

Find out more about our recruitment processes here.

• Applying

• Sifting

• Interview

• Interview Results & Feedback

• Reserve List

• Near Miss

• Civil Service Grades

• We are a DCS, RIS & GPTWV employer

• Reasonable Adjustments

How to Apply

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

• Artificial Intelligence

• 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 - Internal Fraud Register

• Appeals and Complaints

• Conflict of Interest

Security Clearance Requirements

London Office: + CTC

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 counter-terrorist 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

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 : Helen Town
• Email : helen.town@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 - 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 Resourcing Hub at recruitment@communities.gov.uk.

If the MHCLG Resourcing Hub 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.