Head of Priority Projects

Job summary

We are MHCLG

Local government is central to delivering the Prime Minister’s agenda: driving growth in every part of the country, improving public services and creating stronger, more resilient places. The LGGC Projects Unit sits within the Local Government Reform and Strategy Directorate and works across the Group to turn these ambitions into action.

The Projects Unit is a team of nine policy and project professionals who bring expertise, pace and additional capacity to the Group’s highest-priority work. Team members are deployed to well-defined, time-limited projects driven by ministerial and Executive Team priorities, helping teams move quickly from complex challenges to high-quality advice and delivery. The successful candidate will lead this friendly, collaborative and high-performing team, while also shaping priorities within the Local Government, Growth and Communities Strategy team.

This is a role at the heart of the Group, with the opportunity to work across organisational boundaries on issues that matter to ministers, councils and communities. The work is varied and fast-paced, and the team is committed to an inclusive and supportive culture focused on continuous improvement.

Job description

This is a wide-reaching and rewarding leadership role with a broad, influential remit. It offers the chance to combine leadership of a talented project team with hands-on work on the strategic questions shaping the future of the local government, growth and communities group.

There are two key elements:

Projects Unit:

• You will set the direction for the Unit and sustain a strong sense of team across colleagues based around the country and deployed to a diverse portfolio of work.
• You will build trusted relationships with Directors, maintain a clear view of priorities across the Group and make timely, evidence-based decisions about where the team can add greatest value.
• You will also continue to strengthen the Unit’s project offer, ensuring that work is well scoped, teams are supported throughout delivery, learning is captured and handovers leave a lasting impact.

Local Government, Growth and Communities Strategy:

• You will help shape and deliver the Group’s cross-cutting strategy, bringing teams together around shared outcomes and ensuring that local government’s contribution is reflected in the department’s and the Prime Minister’s priorities.
• You will lead high-profile commissions and time-limited projects, respond confidently to emerging issues, and provide senior leaders with clear strategic advice, coordination and grip. In particular you will lead on the Group’s fiscal events strategy and business planning, ensuring that the Secretary of State’s priorities are reflected in delivery and funding across teams. This is a distinctive opportunity to influence reform at the centre of government and lead a skilled team working on some of the Secretary of State’s most important priorities.
• You will see the impact of your leadership across a wide range of policy areas, while helping colleagues across the Group deliver stronger, faster and more joined-up outcomes.

Person specification

• Leadership - An empowering leader, who brings out the best in their team and fosters a culture of trust and collaboration, especially in different locations and work areas.
• Delivering at pace - Organised and strategic, able to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality work at pace.
• Communicating and influencing - A strong communicator, confident in engaging with senior stakeholders and articulating complex issues clearly.
• Seeing the big picture - Skilled at working across boundaries and forging effective partnerships within and beyond the organization to deliver cross-cutting priorities.
• Experience - A self starter, with a track record of driving high-profile work forward across multiple stakeholders.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £72,686, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £21,057 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).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

Stage 1: Sift (CV & statement of suitability)

Candidates should submit a CV & 500 word statement of suitability.

The panel will be assessing your CV on the basis of Experience and Statement of Suitability against the behaviours set out in the person specification.

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

We do not consider CV applications sent directly to the recruitment inbox. All applications must be submitted via the provided application link.

Important: Your CV and statement of suitability must be merged into a single document before uploading.

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: Leadership, Delivering at Pace, Seeing the big picture
• Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

Candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation assessed against the behaviour 'Seeing the big picture', further details will be provided on invitation to interview.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 16/11/26

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 30/11/26 and are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change.

Disability Confident Scheme (DCS)

We are a Disability Confident employer.

We apply a fair and proportionate interview process for all candidates. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to progress candidates who apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and meet the required minimum selection criteria.

However, where high application volumes are received, progression to interview may be limited to those who best meet the role criteria. In these circumstances, the benchmark required to proceed to interview may be raised for all candidates.

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

• Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles

• CV Declaration

• Sponsorships

• Salary and Grade

• Existing Civil Servants

• Conflict of Interest

• Location and Flexible Working

• Internal Fraud Database

• Appeals and Complaints

• Fixed Term Appointments for:

• External Candidates

• Existing Civil Servants (Including Loans)

• Secondments

• MHCLG employees

Security Clearance Requirements

National Office:

London Office: + CTC

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 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

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 : Owen Little
• Email : Owen.Little@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