Head of Resilience Delivery Unit

Job summary

We are MHCLG

Would you like the opportunity to work in an exciting, energetic work environment where no two days are the same?Are you able to build strong relationships that will enable you to influence and challenge at all levels?If so, we have an exciting opportunity for a Head of Resilience Delivery Unit to join our team at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and we'd love to hear from you!

Job description

The Head of the Resilience Delivery Unit (RDU) plays a central leadership role within the Resilience and Recovery Directorate (RED), providing strategic oversight, direction, and delivery leadership across a portfolio of national programmes designed to strengthen Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) and enhance the UK’s resilience to a wide range of civil contingencies.

Reporting to the Deputy Director for Local Emergencies and Resilience (LERT), the postholder will work closely with the three Heads of Regional Resilience (HoRR), senior cross‑government colleagues, and LRF leaders to ensure coherence, alignment and effective delivery across the national–local resilience system. You will provide visible leadership of a small team shaping how MHCLG supports local resilience partners to meet their duties under the Civil Contingencies Act.

As head of the Unit, you will:

• Provide strategic clarity, direction and prioritisation across a broad portfolio of cross‑cutting national resilience programmes.
• Role‑model Civil Service leadership behaviours and foster an inclusive, high‑performing team culture.
• Ensure the team is appropriately supported, developed, and empowered, with clear objectives linked to directorate priorities.
• Champion RED’s corporate responsibilities, contributing actively to governance, workforce development and wider directorate initiatives.

Leadership of Major Cross‑Cutting Programmes

You will be responsible for the design, oversight and delivery of core RED programmes that shape the future of local resilience arrangements. This includes:

• LRF Trailblazer Programme

• National Engagement Programme with LRFs

• LRF Funding – Trailblazer and Capability & Capacity Funding

• RED Local Capability Programme

Partnership and System Leadership

• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior representatives across LRFs, local authorities, emergency services, NHS, and Category 2 responders.
• Provide strategic advice, challenge and support to partners as they strengthen planning, preparedness and response arrangements.
• Work with Heads of Regional Resilience to ensure alignment between regional activity, national programmes and the emerging risk landscape.
• Represent MHCLG in senior engagements, working groups and cross‑government forums, contributing to the evolution of the UK’s resilience architecture.

Shaping National Policy and Resilience Practice

• Use insight from programmes and partner engagement to shape MHCLG and cross‑government policy development.
• Identify opportunities to embed best practice, align priorities, and strengthen system coherence.
• Ensure RED’s delivery programmes reflect emerging risks from the National Security Risk Assessment and wider strategic policy developments.

Incident Response and Organisational Resilience

• Provide senior leadership within RED’s operations arrangements during incidents.
• When required, undertake Response Management (RM) leadership roles, including DOC RM shifts, offering strategic insight, partnership management and confident leadership in complex, fast‑moving situations.
• Ensure that lessons from response activity inform delivery programmes and policy development.

Duty Officer Responsibilities

• As a senior leader within RED, you will form part of RED’s out of hours duty rota as Duty Response Manager, holding responsibility for oversight of out‑of‑hours activity approximately one week in every 6.
• Overtime and time off in lieu apply for out‑of‑hours commitments.

Cover for Heads of Regional Resilience (HoRRs)

• You will provide cover for HoRRs during periods of absence, ensuring continuity of leadership, strategic engagement and partner support across the resilience system.
• This may include attending senior meetings, providing advice to LRF Chairs, and overseeing regional portfolios.

Person specification

Essential Skills:

• Excellent oral and written briefing skills.
• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of partners at national, regional and local level, from strategic to tactical.
• A self-starter who can identify solutions to problems as they arise and lead on projects and programmes.
• Ability to prioritise work effectively, at times under pressure, responding to changing and sometimes conflicting demands.
• Ability to see the bigger picture, being alert to emerging issues, key strategic trends, and ask the question 'so what'?
• Ability to communicate detailed information succinctly, clearly and with insight often at pace.
• Ability to demonstrate inclusive leadership and be able to engage work colleagues and external partners to deliver on priorities.
• Candidates will require SC level clearance to take up this post, it is expected that candidates will work towards DV clearance once in post.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £70,106, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £20,309 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

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)

Experience: A covering letter of no more than 750 words outlining how and why you are suitable for the role having taken into account the person specification and job description

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, Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace

Candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation, further details will be provided on invitation to interview.

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 11th May 2026 and are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change.

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

National Office: +SC + DV

London Office: +SC + DV

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 developed vetting (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 : Eleanor Carnes
• Email : eleanor.carnes@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.