Intelligence Manager

Job summary

We are MHCLG

The Recovery Strategy Unit (RSU) sits at the heart of the Department’s work to maximise recovery of remediation costs from those responsible for the building safety crisis. We target developers, freeholders, construction product manufacturers and others so that the right people pay, taxpayer exposure is reduced, and the system operates fairly.

RSU is a multidisciplinary team that uses a combination of intelligence, legal powers and strategic engagement to accelerate remediation and recover public funds. Our work often involves complex ownership and corporate structures, contested responsibility and obfuscation tactics which can delay or frustrate remediation and recovery.

Intelligence is central to this work; it provides the corporate and financial insight to support live litigation cases brought by the Secretary of State, helps the Department identify opportunity and need for intervention, anticipate behaviour and drive compliance across the industry.

We are seeking an Intelligence Manager to lead a specialist team, with a strong focus on open-source intelligence (OSINT), primarily used to understand corporate structures, financial positions and industry behaviour. The post combines hands on leadership with strategic oversight to enable the Department to stay ahead of emerging risks, behaviours and corporate tactics.

You will set direction, develop people and apply intelligence in disciplined, imaginative ways to support enforcement, litigation and behaviour change.

Job description

As Intelligence Manager, you will lead the RSU intelligence team and act as the unit’s senior intelligence practitioner. You will shape how intelligence is gathered, analysed and communicated, with particular emphasis on open-source material, corporate data and complex organisational structures.

A key part of the role is providing actionable intelligence to senior leaders and officials, translating complex findings into clear options and recommendations that enable effective strategic, tactical and operational decision making.

You will ensure the function works proactively and focuses on risk, with work that is proportionate and meets all relevant legislative requirements. Intelligence outputs will help RSU decide which organisations to prioritise, which legal or non-legal levers are most likely to secure remediation or recovery, and how to mitigate risks such as asset shielding or corporate restructuring

Key responsibilities

• Provide visible leadership for the Intelligence Team, setting direction, priorities and standards.
• Act as the Department’s senior Intelligence practitioner in RSU, ensuring management, senior civil servants and officials receive clear, timely advice and products to support effective decision making and help shape strategic direction across the division and beyond.
• Lead, mentor and develop a small team of analysts, promoting curiosity, sound judgement and high analytical standards. Set priorities, manage commissions (triage, allocation and deadlines) and quality assure intelligence products prior to dissemination.
• Oversee effective OSINT use, including corporate records, financial disclosures, media reporting, digital footprints and regulatory data.
• Identify and assess asset movement, restructuring, phoenix activity and other tactics intended to frustrate recovery or enforcement.
• Produce clear, decision focused intelligence for senior officials, translating complex judgements into accessible language.
• Maintain governance and provide proportionate advice on legal and compliance considerations (including DPA and RIPA), ensuring work is lawful, ethical and effective.
• Act as the intelligence point of contact for colleagues across the directorate, legal teams and external partners. Build relationships with other intelligence functions across government and regulators to improve information flow and shared understanding of risk and priorities.

Person specification

We are looking for an experienced intelligence specialist who is interested in making a real difference to people's lives.

You will be joining a high performing and friendly team where the work is varied and high profile.

Essential experience and skills:

• Proven leadership skills, with experience developing people and creating a positive, high-performing team culture.
• Experience providing actionable advice and intelligence products to support effective strategic, tactical and operational decision making at a senior level.
• Strong understanding of open-source intelligence techniques and the effective use of corporate, financial and regulatory data.
• Understanding of corporate structures, financial arrangements and organisational relationships, and how intelligence on these can be used to map control, ownership and influence, identify risk, anticipate evasive behaviour and target action.
• Ability to think creatively and strategically, producing forward looking assessments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience presenting complex material to senior audiences.
• Experience working in or leading intelligence functions, with a demonstrable ability to set direction and assure quality. This could include supporting litigation, investigations or recovery activity through intelligence.
• Knowledge of open-source intelligence (OSINT) methodologies.

Please contact Anna Wojtowicz or Emily Barber for an informal discussion about the role.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,092, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £16,829 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 , Technical

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:

In your CV and covering letter, please include:
a. why you are interested in the role;
b. how you meet the essential skills and experience required

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, Communicating and Influencing
• Experience: Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.
• Technical: Technical 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.

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 25th May 2026.

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 8th June 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

• 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

Security Clearance Requirements

National Office: +SC

London Office: + SC

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 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

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 : Anna Wojtowicz
• Email : anna.wojtowicz@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