People Director

Job summary

As a member of the Executive Team, MHCLG’s most senior leadership group, the People Director plays a central role in shaping the department’s organisational capability, leadership culture and workforce strategy.

The role leads the People, Capability & Change (PC&C) directorate, a professional HR function of approximately 100 colleagues delivering the full range of people services and organisational development support across the department. This includes strategic HR business partnering, organisational design and development, workforce planning, resourcing, talent and performance, learning and development, diversity and inclusion, reward, and departmental change.

Operating in a complex and high-profile policy environment, the People Director will work closely with the Permanent Secretary and Executive Team to ensure the department has the organisational capability, leadership strength and workforce skills required to deliver the government’s priorities on housing, growth and local government reform.

The role requires a leader who can combine strategic insight with practical delivery, translating organisational priorities into effective people interventions that strengthen leadership capability, organisational performance and workforce resilience.

The People Director will also play an important role in shaping MHCLG’s contribution to wider Civil Service workforce reform, working collaboratively with senior leaders across government and within the Civil Service HR profession to strengthen capability, leadership and the development of the HR function.

In addition, the role provides leadership across the department’s corporate functions, working closely with functional leaders in Finance, Strategy, Digital, Analysis and Commercial to ensure the organisation is equipped to deliver its priorities effectively and sustainably.

Job description

People strategy and workforce leadership:

• Lead the development and delivery of MHCLG’s People Strategy, ensuring the department has the capability, leadership and workforce planning in place to deliver its priorities.

Executive leadership and organisational insight:

• Provide expert advice and challenge to the Permanent Secretary and Executive Team on organisational effectiveness, leadership capability and workforce issues.
• Support the senior leadership community to strengthen leadership capability and organisational performance.

Organisational design, culture and change:

• Lead work on organisational design, culture, engagement and change, ensuring the department remains adaptable and able to respond to evolving government priorities.

Inclusion and talent:

• Drive progress on diversity, inclusion and talent development, strengthening representation and ensuring MHCLG attracts, develops and retains high-performing people.

Professional and corporate leadership:

• Contribute to the Civil Service HR leadership community, supporting cross-government priorities and strengthening the HR profession.
• Work closely with other functional leaders to ensure joined-up corporate leadership across the department.

Person specification

This role requires a senior HR leader with the credibility, judgement and leadership capability to operate confidently at Executive Team level within a dynamic and high-profile environment.

You will bring a strong track record of shaping organisations through strategic workforce planning, leadership development and organisational design, helping leaders navigate change while maintaining organisational performance and engagement.

You will be comfortable advising and influencing at the most senior levels, building trusted relationships while providing constructive challenge when required.

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong systems thinking, recognising how leadership, culture, organisational design and workforce capability interact to shape outcomes.

You will also bring a collaborative leadership style and the ability to inspire high-performing professional teams while enhancing an inclusive and supportive working culture.

As one of MHCLG’s most senior leaders, you will act as a visible role model for the Civil Service leadership behaviours and values of impartiality, honesty, integrity and objectivity.

Applications are welcomed from candidates across central government, local government, the wider public sector, voluntary sector and private sector.

Essential Criteria

• A senior HR leader with experience leading a significant HR or people function and building high-performing professional teams.
• A strong track record of operating at executive or board level, advising senior leaders on complex organisational and workforce challenges, with the ability to drive delivery and achieve measurable results at pace.
• Experience of leading organisational change, including organisational design, workforce transformation or capability development.
• Proven ability to build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, influence decision-making and deliver outcomes in complex environments.
• Strong strategic thinking with the ability to translate organisational priorities into clear workforce and leadership strategies.
• CIPD qualification or equivalent experience in a senior HR leadership role.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £100,000, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £28,970 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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

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, outlining your key responsibilities and providing clear examples of significant outcomes you have personally delivered. Please demonstrate the impact of your work, including the challenges or trade-offs you navigated and how you exercised judgement to achieve results. Please also 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 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 guaranteed an interview.

The panel – Paul Kernaghan - Civil Service Commission and Chair, Matt Thurstan – MHLG DG and Hiring Manager, Katie Farrington – MHCLG DG. 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.

Assessment: Shortlisted candidates will be invited to take part in a Staff Engagement Exercise. This is a facilitated session with a group of staff and/or stakeholders, designed to assess how you engage, lead discussion and draw out views from others. The exercise will be observed, and feedback will be provided to the interview panel alongside your final interview performance. Following the exercise, you will have a short follow-up discussion with the facilitator.

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.

Expected Timeline

• Drop-in session: 7th May 2026 at 11:35am - link here
• Advert closes: 13th May 2026
• Shortlisting: W/C 18th May 2026
• Assessments: W/C 25th May 2026
• Interviews: W/C 8th June

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

Terms and Conditions

Salary - For external appointments, remuneration for this role is advertised at £100K - £120K 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 SCSPB2 – Director. 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.

Contract - This is a permanent appointment. This role is full-time and is suitable for a job share. MHCLG encourages flexible working.

Location - Bristol, Darlington, London, Manchester, Liverpool, or Wolverhampton.

During the application process you will be asked to express a location preference, from the advertised locations. Any offer made will be based on that specific location.

Please note that, as your normal work location, costs cannot be claimed for travel to and from your base office location.

Hybrid working - At present, a minimum of 60% of your working time will be spent in your contractual office location. Requirements to attend other office locations or off-site meetings will count towards this. There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly, including some home working, depending on business need and individual circumstances. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis, if you are successful for the role.

Security Clearance - All MHCLG roles require candidates to meet the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) to confirm identity and employment history. Senior Civil Service (SCS) appointments must also hold Security Check (SC) clearance, which can take up to eight weeks. All offers are conditional on successful completion of the required checks, and candidates should not resign from their current role until clearance is confirmed. Further information is available in the Cabinet Office HMG Personnel Security Controls.

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.

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 : scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk

Attachments

MHCLG - HRD Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 701kB)