Policy adviser - New Towns, Cambridge and Oxford

Job summary

We are MHCLG

This is an exciting opportunity to join MHCLG, working in either the Cambridge Strategy Unit, Oxford Strategy Unit or the New Towns Unit. These teams sit within the New Towns, Infrastructure and Housing Delivery directorate.

These roles will play a critical part in delivering the Government’s ambitions for the New Towns programme and the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor, including supporting the development of a world‑leading innovation corridor and enabling the delivery of a new generation of new towns.

This is a rare chance to contribute to the delivery of new homes, high‑quality place‑making and economic growth, working at pace in a high‑profile national programme with real social purpose. You will work closely with delivery partners and experienced operational colleagues to ensure effective and consistent programme delivery.

A range of roles are available, spanning funding and strategy, infrastructure policy, and engagement with local partners. Candidates will be considered across these areas, and preferences will be taken into account.

These are stretching roles suited to motivated self‑starters who enjoy taking initiative, working independently and delivering high‑quality work across complex and technical policy areas.

Job description

Infrastructure Policy Advisers

We are recruiting Policy Advisers to work across government and with local partners to drive delivery of the Government’s ambitious plans for inclusive growth across the Oxford–Cambridge Corridor and New Towns.

The roles will focus on infrastructure policy, particularly transport, energy and water. Role‑holders may work across these areas or specialise, depending on experience and business need. This includes engaging with local partners on future transport requirements, leading work on power capacity and demand, and supporting analysis of digital infrastructure needs. These areas are critical to shaping and delivering the Government’s plans for the region.

You will work closely with a wide range of partners and stakeholders to build consensus, support decision‑making and secure delivery outcomes.

Across these roles, there is significant scope for stretch and professional development, including the opportunity to develop new policy interventions, undertake analysis, engage externally, and contribute to delivery and strategic planning. There may also be opportunities to provide policy support to teams working in other locations.

Key responsibilities:

• Develop strong relationships across government departments, with local authorities, and with private sector partners to build consensus and secure delivery.
• Support key transport, energy and water policy workstreams.
• Act as the go to on your policy area, working closely with colleagues to align infrastructure planning with the wider strategic vision.
• Prepare high quality briefings, advice, and updates for senior stakeholders, ensuring decisions are informed by robust analysis, and develop and maintain core communication lines for transport, power and digital.
• Identify emerging challenges in power, digital, transport, and water ensuring that our programme is well positioned to meet future demands.

Finance Policy Advisers

These roles are critical to delivering the Government’s ambitions for the Oxford–Cambridge Corridor and the New Towns programme. Role‑holders will provide support across a range of areas, including key programme deliverables such as business cases and funding strategies.

This is an exciting opportunity to work on innovative policy solutions to unlock housing and infrastructure delivery at priority sites. The roles will collectively support the design and delivery of the Government’s ambitions, working closely with colleagues across MHCLG and delivery partners.

Role‑holders will be expected to develop an understanding of funding models for housing and infrastructure delivery and/or Government financial processes, including business case development. You will work closely with finance colleagues to support robust decision‑making and effective delivery.

Contribute to the development of funding approaches and business cases to support programme delivery, including:

• Supporting the development of funding models and strategic options
• Contributing to the analysis, evidence and narrative required for robust business cases
• Working with policy, delivery and finance colleagues to support assurance and decision‑making

Support the development and delivery of core programme outputs by:

• Developing an understanding of the overall objectives and strategic direction of the programme
• Working with policy leads to stay up to date on delivery priorities, risks and dependencies
• Supporting internal governance, assurance and approvals processes

Provide programme and coordination support by:

• Working with colleagues across MHCLG and wider government to support joined‑up delivery
• Helping to track progress across key workstreams and ensure information is up to date
• Collating updates from policy leads to support transparency, decision‑making and reporting
• Contributing to briefings, updates and materials for senior audiences and regular meetings

Delivery Policy Advisors

Housing Delivery Policy Advisers play a key role in supporting the development and delivery of policies and programmes to accelerate housing and place‑based delivery. Working across policy, delivery and analytical teams, advisers help shape solutions that unlock housing delivery, support sustainable development and enable economic growth.

The role combines policy development, programme support and engagement with partners to help ensure housing priorities are deliverable, evidence‑based and aligned with wider government objectives.

Key responsibilities:

• Work with arm’s‑length bodies or delivery organisations to support organisational transition and effective set‑up arrangements where required.
• Research, develop and support the implementation of appropriate governance, sponsorship and accountability frameworks.
• Help establish and operate proportionate oversight arrangements, ensuring delivery bodies have appropriate independence while maintaining effective assurance.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with colleagues and delivery partners to support a constructive and effective sponsor relationship, including coordinating reporting, facilitating communications and supporting regular engagement.
• Lead on reporting progress, identifying risks and issues, and escalating as appropriate to senior colleagues to support timely decision‑making.

Person specification

Essential criteria:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to take into account people’s individual needs
• Able to build strong relationships with a range of stakeholders
• Highly motivated self-starter who takes ownership of their work
• Able to see the bigger picture and to align work to contribute to wider priorities
• Comfortable with working across a number of different workstreams

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,004, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £12,747 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: Your covering letter should be no more than 500 words referencing how you meet the criteria set out in the 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.

If we receive many applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead behaviour listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

Lead Sift: Making Effective Decisions

Stage 2: Interview

• Behaviours: Communicating and Influencing, Making Effective Decisions, Delivering at Pace

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 14th June 2026.

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 29th June 2026 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 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 : Stuart Slingsby
• Email : stuart.slingsby@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