Policy Advisors - New Build Standards and Performance

Job summary

We are MHCLG

The New Build Standards and Performance Division works to improve the safety, quality and sustainability of our new homes and buildings and the functioning of the regulatory systems that govern construction.

The division’s work includes overseeing and updating the Building Regulations, reforming the building control processes that ensure the construction of safe buildings, looking at how new buildings can be made more sustainable, energy efficient and adaptable to the effects of climate change, and acting as a strategic function for the Department to monitor and improve the quality of new homes.

The Division also manages parts of the higher-risk building regime that has been introduced since the Grenfell Tower tragedy to oversee construction of new higher-risk buildings (predominantly residential buildings above 18m) and building work in existing higher-risk buildings.

We are working with the Building Safety Regulator to improve the functioning and efficiency of parts of the higher-risk building regime. We are hiring up to 4 HEO policy advisers to work in teams across the Division.

We expect roles to be available in:

• The Energy, Carbon and Overheating team, to work on implementing the Future Homes and Buildings Standards, evaluating the real-world impact of past interventions, and developing future policy on energy efficiency, overheating, climate change mitigation and adaptation. This could include developing research to address key evidence gaps and shape future priorities.
• The New Build Quality team, to work as part of a strategic function bringing together workstreams across the department working on New Build Quality, building evidence, identifying gaps and making sure the department prioritises work on new build quality in the context of building 1.5 million homes this parliament.
• The Building Control Procedures team, to work on reform and changes to building control to make sure systems are robust, fair and support the construction of safe and quality buildings.
• The Higher-Risk Building Regime Reform team, to work on removing barriers in the higher-risk building regime so that proposed work to existing higher-risk buildings can be assessed more efficiently by the Building Safety Regulator.

Job description

As a Policy Advisor your responsibilities will include:

• Leading and supporting policy development (specific to exact role in the Division).
• Supporting the delivery of timely, high-quality advice to seniors and ministers – both verbally and in writing.
• Helping manage and respond to team correspondence, parliamentary questions and briefing requests.
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with other policy teams across government and industry, including the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Building Safety Regulator.
• Leading or supporting project management of team’s work.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Excellent organisational skills to allow you to manage multiple pieces of work simultaneously and deliver at pace.
• Effective communication skills and the ability to distil and explain complicated policy and issues both verbally and in writing.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to develop effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• The curiosity and willingness to engage with the detail of technical policy areas.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,623, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £10,899 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 My Lifestyle 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 , Strengths

Stage 1: Sift

• Behaviour: Making Effective Decisions (Lead Behaviour)

• Behaviour: Delivering at Pace

• Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing

• Behaviour: Seeing the Bigger Picture

There is a 250-word limit per question.

When writing your application, remember:

• the assessor won’t be reading your answers sequentially

• do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers

• if talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.

In the event that we receive a large number of 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.

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: Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, Seeing the Bigger Picture.

• Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 09/11/2026.

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 23/11/2026 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 Disability Confident Scheme, Redeployment Interview scheme & Great Place to Work for Veterans 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

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 : Edward Quinn-Savory
• Email : Edward.Quinn-Savory@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