Project and Policy Team Leader (Band 2 / Grade 7)

Job summary

We have an opportunity for a professional Project Manager who has a track record of delivering complex projects with a number a key deliverables against challenging and often competing timelines within a policy environment. Working flexibly and dynamically, you will become part of the Leadership Team with responsibility to define and direct policy in emerging areas of work, working across the functions in Engagement and Policy Division (EPD) and overseeing parliamentary questions, ministerial submissions and correspondence. As a Team Leader, you are also responsible for setting clear objectives, motivating your team to deliver and providing development opportunities and support to individuals to ensure they build capability within their roles.

To succeed you will need to quickly establish credibility with both HSE colleagues and a diverse range of external stakeholders by proactively building and maintaining collaborative networks as well as developing a thorough understanding of the underpinning policy, regulatory frameworks and technical and legislative issues. The high-profile nature of HSE’s policy work, the rapid pace of activity coupled with working with uncertainty is particularly challenging. This will require you to be politically astute, tenacious, creative and able to act decisively to keep projects moving forward.

Part time working hours are available for this role. We can accept part time applicants who can commit to working a minimum of 30 hours per week.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

You will be responsible for:

• Using your project management skills to lead on creation and maintenance of an overarching programme approach (including a joint workplan) for Direction and Policy Group (which is part of the Engagement and Policy Division) to brigade project management of three separate Senior Leadership-led areas and the underlying workstreams.
• Creation of a supporting secretariat for the programme approach, design of a bimonthly review with Deputy Director and heads of teams.
• Ensuring the successful progression of the projects using project management best practice resulting in key milestones being met and keeping the project(s)/programme on track - this includes accounting for provision of documentation and their subsequent clearance. This will be through commissioning policy teams or at peak times this could be you/your team drafting directly.
• Build strategic networks with key internal stakeholders across the area of lead to support delivery of outcomes.
• Be flexible to Group and Unit work priorities, to provide Band 2 policy input and direction to multi-faceted topics, coordinating and consulting across internal, Across Government and external stakeholders.
• Lead and manage the team by maintaining effective performance by setting clear objectives, priorities, standards and expectations; managing employees in-line with HSE’s policies and procedures, to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of the team and motivating others through the demonstration of behaviours in-line with HSE’s standards and expectations.

TRAVEL

This post can be based in any of the advertised locations however, the team is based in our Bootle and London offices and there is the expectation that you will attend the London office at least 1-2 times per month, or as business requires with occasional travel to our Bootle office.

As this position may be based at two different working locations, the successful candidate will be subject to multiple placed working and will therefore be able to claim their travel expenses for commuting to London or Bootle. For details of HSE locations please see here HSE Offices

Person specification

The work requires demonstrable experience of project management with the ability to take on new challenges and areas of work, taking advantage of opportunities to drive change and improvement.

To succeed, you will adapt quickly to new subjects and implications for HSE, including the legal and technical aspects of the policy work as well as the programme of work angle. You will be confident taking the initiative and make sound decisions based on evidence at pace, with an understanding of the implications of science and technology for policy development and implementation. As a proficient communicator, you will build lasting business relationships with a diverse array of stakeholders, and have the ability to demonstrate that your analyses are well-informed, authoritative and impactful.

Essential Skills and Criteria

• Experience of programme and project management in a policy context, with efficient organisational and planning skills.
• Experience of regularly drafting high-quality key documents at pace.
• Experience in policy development and implementation.
• Experience in building and maintaining sound, collaborative working relationships both internally and externally to an organisation with the ability to negotiate and influence stakeholders to help shape outcomes.
• Sound analytical skills to identify underlying issues and develop innovative, sustainable solution and proven ability to interpret complex information and write/present technical information timely and effectively in a clear and concise way for non-technical audiences.
• A rudimentary knowledge of the legislative application and timetable.

Hybrid Working

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement, and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work. There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities, e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, you will be expected to attend the office, or other business-related site, for 60% of your working week. The arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account.

Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

Qualifications

An APM qualification or equivalent in project delivery and / or project management, or be prepared to work towards this qualification within a reasonable timeframe, which we consider to be within 18 months of taking up post.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £62,898, Health and Safety Executive contributes £18,221 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

We invest in our people with;

• Competitive rates of pay
• Access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme to which HSE contribute 28.97% far more than in the private sector.
• Family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career
• Carer friendly policies to help create a supportive working culture
• 25 days annual holiday increasing to 30 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave
• Parental leave benefits
• As a member of HSE you will gain access to a wide range of fantastic benefits that you can take advantage of such as the Cycle to Work Scheme, E-Gift Cards, and Vouchers via our partner EdenRed.

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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Application Information

As part of your application, you will be asked to complete:

• An anonymised CV which should include your career history, experience, and qualifications. Please ensure you tailor your CV to match the Essential Skills and Criteria as listed within the advert.
• An anonymised 1000 word Personal Statement demonstrating how you meet the Essential Skills and Criteria.

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/

Sift Information

Sift will take place from week commencing 18th March when you will be assessed on your CV and Personal Statement.

IMPORTANT: Please be advised that the sift will be conducted on a knock-out basis. An initial sift will be conducted on your CV. Candidates who meet the standard for the CV element will be progressed to a full sift in which the Personal Statement will be scored. If you do not meet the benchmark for the CV, you will not receive a score for your Personal Statement.

Interview Information

Interviews will take place week commencing 7th April onwards where you will be assessed on your Experience, which will be assessed through a short 10-minute Presentation, and your Behaviours.

More details on the presentation will be provided on your interview invite if you are successful at sift.

Please be advised that the Lead Behaviour 'Leadership' will be used to determine the outcome in the event of a tie-break situation.

Sponsorship

This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.

Further Information

Please note that a Reserve List will be held for the period of up to 12 months. There is no guarantee you will be offered a role from our reserve lists, so if you see a vacancy on Civil Service Jobs that you are interested in, we recommend you apply.

HSE reserve the right to conduct additional checks, including Google and social media checks, when recruiting candidates into a role within HSE. These checks will be carried out in line with the Civil Service Commission Principles and, if used all candidates will be subject to these additional checks.

From 23rd June 2025, if you are successful at interview, as part of your pre-employment checks, HSE’s Recruitment Team are required to check your details against the Internal Fraud Hub (IFH), using your personal details – name, NINO, and date of birth. If you are included on the database, you will be refused employment. If you believe that there has been an error in the inclusion of your data and wish to make an appeal, please contact the CO email box internal.fraud@cabinetoffice.gov.uk .

Details of the types of internal fraud/dishonesty covered by this process are defined by the Cabinet Office and can be found here Internal Fraud Register privacy notice - GOV.UK

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached HSE Terms and Conditions document.

Progression through pay ranges is subject to annual pay awards as permitted within annual Civil Service pay remit guidance and negotiations with Trade Unions.

HSE is proud to be a part of the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS). As a Disability Confident employer, we positively welcome applications from disabled people. We are committed to making workplace adjustments to ensure anyone can participate in the recruitment and selection process.

If, during the application or interview process, you require any assistance due to a disability or a medical condition, please contact us at the email address below to discuss how we can support you. For example, if you have a disability, and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk

If successful in securing your role, HSE can provide suitable workplace adjustments to support you throughout your career with HSE.

Any move to HSE from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility here

Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further;
Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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 : Chemicals Reform Team
• Email : chemicals.reform@hse.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk

Further information

If you believe that Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition have not been met, you can raise a complaint by emailing: HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk or by writing to HSE at the following address:
HR Resourcing Team, 2.3 Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 7HS. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact Civil Service commissioners:

https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/code/civilservicecode…

Attachments

HSE Terms and Conditions - CSJ Advert Annex Opens in new window (pdf, 116kB)