Public Safety Group x 3 Directors

Job summary

This vacancy is for the recruitment of 3 x SCS Pay band 2 Directors in the Public Safety Group;

1. Strategy and Operations Director
2. Policing Policy Director
3. Crime Director

Please indicate on your application which role you are specifically applying for, or if you would like to be considered for more than 1 role.

You will only be required to submit 1 application and attend 1 interview.

Job description

Role 1:

Strategy and Operations Director;

• The PSG Strategy and Operations Director is a critical member of the leadership team. The post holder will need to have a strong working relationship with central finance, central strategy and HR. Specific responsibilities include:Leadership of the central strategy, risk, corporate and co-ordination functions in PSG and its “route to moderate”.
• Strengthen alignment between PSG strategy, finance and people to ensure ongoing deployment of resources against the highest priority work. Lead Director for PSG's Spending Review work.
• Deliver spend within budget and within 1% of P6 forecast (across an overall PSG budget of c.£14bn) and achieving workforce targets.
  Improve PSG compliance with key departmental metrics.
• Shape and cohere PSG’s key strategic discussions and products including the Permanent Secretary Stocktake process, the PSG Board, risk oversight, strategic finance and workforce oversight.
• Provide PSG locally delivered corporate functions (security, accommodation, health and safety etc).
  Delivery of key and high-profile elements of the Police Reform portfolio: national police capabilities, police efficiency targets, police performance.
• The post holder will have 6-7 SCS1 direct reports.
• Contribute to PSG and the Department’s wider corporate aims and objectives, including membership of the PSG Board and the Home Office senior leadership team. This will include providing out of hours cover as Director on call.

Role 2:

Policing Policy Director;

• Oversight and responsibility for the governance, accountability and structures of policing, including the role and powers of the Home Secretary and setting her national priorities for policing.
• Ensure the police have the powers and tools to maintain public order, and that they are used proportionately and appropriately. Implementation of the recommendations from Lord Macdonald’s review of public order and hate crime legislation to address concerns about two-tier policing.
• Direct personal accountability (SRO) for the Neighbourhood Policing Programme, the government’s flagship commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing, improve outcomes through the neighbourhood policing guarantee, and increase neighbourhood policing personnel by 13,000.
• Policy and delivery of reforms to local policing structures including abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners, design and implementation of new local policing governance, and sponsorship of the Independent Review of Force Structures, and delivery of the Police Reform Bill.
• Oversee the PSG Emergency Response Team, which provides a single information picture and assurance for the Department, Ministers and senior leaders, for all significant emergency incidents impacting upon Public Safety Group areas as well as overseeing preparedness.
• Responsible for police workforce and professionalism policy, including delivering a new workforce strategy for policing, responding to Lord Blunkett’s Leadership Commission; ensure the wellbeing of the police workforce through the Police Covenant; and supporting Ministers’ decisions on police pay and pensions.
• Sponsorship of an end-to-end review of the police misconduct system to make it more targeted and effective; delivery of key manifesto commitments to improve trust in policing through strengthening standards such as vetting; handle the Government response to current serious misconduct cases and issues of public concern including the Orgreave Inquiry, and act as a core participant in the Undercover Policing Inquiry.
• Responsibility for the funding of the 43 police forces in England and Wales, including leading the next spending review for policing, and reform of the police funding formula used to distribute c.£10bn of government funding to align to the changing local and national police structures.
• Lead the Government’s relationship with national policing bodies including the College of Policing, the Independent Office for Police Conduct; the National Police Chiefs’ Council; the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners; and staff associations.
• Contribute to PSG and the Department’s wider corporate aims and objectives, including membership of the PSG Board and the Home Office senior leadership team. This will include providing out of hours cover as Director on call.

Role 3:

Crime Director;

• Leadership of the Government’s strategic approach to reducing crime and protecting the public, driving critical government priorities to reduce crime, improve public safety and build public confidence in our response. Build and lead effective cross-government and external partnerships to deliver a coherent, system-wide approach, championing a transformative approach using all available tools and data.
• Drive forward the Government’s commitment to halve knife crime over the next decade, including delivery of the most impactful interventions and ensuring public confidence in our approach.
• Lead on tackling neighbourhood and visible crime, including around anti-social behaviour, street crime, retail crime and our response to prolific offenders. Ensure a coordinated approach across government, policing, and local partners.
• Focus on crime prevention, in particular for young people, to prevent individuals from entering or becoming trapped in a cycle of offending.
• Lead the Home Office’s strategic approach to drugs, ensuring a coherent response to drug-related harm and strong alignment with wider government priorities on crime and public safety.
• Respond rapidly to high profile crime incidents – working together with Ministers and other senior officials to ensure that both short-term and long-term implications are addressed.
• Ensure effective performance, risk, and financial management across the crime portfolio, using data and evidence to monitor delivery, understand impact and ensure resources are targeted effectively.
• Be a proactive member of the Public Safety Group Board, contributing to the strategic direction of the Group and ensuring budgetary responsibilities are met and risks are effectively managed.
• Provide strong leadership to the Crime Directorate, developing a high-performing and inclusive team. Champion continuous improvement and digital capability – including strengthened use of data and AI. The post holder will have six SCS1 direct reports.
• Contribute to PSG and the Department’s wider corporate aims and objectives, including membership of the PSG Board and the Home Office senior leadership team. This will include providing out of hours cover as Director on call.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate:

• First rate strategic and systems leadership skills with exceptional political judgement and the ability to build strong relationships with ministers.
• Experience of delivering and leading at pace and getting things done under pressure.
• An excellent communicator who is able to inspire and lead staff at all levels.
• Exceptional stakeholder and partnership management skills. Excellent personal impact, resilience and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build sustainable relationships with a diverse range of partners and influence in order to achieve goals.
• A significant track record of visible and results-focused leadership which inspires, develops and motivates staff to deliver and thrive.
• Strong awareness of finance management and delivering value for money, with a demonstrable ability to engage effectively with both finance professionals and senior leaders.
  Experience of acting as the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for a major, high-profile programme or portfolio with personal accountability for delivering strategic outcomes, benefits realisation, governance, risk management and successful delivery across complex organisational and stakeholder environments.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of policing, crime and criminal justice issues and operating in a highly scrutinised public environment.
• Experience of leading in crisis

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £105,000, Home Office contributes £30,418 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).

• 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

Please apply online by 23:55hrs on Sunday 1st November 2026:

You will be asked to provide:

1. A CV – (3 pages max) setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. Please provide reasons for any gaps within the last two years.​​
2. A Statement of Suitability – (limited to 1250 words) providing examples of how your experience meets the essential criteria.​​ This is your opportunity to give examples and show how your skills and experience fit the job requirements.
3. For further information ; Please refer to the attached Candidate Pack.

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 basic (or equivalent) 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 : Josefina Rossetti
• Email : PublicSafetyDG@homeoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : SCSRecruitment@homeoffice.gov.uk

Attachments

Candidate Pack-Director x 3 Public Safety Group Opens in new window (pdf, 3165kB)