Senior Policy Adviser - New Burdens and Section 31 Team

Job summary

We are MHCLG

Local government is central to tackling the country’s biggest challenges, delivering essential services people rely on every day, from adult and children’s social care and schools, to regeneration, safer communities and cleaner streets. This is an exciting time to join Local Government Finance. The Care, Reform and Grants Division works with departments across Whitehall on the largest areas of council spending, focusing on reducing unfunded pressures and supporting councils to deliver vital services while maintaining financial stability. Reforms are underway to make the funding system more sustainable, transparent and easier for councils to navigate, including simplifying funding, improving value for money and strengthening accountability.

This role sits in the Section 31 and New Burdens team, which helps ensure local authorities are fully funded to deliver new and ongoing government duties. Section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003 provides the power for government to pay grants to councils; the team supports departments to navigate the process, promotes good funding design in line with the Funding Simplification Doctrine, and advises ministers on appropriate use. The New Burdens Doctrine requires departments to assess and fund the costs to councils of new policies or duties; you will support departments to meet their obligations, review assessments and help ensure funding supports national priorities.

As a Senior Policy Adviser you will support the effective day-to-day operation and continuous improvement of these linked policies, working closely with ministers, senior officials and stakeholders across government and local government.

You will manage a varied portfolio, draft clear and well-judged advice, and support collaborative delivery across the team and wider department, with potential line or matrix management responsibilities depending on business need.

MHCLG is proud to be a diverse and inclusive workplace; Local Government Finance is primarily policy-focused and welcomes applicants from a wide range of educational and professional backgrounds. You will work closely with economists, analysts and finance specialists who provide the technical input, allowing you to focus on policy, problem solving and delivery.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Lead defined Section 31 and New Burdens areas, advising departments on policy application and funding decisions.
• Draft high quality ministerial submissions and briefings, setting out evidence, risks, options and recommendations.
• Analyse policy, financial and delivery information, flagging gaps and risks and escalating with clear mitigation advice.
• Improve guidance, tools and processes for consistent use of Section 31 and New Burdens, using insights from casework.
• Drive reform to simplify routes, strengthen cross-government consistency and make funding processes clearer to navigate.
• Build strong relationships with departments, local government and internal experts to resolve issues and keep delivery on track.
• Support team delivery through clear communication, organisation and task or matrix management as required.
• Champion an inclusive, collaborative culture and contribute to directorate initiatives to improve ways of working.

Person specification

The successful candidate will have:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex policy, funding and delivery issues clearly to a range of audiences.
• Sound judgement and strong analytical skills to interpret evidence, policy detail and financial information, identify key issues and risks, and make clear recommendations (with good attention to detail).
• Ability to provide clear, concise and well-judged advice to senior colleagues, including on sensitive, urgent or complex issues.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage a varied portfolio, balance competing priorities and deliver high quality work at pace.
• Ability to understand the wider strategic context, including local government pressures, cross government priorities, funding simplification and the impact of new duties or expectations on local authorities.
• Confidence building constructive working relationships across teams, professions and government departments, using those relationships to resolve issues and maintain progress.
• Take ownership of defined areas of work, work independently with appropriate escalation, and support delivery across the team through clear communication, coordination and task or matrix management when required.
• Work flexibly across Section 31 and New Burdens policy, delivery and reform as priorities evolve, adapting quickly while maintaining quality.

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 , Strengths

Stage 1: Sift

• Behaviour: Leadership (Lead Behaviour)

• Behaviour: Making Effective Decisions

• Behaviour: Delivering at Pace

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: Making Effective Decisions, Leadership, Delivering at Pace

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

Sift and Interview

Sifting is envisaged to take place 29/05/2026.

Interviews 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

• Fixed Term Contracts

• Internal Fraud Database

• Appeals and Complaints

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 : Chioma Obi-Adewole
• Email : Chioma.Obi-Adewole@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