Senior Strategy and Engagement Adviser

Job summary

We are MHCLG

Here at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), we work on things that make a real difference to people’s lives with a focus on Homes, Places and Growth. To delivery on these priorities, we work with partners across the UK on a range of policy interventions, programme delivery and legislation. We also work closely with other parts of government and the Devolved Governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on areas of joint interest and to support strong intergovernmental working.

The Nations Strategy and Engagement Team (NSET) provides resource across MHCLG to ensure the department can deliver on its commitments across the UK. With presence across the UK’s four capital cities, we leverage local intelligence, devolution expertise, and strong relationships with stakeholders to support the delivery of MHCLG's vision across Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. We contribute expertise on policy, delivery and our knowledge of places to tailor interventions to best effect for places across the country. We are a well-regarded team, priding ourselves on our collaborative and inclusive approach, and provide an excellent platform for everyone to further their career.

This is a great opportunity for an individual who can work independently and flexibly, who can adapt their skills and knowledge to a range of devolution-based issues and work areas. We are seeking a Senior Strategy and Engagement Adviser to support our division in achieving our ambitions of supporting devolution and intergovernmental working in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The successful candidate will lead and support a range of activity across the team with a strong focus on cross-team working, intergovernmental engagement and working with partners across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, including the Devolved Governments.

Job description

As Senior Nations and Strategy Advisor your responsibilities will include:

• Lead cross-team and cross-department engagement on key MHCLG policies, programme and legislative priorities, to assess the devolution issues, risks and opportunities in the context of UK-wide working and delivering on MHCLG’s wider vision for Homes, Places and Growth.
• Leading on engagement of key stakeholders across Devolved and Local Government, to gather vital intelligence, providing place based expertise to support understanding of the risk and impact of policy decisions and communication.
• To lead and support a range of work areas across the division in identifying opportunities and managing risks to UK-wide working across specific policy, programme or legislation priorities.
• Supporting effective intergovernmental relationships between UK Government and the Devolved Governments, including supporting the work of MHCLG’s Inter-ministerial Group and wider intergovernmental working.
• Leading work to improve devolution capability across MHCLG, including implementing the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland capability plan.
• Maintain a contact point with central teams and the Cabinet Office to share intelligence and insight, including on methods for improving devolution capability across the Civil Service and review how best to apply these within MHCLG.
• Produce high-quality outputs, including briefings, correspondence, and reports, enabling senior leaders and Ministers to engage effectively on Scotland-related issues.
• Being an active leader across the division, including taking responsibility for certain corporate strands that build and sustain a supportive and inclusive culture across the multi-located division

Person specification

Essential criteria:

The below criteria are essential and will be assessed at application stage

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to tailor your approach to different audiences and sensitivities.
• Effective stakeholder management skills and the ability to confidently build and maintain excellent relationships, including with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong organisational skills, able to work independently and in a flexible and proactive manner to track, lead and manage multiple competing priorities and work areas.
• Able to work within and across teams in a matrix management system.
• Proficient at using IT systems, with a good working knowledge of Microsoft Windows, Office packages and SharePoint, with an awareness of AI tools like Copilot.
• Knowledge of the devolution landscape in in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

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 (opens in a new window).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

Stage 1: Sift

• Behaviour: Working Together (Lead Behaviour)

• Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing

• 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: Communicating and Influencing, Working Together, Delivering at Pace

Candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation, further details will be provided on invitation to interview. The presentation will be assesed against Working Together

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place starting 03/07/2026.

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

• 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:

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

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 : louise davies
• Email : louise.davies5@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