Strategic Engagement Advisor

Job summary

We are MHCLG

The Place Engagement Team leads Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) engagement with local authorities and Mayoral Strategic Authorities. We understand our places and how national policies come together in a locality. We collate and share local intelligence from places to support MHCLG in delivering minister’s priorities, improving policy making and improving places for the people that live there.

As a Strategic Engagement Advisor, you will work closely with and support the Strategic Engagement Lead (G7) to provide the bridge linking local government in the West Midlands. You will support the Strategic Engagement Lead to build and maintain trusted relationships with Chief Executives and Local Authorities across the whole area. You will provide a valued contribution to discussions about how to prioritise and make strategic choices about where to engage to support places to improve. You will have the opportunity to support or lead on a policy area and collaborate with policy and delivery colleagues to improve policy making in MHCLG and in some cases across government.

Depending on business needs, you may be asked to work flexibly to support departmental priorities including supporting colleagues in the South West. Travel across the West Midlands will be required to meet local authorities and other stakeholders and attend visits and events. You will occasionally be required to attend other MHCLG locations, for example London/ Manchester/Leeds/Bristol for meetings or events.

Job description

• Support the development of trusted relationships with Mayoral Strategic Authorities and Local Authorities in your patch. As your skills and experience grow you will have the opportunity to lead some of this engagement, represent the department at key meetings and/or co-ordinate engagement between places and other MHCLG officials.

• Support or lead for the Team on a policy area(s) impacting Local Authorities and Mayoral Strategic Authorities, developing your knowledge of the policy, building relationships with the relevant policy team, developing a network with other Strategic Engagement Leads and Strategic Engagement Advisors to understand the implications and impacts in places and feeding that back to policy teams to shape development and delivery.

• Draft high quality local intelligence about the impact of Government policies on place and use your relationships and influence with partners across central and local Government to shape local outcomes.

• Work closely with other MHCLG officials to support the delivery of key priorities such as local government reform and devolution.

• Support and lead Ministerial briefings on regional risks and opportunities and ensure a high-quality service on parliamentary business and ministerial visits.

• Make a positive contribution to the culture of the Team and Department, looking for ways to improve how we work and support colleagues.

• Deputise for and support Strategic Engagement Leads in their responsibilities as appropriate.

• Task management - there will be the opportunity for some task management.

Person specification

• Experience of building and maintaining effective working relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders, including the ability to establish credibility and trust.
• Experience of analysing, interpreting and synthesising complex information from multiple sources to produce clear, concise and actionable insights.
• Experience of drafting high-quality written products, such as briefings, reports, submissions or correspondence, tailored to different audiences.
• Experience of working collaboratively across teams and organisational boundaries to deliver shared objectives.
• Experience of managing competing priorities and delivering high-quality work within tight deadlines.
• Experience of supporting the delivery of complex programmes, projects or policy initiatives.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,773, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £13,260 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 , Experience , Strengths

Stage 1: Sift

Lead question: Please describe a time when you built and maintained effective relationships with a range of stakeholders to achieve a challenging objective. What approach did you take to engage others, how did you manage differing perspectives, and what was the outcome?

If we receive many applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead question listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

CV & Cover letter:

In your CV and covering letter (of no more than 500 words), please include:
a. why you are interested in the role;
b. how you meet the essential skills and experience required

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.

Please ensure your CV does not contain any personally identifiable information.

We do not consider CV applications sent directly to the recruitment inbox. All applications must be submitted via the provided application link.

Important: Your CV and Cover Letter must be merged into a single document before uploading.

Stage 2: Interview

Behaviours: Seeing the Big Picture, Leadership, Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing
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 28/09/26

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 12/10/26 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:

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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 : Chris Parsons
• Email : Chris.Parsons@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