Strategy Advisor

Job summary

We are MHCLG

We are looking for up to two SEO Strategy Advisors to join the Local Government, Growth and Communities Strategy team within MHCLG’s Local Government, Growth and Communities Group. We are seeking bright, proactive and motivated individuals to support a growing and exciting portfolio. Our friendly, high-performing team is front and centre of the Group's day-to-day activities and future strategic vision, joining up activity, offering challenge and helping to resolve knotty, big picture issues.

The role offers a balance of core strategy functions alongside new and emerging policy work relating to the role of local government. This includes working with other government departments when they are developing policies that impact local government - such as the Home Office, DCMS, and others - ensuring MHCLG input and identifying cross-cutting issues. We lead on incubating policy work that is novel, contentious or genuinely cross-cutting. We also coordinate fiscal events and cross-cutting communications to make sure the Group runs and communicates its work efficiently.

You will have the opportunity to work across a full range of work with significant breadth, gaining experience across the whole Group portfolio. This is high-profile work that will involve building strong relationships with Private Office and senior stakeholders across government, working on issues that reach ministerial level and supporting key strategic decision-making. We are a supportive and friendly team. Though our work can be fast paced, we are always willing to work flexibly to support each another. If you are ready to take on a role that combines strategic thinking, stakeholder management and policy development, then we would love to hear from you.

Job description

• Leading complex work at pace across multiple teams, working closely with ministerial offices and senior officials.
• Working collaboratively with other government departments with a focus on local government and policies that impact it.
• Supporting ministerial engagement and decision-making, including high-quality briefings and submissions to diverse audiences.
• Managing own workload and, where appropriate, supporting the wider team and priorities at pace.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Strong strategic thinking skills and ability to see how different policy areas connect to wider government objectives.
• Proactive and solution-focused approach, able to work at pace and manage multiple priorities.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and proven experience building effective working relationships.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to synthesise complex information clearly and concisely for different audiences.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,890, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £12,135 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:

Ability , Behaviours , Experience , Strengths

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

Note: We do not consider direct CV applications. 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 1: Sift (CV & Cover Letter)

Experience: Please provide your CV and a personal statement of no more than 500 words outlining your experience and how you meet the requirements.

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.

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: Seeing The Big Picture, Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace
• Ability: Assessed via presentation
• Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

Candidates will be asked to prepare a short presentation, further details will be provided on invitation to interview. The presentation will be assessed against ability

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place 13/04/2026

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

• Artificial Intelligence

• 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 - Internal Fraud Register

• Appeals and Complaints

• Conflict of Interest

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 : Jake Marsh
• Email : jake.marsh@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