Team Leader - Housing Supply and Delivery

Job summary

We are MHCLG

We are looking for an experienced planning professional to join the Planning for Housing team, within the Planning Strategy Division. This is a demanding policy area, with a large and varied portfolio, extensive external engagement and a high level of Ministerial and media interest. We have recently consulted on a range of reforms to the planning system (National Planning Policy Framework) that support the Government’s ambition to deliver 1.5m homes this Parliament, alongside wider objectives to streamline and simplify the planning system. The post is an opportunity to work at the heart of these reforms, across a broad policy portfolio, that will give you experience of policy development and implementation and working with a range of stakeholders.

The work is fast-paced and high-profile, but you will be working with a friendly and supportive team, as well as wider policy teams across the department. The successful candidate will lead on a range of policies to support planning for housing within the national policy and guidance, including the Housing Delivery Test, speeding up build out, supporting a proportionate approach for SME developers, and wider reforms to support strategic planning.

Job description

As the Team Leader of Housing Supply and Delivery you will:

• Lead on a range of national planning policies, guidance and wider reforms to support authorities deliver the homes their communities need. This includes (but is not necessarily limited to) overseeing the publication of the Housing Delivery Test, leading on policies relating to 5-year housing land supply, supporting wider reforms to speed up build out and ensure a more proportionate planning system for SME developers.
• Work flexibly across the wider planning policy portfolio to respond to Ministerial priorities.
• Work closely with colleagues across Government to ensure policies are robust, aligned with wider planning reforms and support wider objectives to boost housing supply and streamline the planning system.
• Have strong team leadership, ensuring team members are fully supported in achieving their objectives and in their on-going development.
• Contribute to the leadership of the Division, and support the wider objectives of the Directorate.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Is a chartered member, or would be eligible to apply for chartered membership of, the Royal Town Planning Institute via the licentiate, associate or experienced practitioner routes.
• A good understanding of the current planning system, and experience working within it.
• A track record of developing and delivering evidence-based policy to support wider, strategic objectives. This should include the ability to clearly communicate policy issues and solutions.
• An excellent ability to communicate clearly in writing, verbally, and through visual means, tailoring communication appropriately depending on the audience.
• The ability to work under pressure, successfully delivering against competing priorities within a fast-paced environment.
• The ability to work autonomously, with good organisational skills and enthusiasm in a fast paced and dynamic environment.
• The ability to lead a team to deliver in line with SCS and Ministerial priorities.
• Strong decision making and judgement skills, with an ability to synthesise complex issues effectively.
• Good political awareness and understanding of central and local government.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,092, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £16,829 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 , Experience , Technical

Stage 1: Sift

• Experience (Lead Criteria): Please outline your experience in relation to the person specification and responsibilities listed in the description.

• Behaviour: Seeing the Big Picture

• Behaviour: Delivering at Pace

• Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing

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: Seeing the Big Picture, Leadership, Delivering at Pace, Changing and Improving

• Technical: Technical questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.

Candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation, further details will be provided on invitation to interview.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 8th June 2026.

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 22nd June 2026 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 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:

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 : Emily Jones
• Email : emily.jones1@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