20 Policy Jobs in County Durham

Job summary

We are MHCLG

Are you interested in working on a high‑profile Government priority to ensure new development delivers affordable homes and the infrastructure communities need?

Do you enjoy working with different stakeholders to develop and test policy options?

Are you able to quickly grasp technical details and identify policy solutions?

If so, we are recruiting for two exciting roles in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and we would love to hear from you!

Job description

Developer contributions are a key part of the planning system, helping to secure affordable homes and essential infrastructure such as schools, transport links and health facilities to support new development.

The Government is committed to strengthening this system – including section 106 planning obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) – to ensure new development delivers necessary affordable homes and infrastructure.

The Developer Contributions team in MHCLG is recruiting two Senior Executive Officers (SEOs) to help deliver this important agenda.

• Role 1 focuses on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), ensuring it is effective in supporting local infrastructure delivery while providing certainty to developers.

• Role 2 focuses on planning viability and evidence, maximising contributions while maintaining incentives for development, and ensuring MHCLG has robust oversight of how the system of developer contributions is working in practice.

The team sits within the Planning Strategy Division and works on high‑profile priorities central to the Government’s housing and planning objectives. These roles offer the opportunity to play a significant role in supporting the Government’s ambition to deliver 1.5 million safe and decent homes.

Please note that you do not need prior expertise in the system of developer contributions to apply for these roles. We are looking for candidates with strong analytical skills, the ability to quickly build knowledge, and a collaborative approach to policy development and delivery.

Job description

Role 1: Community Infrastructure Levy

The Community Infrastructure Levy is a charge levied by local authorities on new development to fund supporting infrastructure.

Key responsibilities include:

• Working closely with analysts, lawyers and other specialists to review the CIL framework and identify opportunities for improvement

• Leading aspects of regulatory reform to strengthen the operation and effectiveness of CIL, including through public consultation and engagement

• Developing strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders and reviewing relevant evidence to feed into policy options and appraisal.

• Supporting the stewardship of the CIL appeals service

• Briefing senior officials and ministers, and supporting parliamentary processes and external engagement

• Task managing junior colleagues and contributing flexibly to wider team priorities, helping to maintain a positive and high‑performing team culture.

Role 2: Viability and Evidence

Viability assessment is a process of assessing whether a site is financially viable, by looking at whether the value generated by a development is more than the cost of developing it. Currently, local planning authorities undertake or commission their own viability assessments to develop local plan policies. Local authorities must also publish data annually on how much they are collecting through developer contributions and what they are spending receipts on.

Key responsibilities include:

• Building and maintaining strong relationships with local authorities, viability specialists and other experts to understand current viability challenges and opportunities

• Working with the Planning Advisory Service and others to develop and publish resources to support local planning authorities in viability practice

• Assessing and synthesising evidence to support policy options and inform the Government’s wider housing and planning objectives

• Reviewing MHCLG’s current approach to data collection on developer contributions and leading on opportunities for improvement

• Briefing senior officials and ministers, and supporting parliamentary processes and external engagement

• Task managing junior colleagues and contributing flexibly to wider team priorities, helping to maintain a positive and high‑performing team culture.

Candidates would have an opportunity to indicate their role preference at interview stage.

Person specification

• Ability to analyse qualitative and quantitative data and draw robust conclusions

• Ability to work independently and self-direct workload

• Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver to agreed deadlines

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• Ability to work collaboratively and contribute effectively as part of a team

• Ability to coach and support the development of others

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 , Strengths

Stage 1: Sift

• Behaviour (Lead Behaviour): Making Effective Decisions

• Behaviour: Seeing the Big Picture

• 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: Making Effective Decisions, Seeing the Big Picture, Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace
• 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 10th August 2026.

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 24th August 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 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:

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 : Lydia Mihailovic
• Email : Lydia.Mihailovic@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