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Job summary

The Head of Innovation and Policy will build and lead an innovation and policy programme that tackles some of the toughest problems in housing and place-making. This is a pivotal leadership role, responsible for developing a systematic approach to innovation across Homes England, embedding a test-and-learn culture and generating new ideas, partnerships and solutions that improve how the Agency delivers for places and communities.

Working at the centre of the Agency, the postholder will help shape how Homes England identifies opportunities, responds to delivery challenges and develops practical, evidence-based solutions. The role combines strategic thinking, experimentation, policy insight and organisational leadership, with a particular focus on turning complex problems into testable ideas, informed choices and scalable change.

Job description

The role has a broad and cross-cutting remit. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Developing and leading an organisation-wide innovation agenda aligned with Homes England’s corporate strategy and risk appetite.
• Identifying high-value problems and opportunities through research, data, frontline insight and partner engagement, and turning them into clear problem statements and testable ideas.
• Designing and running experiments, from small tests of change to larger pilots and sandboxes, with clear hypotheses, metrics and learning loops.
• Turning insights, data and frontline experience into clear choices for senior leaders, with options that are practical, evidence-based and honest about risk.
• Crafting compelling narratives, visuals and artefacts, from concise briefing notes to Board-level presentations, that make innovation tangible and actionable.
• Working closely with colleagues across Homes England, including investment, delivery, digital, data and policy teams, and with external partners to co-create and test new approaches
• Creating the conditions for successful scale-up of promising ideas, working with strategy, finance and delivery teams to embed innovation into core business.
• Promoting a culture of innovation across the Agency through tools, training, communities of practice and storytelling that celebrates learning, including from things that do not work first time.
• Building a high-performing team and function, developing a small team and supporting colleagues with practical tools, frameworks and coaching.

This is an excellent opportunity to help shape the future of innovation, policy and delivery at Homes England, and to influence how the Agency responds to some of the most important challenges in housing, regeneration and place.

Person specification

The successful candidate will bring significant experience of leading innovation, product, service design or policy portfolios that have moved from concept to implemented change and impact. They will be comfortable operating in complex environments, bringing curiosity, judgement and credibility to work that spans strategy, delivery, evidence and organisational change.

They will be confident working with senior leaders and facilitating high-quality conversations about innovation, risk, investment and delivery. They will be able to connect ideas across sectors and disciplines, translate complex concepts into compelling narratives and create the conditions for experimentation, learning and practical adoption at scale.

Homes England is looking for someone with:

• Significant experience leading innovation, product, service design or policy portfolios from concept through to implementation and impact
• Strong strategic judgement and credibility with senior leaders, with the ability to shape decisions and navigate political, organisational and commercial realities
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex experiments, evidence and ideas into clear and credible narratives for Executive and Board audiences.
• Confidence in shaping and facilitating senior-level conversations about innovation, risk and investment.
• Strong collaborative leadership, with the ability to work across organisational boundaries and bring colleagues and partners with you.
• Experience of building teams, capability and conditions that support innovation, experimentation and continuous improvement.
• Curiosity, proactivity and confidence working with uncertainty and ambiguity.

It would also be valuable to bring experience of human-centred design and experimentation methods, comfort working with digital and data teams, and knowledge of the housing, regeneration, planning, investment or wider built environment landscape in which Homes England operates.

Benefits

Homes England is an executive non-departmental public body with its own terms and conditions, benefits and pension scheme. We are a government agency working in partnership with the private sector and want to employ and retain great people. In return we offer a range of excellent benefits, some of the key benefits include:

Holiday - Homes England offers all staff 33 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 statutory bank holidays.

Working Flexibly - At Homes England we have a strong culture of flexible working and encourage all employees to have a healthy work/life balance. We offer a wide range of potential working patterns, including part time, job share and compressed hours.

Health and Wellbeing - We offer health screening with Nuffield Proactive Health Clinics, a free Employee Assistance Programme which offers confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as well as access to Occupational Health.

Professional Development - At Homes England we are committed to your continued professional and personal development with learning as one of our core values. We pay for one job-related professional membership subscription per year for our employees.

We also offer an excellent range of family friendly benefits, for example, maternity, paternity, shared parental leave.

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

Things you need to know

How to apply?

To apply please follow the links to our careers page.

Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Selection process details

For more information on the role, please see the attached Job Description.

Successful applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application and interviews held as soon as practical after the closing date. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in this role and Homes England.

Please note – Homes England has a responsibility to ensure compliance with HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard to address the potential problems of identity fraud, illegal working and deception generally. To ensure compliance we will carry out a pre-employment Personal Identity and Vetting Report through Experian to meet the standard and you will therefore be asked to provide certain information in order that the verification check can be carried out if you are successful in your application.

Homes England are an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer that values and respects the people who work for us. Our aim is to be an employer of choice, enabling everyone to reach their full potential.

Homes England is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal data. For further information please refer to our Privacy Notice which can be viewed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/homes-england/about/personal-information-charter

Nationality requirements

Open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) and certain non EEA nationals. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here.

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a guaranteed disability confident interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

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.

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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.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.

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

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Recruitment Team
• Email : recruitmentinfo@homesengland.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitmentinfo@homesengland.gov.uk