Deputy Head/Team Leader roles in Planning Policy Division

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; London; On-site; GBP 54,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is seeking Deputy Heads and Team Leaders for their Planning Policy Division. These senior roles will focus on environmental policies and planning, requiring strong management and strategic thinking skills.

Benefits

Civil Service Pension with employer contribution

Flexible working options

Learning and development tailored to your role

Qualifications

• Experience in town or environmental planning.
• Strong management skills with a focus on continuous learning.

Responsibilities

• Lead on key aspects of planning policy and environmental assessments.
• Manage a team to deliver high-quality outputs.

Skills

Communication

Strategic Thinking

Management

Education

Professional Planning Qualification

Job description

Bristol, Darlington, Leeds, London, Manchester, Wolverhampton

Job Summary

Do you have experience of town or environmental planning?

Do you enjoy leading a team and building solid working relationships with internal and external stakeholders?

If so, we have exciting opportunities for Deputy Head/ Team Leader roles to join our team at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and we'd love to hear from you!

We have vacancies for at least two Grade 7 roles in the Planning Policy Division (PPD), part of the Planning Directorate. PPD leads the policy and implementation of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and wider environmental planning policy.

The NPPF covers thehigh levelpolicy position on everything from how many homes we need to plan for and whether they are being delivered, to how we improve andprotect the environment and support vibrant communities through planning. We lead on the policy development of many of the chapters of the NPPF, for example those relating to the environment, the economy and transport. We work closely with teams across the Planning Directorate and beyond to ensure changes to planning policy fulfil a whole range of government objectives. Following the publication of a revised NPPF in December, we are developing further changes to support growth.

As part of the government’s efforts to improve the delivery of housing and infrastructure, we are developing a package of reforms that will ensure the planning system is more effective in managing the effect of development on the environment. Central to these reforms are the new system of Environmental Outcome Reports which are being developed to improve the process of environmental assessment while driving better environmental outcomes. The team are also leading on the Nature Restoration Fund which will establish a more strategic approach to discharging environmental obligations that will unlock development and drive nature recovery.

Job Description

These senior roles in PPD will lead on key aspects of planning policy and environmental assessments.

There are two specific roles we are looking to fill.

• Team Leader – Planning for the Environment: Leading across a range of complex environmental policies, working closely with Defra group (including Natural England and Environment Agency) to support both the government’s ambitions to conserve and enhance the natural environment and enable development to proceed in ways that are consistent with this.
• Deputy Head of Planning Policy – Support the Head of Planning Policy to oversee policy changes to the National Planning Policy Framework and Planning Practice Guidance, advising on technical planning matters. This role will also lead on economy planning policy to ensure the planning system supports the government’s ambitions on growth.
  
  

Other roles may vary but all are likely to also include:

• Leading on updates to national planning or environmental policy by engaging across government and with external stakeholders to drive policy development of complex issues.
• Implementing policy changes through legislation, policy drafting and guidance documents.
• Advising ministers clearly and succinctly on policy development and implementation.
• Presenting policy clearly to external stakeholders to support implementation.
• Overseeing handling of correspondence, briefing, PQs and Judicial Reviews.
• Managing a team to deliver high quality outputs in a busy, high profile environment.
  
  

These senior roles in PPD will lead on key aspects of planning policy and environmental assessments.

There are two specific roles we are looking to fill.

• Team Leader – Planning for the Environment: Leading across a range of complex environmental policies, working closely with Defra group (including Natural England and Environment Agency) to support both the government’s ambitions to conserve and enhance the natural environment and enable development to proceed in ways that are consistent with this.
• Deputy Head of Planning Policy – Support the Head of Planning Policy to oversee policy changes to the National Planning Policy Framework and Planning Practice Guidance, advising on technical planning matters. This role will also lead on economy planning policy to ensure the planning system supports the government’s ambitions on growth.
  
  

Other roles may vary but all are likely to also include:

• Leading on updates to national planning or environmental policy by engaging across government and with external stakeholders to drive policy development of complex issues.
• Implementing policy changes through legislation, policy drafting and guidance documents.
• Advising ministers clearly and succinctly on policy development and implementation.
• Presenting policy clearly to external stakeholders to support implementation.
• Overseeing handling of correspondence, briefing, PQs and Judicial Reviews.
• Managing a team to deliver high quality outputs in a busy, high profile environment.
  
  

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Professional planning qualification (or allied professional) or substantial experience of town or environmental planning.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to create and maintain effective working relationships across organisational boundaries.
• Strong strategic thinking skills, and a deep understanding of how the work of your team aligns with wider government objectives.
• Experience in policy making, carefully balancing competing priorities to reach clear, evidence-based conclusions.
• Strong management skills, with a focus on continuous learning and development for self and others
  
  

Alongside your salary of £54,531, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £15,797 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
  
  

Selection process details

As part of our pre-employment checking process, we will be using your CV to confirm your job history. Please note that by providing us with your CV you are consenting to us using the information enclosed as part of the checking process.

CV and Cover Letter Declaration

We recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - this is called name blind recruitment.

Please Remove References To Your

• name/title
• educational institutions
• age
• gender
• email address
• postal address
• phone number
• nationality/immigration status
  
  

You will need to merge your CV and covering letter into one document. When submitting your application Applied will ask you to upload a CV, when doing this you should upload your merged document of your CV and covering letter.

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

At sift, through your CV and covering letter we will be assessing:

Experience

Please set out your experience of a) town and/or environmental planning and b) policy making, in no more than 1 page.

The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of the following success profiles elements:

Experience: Yes - Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description

Behaviours: Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing, Leadership, Making Effective Decisions

In the full campaign we will test the below Success Profile Elements:

Experience: Yes - Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description

Behaviours: Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing, Leadership, Making Effective Decisions

Please contact the vacancy manager if you have any questions about the role.

We do not consider direct CV applications – you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs.

Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign.

Grade 7 salary

• The salary for this role is £59,946 (London) or £54,531 (National).
• For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If you apply for a role that requires a transfer of location, for example if you are transferring from London to a National location, your salary will be adjusted in accordance with our policy on transfer between HQ pay ranges.
  
  

Please note that the average employer pension contribution is based upon the National minimum salary for this role. Should your agreed starting salary for this role be different, the average employer pension contribution will be calculated accordingly. If you are a Secondee, this will not apply as you will remain on your home organisation’s terms and conditions.

Benefits

Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018:

Any move to MHCLG from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.

For further information about the benefits available to MHCLG employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack.

Location

• Bristol
• Darlington*
• Leeds
• London
• Manchester
• Wolverhampton
  
  

There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly depending on the business needs. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis if you are successful for the role.

• Please note: The Darlington Economic Campus is a pioneering new cross-government hub which will bring together people across departments and public organisations to play an active role in the most important economic issues of the day. The work of the Campus will make a real difference to people both across the UK and internationally. There will be substantial career opportunities and exciting prospects - a career at the Campus means you will be working at the heart of Government, with access to the benefits and fantastic opportunities offered by the civil service.
  
  

For further information on the DEC, please take a look at the attached DEC candidate pack.

At present, a minimum of 60% of your working time will be spent in your contractual office location. Requirements to attend other office locations or off-site meetings will be counted towards this. You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process.

Sift and Interview dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place W/C 9th June 2025 with interview dates to be confirmed. All interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall.

Reserve List

In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details on a reserve list for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact [e-mail] to be removed from the reserve list.

Security Clearance Requirements

All MHCLG colleagues must meet the Baseline Personnel Security Standard. This is a series of basic security checks to confirm identity and employment history. In addition to the BPSS, all staff based at our Marsham Street office in must be cleared to at least Counter Terrorism Check level – this requires you to have been resident in the UK for the past 3 years.

Candidates should also note that with effect from 1st August 2018 the department will also check all applicants who are successful at interview, against the Internal Fraud Database (IFD) held by the Cabinet Office. In accordance with the Civil Service Internal Fraud Policy, any applicant who is included on the IFD will be refused employment by MHCLG. Please see the Candidate Pack for further information on the Internal Fraud Database.

Before starting your application it’s very important to make sure that you are eligible to apply and meet the Civil Service nationality requirements. All candidates are expected to read the information provided in the MHCLG candidate pack regarding nationality requirements and rules

Candidate Pack Information

Please see attached Candidate pack for further information.

Internal Fraud Database

The Internal Fraud function of the Fraud, Error, Debt and Grants Function at the Cabinet Office processes details of civil servants who have been dismissed for committing internal fraud, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned. The Cabinet Office receives the details from participating government organisations of civil servants who have been dismissed, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned, for internal fraud. In instances such as this, civil servants are then banned for 5 years from further employment in the civil service. The Cabinet Office then processes this data and discloses a limited dataset back to MHCLG as a participating government organisations. MHCLG then carry out the pre employment checks so as to detect instances where known fraudsters are attempting to reapply for roles in the civil service. In this way, the policy is ensured and the repetition of internal fraud is prevented.

For more information please see- Internal Fraud Register

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.

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.

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 the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

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 : Hannah Brook
• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [e-mail]