Local Government Strategy and Improvement Policy

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 297749**Salary**:

- £37,064-
- A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%**Job grade**:

- Senior Executive Officer**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- Local Government and Communities including Integration**Type of role**:

- Policy**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 3Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Bristol, Darlington, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, WolverhamptonAbout the job

**Job summary**:
The Local Government Policy (LGP) directorate is responsible for oversight and performance monitoring of the local government sector, ensuring it is fit for purpose and resilient to deliver the government's priorities.

The Local Government Strategy and Improvement Division sits within LGP and plays a pivotal role in considering the long-term direction of the sector. The Division’s purpose is to shape the Department’s overarching strategic approach to local government, understand the sector’s cross cutting capacity and capability needs and oversee the local government standards and conduct framework. The Division also runs the Directorate’s corporate function.

**Job description**:
We are looking for policy advisors to join the division working in the following three areas: Standards & Conduct, Capacity & Capability, and Local Government Strategy.

The responsibilities for the three posts will include:

- Working on improvements to the local government standard regime, leading on discrete pieces of work for example leading analysis and investigation into potential breaches of the local authority Publicity Code, advising Ministers on appropriate steps.
- Strengthening our understanding of capacity and capability in local government and developing our response to issues, leading on pieces of work in areas such as leadership and workforce.
- Policy design at scale and at pace - producing high quality advice for senior leaders and Ministers, drawing from a wide range of sources, and carrying out analysis on the evidence to demonstrate excellent policy appraisal and development of options. Working across a range of teams to spot connections, risks and opportunities between policy work strands, particularly in the context of long-term local government ambitions.

All posts will be expected to help cover a variety of areas of work when needed from across the Division’s work.

All teams within the Division have regular exposure to Ministers; the postholders will need to develop a relationship with Ministers’ Private Offices and will likely have the opportunity to brief Ministers face to face.

**Person specification**:
To fulfil these roles, we are looking for individuals who are team players with strong written and verbal communication skills. Some knowledge and understanding of local government would be an advantage, but not a requirement.

Excellent organisational skills are required. You will be able to prioritise effectively and at times meet challenging deadlines. You will be highly adaptable and flexible, adjusting to the requirements of the role. Knowledge or experience of the policy making process, or developing legislation, would be an advantage but not a requirement. You will have an eagerness to learn core policy skills and be open to continuous learning and improvement.

These roles would suit an individual who:

- Is a self-starter who can drive their own work forward autonomously
- Is comfortable working in a dynamic environment with competing pressures
- Has previous experience in policy development and the ability to quickly take ownership of your policy area
- Is confident engaging with a broad range of stakeholders
- Has experience using a variety of sources to make well balanced evidence-based recommendations or decisions
- Has the ability to work flexibly on quickly changing priorities and actively prioritise multiple issues/tasks
- Has some background knowledge of local government, although this is not a requirement
- A strong interest in helping to create a supportive an inclusive team culture.

Line management may be required for some roles.

**Behaviours**:
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace

**Benefits**:

- Alongside your salary of £37,064, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities contributes £10,007 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 average employer contribution of 27%

Things you need to know

**Selection process details**:

- This vacancy i