Policy Advisor (BSR Band 4/ HEO)

Please note: If you are applying from either Scotland or Wales, you must be able to commute to our Cardiff, Edinburgh or Glasgow Offices.

Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role. We look forward to receiving your application. 

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.

HSE is establishing a new Building Safety Regulator (BSR). The development and implementation of the legislative framework and operational arrangements to create the BSR offer a unique opportunity to contribute to, and experience working in, an exciting and high-profile area of Government policy that aims to ensure that people living in high-risk buildings are both safe and feel safe. 

BSR will serve as a lasting tribute to those who have lost their lives due to poor and substandard buildings and will help ensure tragedies of such proportions as Grenfell are consigned to the past. Over the coming years, as the powers of BSR increase, we will continue to build our team ensuring that high-rise buildings are safer than ever.

This is an exciting time to join BSR, and as a part of this team you will be responsible for shaping an internal culture of high performance and continuous improvement and bringing about cultural change in building safety in your community today and in the future. In return we can offer you training tailored to your needs as well as civil service learning and development programmes to support your career in HSE and the wider Civil Service. This role will develop as the BSR grows and therefore flexibility to move within the role is expected. 

For more information please visit our website: Building Safety Regulator – HSE (bsr-careers.co.uk)

This post can be based in any of the advertised locations, for details of HSE locations please see here 

As part of the Government’s response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, HSE is establishing a new Building Safety Regulator (BSR).The development and implementation of the legislative framework and operational arrangements to create the BSR offer a unique opportunity to contribute to, and experience working in, an exciting and high-profile area of Government policy that aims to ensure that people living in high-risk buildings (HRBs) are both safe, and feel safe.

You will need to work flexibly, often at pace, in line with the demands of the policy area you are working in to ensure that HSE interests and priorities are met. You will have the opportunity to help develop policy and processes in emerging areas of work. You will also be involved in reviewing and, if necessary, amending existing practices and processes to ensure they best support HSE and Government wider objectives. To succeed you will need to quickly establish credibility with both HSE colleagues and a range of external stakeholders by developing a good understanding of the underpinning policy, regulatory frameworks, technical and legislative issues and by maintaining and developing collaborative networks The high-profile nature of HSEs’ policy work and the rapid pace of activity coupled with working with uncertainty is particularly challenging. This will require you to be, creative and confident to raise issues to help keep projects moving forward.

You will need to work well as part of a team, building an understanding of overall objectives and priorities so you can co-ordinate your work effectively with others,
identifying common interests and opportunities for collaboration.

You will be expected to travel to meetings with stakeholders in the UK to build and maintain these relationships. This may sometimes be at short notice and involve occasional overnight stays.

As part of your role you will:

• Work as part of a team to support the development of evidence-based policy proposals, including contributing to the preparation of high-quality advice and briefing to HSE Senior Management and Ministers;
• Work effectively with colleagues in other government departments and other key stakeholders to provide advice and represent HSE interests;
• Develop and maintain a network of contacts and work collaboratively and inclusively to ensure that policy proposals are joined up with related policy programmes across HSE and wider Government.

The work requires a flexible approach and someone who is ready to take on new challenges and areas of work when needed. You will need to be able to get to grips quickly with new information and to understand not just the technical and legal aspects but the implications for HSE, to demonstrate your analyses are well-informed but also to ensure your findings stand up to scrutiny.
You will need to work quickly and to be able to communicate purpose and direction and someone who enjoys the challenge of achieving objectives through mutually
beneficial relationships with a diverse stakeholder community.

You will have;

• Effective communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders to help shape outcomes;
• Sound analytical skills to identify underlying issues;
• Ability to make sound recommendations based on evidence;
• Good organisational and planning skills;
• The ability to work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary team, maintaining positive working relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders;
• The ability to produce and present complex information effectively in a clear and concise way for non-technical audiences

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• Competitive rates of pay
• Access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme to which HSE contribute 27.1%, far more than in the private sector
• Family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career 
• Carer friendly policies to help create a supportive working culture 
• 25 days annual holiday increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service, plus bank holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave 
• Parental leave benefits 

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work. There will be a requirement to travel to HSE offices for various activities e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines the flexibility for working from home and the office without the need for long hours/weekend working. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work.

Job contact :

• Name : bsrvacancyquestions@hse.gov.uk
• Email : bsrvacancyquestions@hse.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : bsrvacancyquestions@hse.gov.uk