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Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
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About the job
Job summary
Job description
The role will have responsibility for the design and delivery of the Planning Super Squad (£13.5m), the delivery of the Planning Skills Delivery Fund (£24m) as well as a wide range of other interventions in to upskills and incentivise public sector planning, working with a variety of high profile stakeholders. The post holder will have experience of running large scale funding programmes. Other responsibilities include oversight of a dedicated programme management team, a monitoring and evaluation team, as well as being a pro active and collaborative leader who is committed to public sector planning.
A key part of this role will be senior external relationship management with the planning sector, and in particular the sponsorship of the Planning Advisory Service, funding agreements with the Local Government Association, the Royal Town Planning Institute and Public Practice, as well as advocating for the planning profession at public facing events.
The team sits within the Chief Planner Directorate in the Regeneration, Housing and Planning Group with direct line management of three grade 6 posts. The wider team is growing with fifteen team members currently in post, which will expand to twenty by the end of November, and further programme funded recruitment planned.
Key accountabilities
The Deputy Director will oversee the strategy, detailed design and delivery of the £50m Planning Capacity and Capability Programme, including the high profile Planning Skills Delivery Fund and the Planning Super Squad, both of which are a core Ministerial priority. The programme is fundamental to successful implementation of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, as well as ensuring that local government has the skills and resources needed to deliver systematic change.
The post-holder will be responsible for:
- Leadership of the Planning Capacity and Capability Team: Providing strategic, visible and inclusive leadership, ensuring that clear expectations are set with direct line reports, and that the team has the right support and training in place to enable delivery at a high level. Ensure that wellbeing is supported and that the team are empowered to play an active role in the development of the team as a whole. Manage change in a positive and inclusive way.
- Supporting Delivery: Ensure that the wider team is focussed on delivery and implementation across the wide range of interventions in the programme, with a specific focus on implementation of the Planning Super Squad and Planning Skills Delivery Fund with a focus on ensuring that learning and impact is captured and used to inform future programme development. Ensure that systems and the right culture are in place to facilitate and monitor continual improvements in quality and pace.
- Collaboration: Work closely and collaboratively with senior stakeholders across the built environment landscape including core sponsorship activities, and develop, grow and maintain key relationships including with Homes England, local government, built environment stakeholders, and other key Directorates that interface with planning as well as teams in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Directorates.
- Strategy: Develop and implement strategies to ensure the effective and continual improvement of the planning capacity and capability programme, ensuring that the team uses impact and learning from the programmes to inform wider strategy and programme development
Person specification
The post holder will work proactively with other senior leaders across the Regeneration, Housing and Planning Group, and the wider Department. This post holder will have built a detailed understanding of the planning landscape in the public sector and will have at least ten years experience as a built environment professional. The post holder will also have significant and strong networks across the built environment in the public, private and third sectors.
The post-holder will report to the Chief Planner, supporting and deputising for her and working proactively with other Directors and Deputy Directors to form a strong and cohesive leadership of planning in Government. The role requires management of a large and growing team which is based across the country and will lead, manage and continually develop a team, building resilience and collaborative working. They will empower the team, and ensure that colleagues who are based in different locations work effectively together in an inclusive, supportive and welcoming environment. The postholder will have a built environment background, recognised qualification in the built environment and have planning expertise from a wide range of experience as well as experience in designing and delivering funding programmes in central Government and in the wider built environment sector.
- Leadership: Ability to engage with others in delivering a shared vision, while promoting diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity, including development opportunities.
- Changing and Improving: Being able to manage both cultural and procedural change, and being able to challenge current procedures and culture and suggest improvements.
- Working Together: Ability to build and maintain strong and constructive relationships within stakeholders both within Government and across the built environment sector
- Communicating and Influencing: Communicating orally and in writing complex issues in a clear way.
- Making Effective Decisions: Strong analytical and decision-making skills
- Delivering at Pace: Ability to lead the delivery of a large and complex programme of work while meeting deadlines in a fast-paced and demanding environment
As one of the Departments senior leaders, you will also be a visible role model for the Civil Service leadership behaviours. These can be found in the Civil Service Leadership Statement which is available here.
Essential criteria
- High level of planning knowledge gained through professional built environment qualification and/or experience in the sector, ideally in a variety of public and private sector roles;
- Strong communication and influencing skills through a strong network of senior relationships in the built environment
- Leading a team to deliver impact and change in the built environment
- Building and developing a skilled and resilient team.
- Developing and implementing programmes, strategies and systems to ensure effective proactive governance and management.
- A proven track record in designing and delivering programmes of funding at pace
- Is a chartered member of or qualifies to apply for chartered membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute via the licentiate, associate or experienced practitioner routes.
Benefits
£19,710 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
An environment with flexible working options
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
A Civil Service pension
Things you need to know
Selection process details
How to apply
Please click the Be Applied link to provide the required information and complete your application through the Be Applied website by 23:55 on Sunday 3rd December 2023.
You will be asked to enter some personal details, upload your CV and to provide your responses to the roles advertised essential criteria.
When prompted to upload your CV, please upload a single document consisting of:
- a CV (including the names of 2 referees and your current remuneration) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities, achievements and your relevant qualifications. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
- a statement of suitability explaining how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria provided in the person specification. (max. 2 pages)
Please remember to save these two items in one document.
Please note that only completed applications through the Be Applied route will be considered and that any further progress updates will be sent through Be Applied.
The hiring manager, Joanna Averley, would be happy to have informal discussions with candidates who would like further information about the role before submitting an application. If interested, please contact scs.recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk
The selection panel will be made up of:
- Joana Averley, Chief Planner, DLUHC
- Two additional panel members TBC
Additionally, the panel will be joined by one of our staff representatives from a pool of volunteers as part of our commitments to diversity and inclusion.
Selection process and assessments
Candidates that are shortlisted may be invited to attend a staff engagement panel.
At DLUHC we hold staff engagement panels as an integral part of the recruitment process for Senior Civil Servants (SCS) they are designed to help us build up a rounded picture of each candidate and give us an insight into how you might engage and interact with your team should you be successful. The purpose of the session is to help us assess your engagement and communication skills and is not about testing your subject knowledge or expertise for this particular role. Feedback from the session is passed onto the selection panel for consideration alongside the final interview.
Candidates may also be invited to a meeting with a Minister or the Secretary of State, and/or other senior stakeholders. This is not a formal part of the selection process but an informal chance for candidates to find out more about the role and the organisation.
Shortlisted candidates will also be invited to give a short presentation or complete an exercise at the beginning of their final interview. Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates when invited to interview.
All of the evidence presented as part of the process will be considered in the final assessment.
Security Clearance
All DLUHC 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, the level of security clearance required for this role is Security Check (SC) and the process can take up to 8 weeks to complete. For more details of vetting levels and requirements please refer to the Cabinet Office HMG Personnel Security Controls.
Salary
For external appointments, remuneration for this role will be circa £75,000 pa plus a bonus opportunity depending on performance (within the normal Civil Service pay arrangements) and attractive pension.
For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If appointed on promotion you would get the higher of 10% uplift or the new minimum for Deputy Director.
Future pay awards will normally be made in line with current SCS performance-related pay arrangements.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them
to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through
building your depth of expertise.
As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above.
This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions.
Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and
conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your
personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any
absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you
to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.
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Working for the Civil Service
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).
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : SCS Recruitment Team
- Email : scs.recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : scs.recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk
