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Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
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Local Government Finance
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About the job
Job summary
The Business Rates Retention system is a fundamental part of local government funding. Local government currently collects c.£25 billion per year in business rates from local ratepayers. Through the Business Rates Retention System (BRRS), local authorities keep about £14 billion of this to help fund local services as well as incentivising them to grow their local economy, improve the local area and support businesses to grow. Operation of the system is also a key department priority.
The Business Rates Retention Operations Team administers the Business Rates Retention System. The team must respond to the constant policy change and large challenges – for example delivery of key measures to reform of the system and to support the devolution agenda. This frequently results in new and exciting problems to understand and solve to ensure that the system remains functional.
This role will play a critical role in responding to policy initiatives to adapt the system to deliver Ministerial priorities; ensuring that the correct sums are paid by and collected from authorities; and that the extensive body of secondary legislation under which the scheme operates is up to date.
This role combines policy making with technical system stewardship, along with governance and regulatory work. It is a great opportunity for a candidate who wishes to lead on work in these areas, interpreting new ministerial initiatives into the stewardship of the departments largest financial system.
Because retained business rates account for a significant proportion of local government funding and because the administration of the BRRS is the departments single largest financial responsibility, Ministers, the Permanent Secretary, senior officials and HM Treasury take a keen interest in the work of the team.
We particularly welcome candidates from an ethnic minority background and other underrepresented groups to apply, as we work to continually improve our ability to represent the places and communities we support through our work
Job description
This is an excellent opportunity to join a team which operates an established technical system in a broad, changing and high profile policy landscape.
The jobholder will develop an extensive and robust knowledge of the systems design and function. They will hold key responsibilities as part of the core teams day-to-day administration of the scheme. They will liaise extensively with other teams within the department including policy and strategy teams, analysts and lawyers, to ensure that the business rates retention system continues to operate efficiently and effectively and to ensure that the systems operation is responsive to new ministerial policy initiatives.
Responsibilities
The jobholder will have discrete responsibilities all of which will work towards achieving the objectives that the business rates operations team are accountable for within the department. Broadly, the team aim to ensure that the business rates retention system operates efficiently and effectively for both local and central government. Specifically, you will:
· Develop and implement effective technical changes to the system as required to ensure that changes in the operating environment accurately reflect new Ministerial policy initiatives for example, changes to business rates policy or local government funding and devolution initiatives
· Provide technical expertise of the system to Ministers and colleagues who are responsible for local government funding reform to ensure that proposed policy changes involving the system are fully assessed for deliverability and viability considerations
· Work in collaboration with analysts and statisticians to ensure that twice annual data collections and supporting guidance documents, used to operate the system, are robustly designed ensuring that processes are followed so that the correct calculations are made regarding payments to/from local and central government
· Work closely with lawyers to ensure that the legislative framework that underpins the system is up to date, accurately reflecting evolving policy intentions
· Lead the teams formal governance arrangements which oversee the operation of the system this includes governance board secretariat responsibilities and overseeing processes to track risks, issues, and queries in relation to the operation of the system
· Represent the department by engaging directly with local authorities in a collaborative manner to ensure that local government fully understands the scheme and can effectively deliver their role in systems operation
Person specification
This is technical role combining policy development and operational system delivery. The successful candidate will:
· Be required to translate policy proposals into required changes to keep a funding system functional by making accurate judgements to amend the system within a constantly evolving policy context.
· Be highly numerate with the ability to ensure that complex calculations and formulae remain consistent with intended policy objectives in an ever-changing policy context.
· Have capacity to understand the detail of public finance and accounting, and how the business rates retention system impacts local authority financial management as well as departmental budgets.
· Have a strong problem-solving ability to understand complex issues and put forward solutions to address them, backed up by robust methodologies and supported by analysis and data.
· Be comfortable in explaining complex information in a clear and accessible manner to assist others in understanding key considerations related to their work area to ensure that decisions deliver the correct policy intent.
· Have experience designing and integrating process into their work with a view to seeking constant improvement in the overall quality of the processes followed by the whole team to operate the system efficiently and effectively.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
Benefits
£13,418 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%
The successful candidate will be encouraged to undertake a professional learning qualification as part of the role, if this is in line with both business needs and the individuals development needs. This is not a mandatory condition of accepting the role.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
We are for everyone
At DLUHC we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce. We promote equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment and a working environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation.
We would strongly recommend that applicants get in touch with the vacancy manager to find out more information about this role.
DLUHC want to bring in a diverse workforce at all levels.
Our application system is designed to remove as much bias as possible from the recruitment system this means that a hiring manager does not know your name, your details, see your whole application in one go (or have your CV at review stage unless stated otherwise).
Your answers are randomised and chunked up. This means that each assessor views sets of responses to questions for example all candidates responses to Seeing the Big Picture rather than seeing a candidates full application. The science behind this is that recruitment can be subject to ordering and fatigue effects and we want to reduce this as much as possible.
Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.
When writing your application, remember:
- The assessor wont be reading your answers sequentially.
- Do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers.
- If talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)
At sift, we will be assessing
Making effective decisions (Lead Question)
Communicating and Influencing
Changing and Improving
Experience: In no more than 250 words, please describe what evidence of recent operational experience you have, and whether you will be comfortable delivering effective operational processes in a busy, highly complex, and ever-changing environment?
There is a 250 word limit per question.
In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead behaviour listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview
The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of:
Behaviours: Making effective decisions Communicating and Influencing and Changing and Improving
Experience: As part of the interview you will be asked to short prepare a presentation to assess your experience in line with the person specification. Further details will be provided in advance of the interview.
Strengths
The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.
In the full campaign we will test the below Success Profile Elements:
Behaviours: Making effective decisions Communicating and Influencing and Changing and Improving
Experience: Yes
Strengths: Yes
We do not consider direct CV applications to our Recruitment mailbox 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 £54,632 (London) or £49,697 (National).
- For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable.
BENEFITS:
Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018:
Any move to DLUHC 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 DLUHC employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:
- London
- Darlington
- Wolverhampton
- Manchester
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 (DEC) 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. This role is based at DLUHC and we will be joined on the campus by:
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HM Treasury
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Department for International Trade
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Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
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Office for National Statistics
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Department for Education
For further information on the DEC, please take a look at the attached DEC candidate pack.
SIFT AND INTERVIEW DATES:
Sifting is envisaged to take place from 21st August 2023 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 recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk to be removed from the reserve list.
CTC (Counter-terrorism Clearance):
Important note
Successful candidates for roles based in our 2 Marsham Street building must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check and the process can take up to 8 weeks to complete.
Please note that successful candidates will need to pass the CTC security checks this requires you to have been resident in the UK for the past 3 years. Please refer to the DLUHC Notes on Security Clearance section of our Candidate Pack for further information on Counter Terrorism Clearance (CTC). Thank you.
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 DLUHC. Please see the Candidate Pack for further information on the Internal Fraud Database.
Candidate Pack Information
Please see attached Candidate pack for further information.
Before starting your application its 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 DLUHC candidate pack regarding nationality requirements and rules
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 DLUHC as a participating government organisations. DLUHC 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
Nationality requirements
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 : Geoffrey Whitby
- Email : geoffrey.whitby@levellingup.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : recruitment@communities.gov.uk
