Deputy Director, Recovery Strategy Unit

The Recovery Strategy Unit (RSU) focuses on building safety - demonstrating the government’s ongoing commitment to protecting leaseholders and holding those responsible for unsafe building work and poor practices to account. The RSU pursues and exposes firms and individuals that have failed to make buildings safe, making them pay to fix the issues they created. The Unit takes forward the most egregious cases, holding the worst actors to account, delivering for leaseholders, reducing risk and helping to restore confidence in the housing market. Through direct action, the RSU aims to change the culture in the housing and construction sectors and wider society., This role offers an exciting opportunity to further develop experience and skills working on a key priority for the government.
The Unit works as part of Safer and Greener Buildings Group and is focused on intelligence gathering, strategic communications and litigation to change sector behaviour. The work of the team is outward facing and engages with partners across Government to deliver creative solutions.
Project delivery demands a mix of strong analytical, delivery and policy skills to create innovative solutions against the most challenging issues. The Unit will work closely with and alongside key teams in the Department, drawing on their expertise and working with them to develop actions through to delivery outcomes.
The RSU’s outcomes are largely focused on people and sector not buildings., + Provide strong leadership to the Unit. The team has been through a period of rapid change and needs rebuilding around a clear vision that is rooted in the aims of the department, wider work of Safer and Green Buildings and our relationship with the Government Legal Department. The Unit will have two Grade 6-led teams and around 14 FTE, and may expand in size from April 2025.
+ You will also need to help build the extended team, agree an ambitious and enhanced work programme and build upon robust methodology. Monitoring and evaluation also need further development.
+ Provide a strategic leadership role across the Department. Working with key teams in the Department to ensure work is aligned and that government priorities are met, and that the Unit’s work has a sustainable impact on the Department’s remediation performance.
+ Confidently manage effective strategic relationships with ministers, senior stakeholder across and outside government to tackle issues and develop creative solutions.
+ You will need to manage competing views and interests, focusing on the achievement of government priorities within a diverse, dynamic environment and resource constraints and at times combative external actors. You must be comfortable understanding risk and how that needs inform advice and recommendations.
+ Ensuring the development and delivery of solutions that are sustainable, actionable, and achievable.
+ You will need to be a confident, inspiring, and inclusive leader, committed to supporting and developing your team and play an active role in the wider directorate and Group., + 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. Both items will be assessed to determine sift outcomes.
Failure to submit both a CV and statement of suitability will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the Essential Criteria.
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, Jenny Dibden, 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:
+ Jenny Dibden, Director, Remediation Programme Funds and Interventions, MHCLG (Hiring Manager)
+ Susan Carter, Legal Director, MHCLG
+ Chandru Dissanayeke, Director, Regulatory Stewardship and Reform, MHCLG
Additionally, the panel may 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
During sifting, both your CV and Statement of Suitability will be assessed against the role’s Essential Criteria. These Essential Criteria will also be used to form the basis of the panel’s questions in your final interview.
If a role lists Desirable Criteria, these will only be used to determine the merit order of candidates who rank evenly when assessed against the Essential Criteria.
Candidates that are shortlisted may be invited to attend a staff engagement panel.
At MHCLG 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 Deputy Prime Minister, 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.
Location
This role is available in one of the locations listed below. During the application process you will be asked to express a location preference, from the advertised locations. Any offer made will be based on that specific location.
+ London
+ Wolverhampton
+ Darlington
+ Leeds
+ Manchester
+ Bristol, 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 (£76,000 p/a)
Future pay awards will normally be made in line with current SCS performance-related pay arrangements.
Reserve List
In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details in a reserve list for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this.
Near Miss Offers
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.
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.
Complaints Process
Please see candidate pack slide 23 for details.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration 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.

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 security 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.

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).

We are looking for someone with high levels of creativity, judgement, initiative, and flexibility to provide high-quality advice to senior officials and ministers.
You will be comfortable working with ministers and very senior officials.
You will be an inspiring, confident and empowering leader, and a team player with a wide range of colleagues.
We particularly encourage applications from those of an ethnic minority background and those with disabilities, as well as those based in locations outside of London, who are underrepresented at this level in MHCLG.
As one of the Department’s 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 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-leadership-statement/civil-service-leadership-statement
Essential Criteria
+ System thinking, strategy and strategic analytical skills– demonstrable experience in defining, bringing structure and evidence, and simplifying complex problems, so as to clarify choices and provide foundations for actionable plans. You will enjoy finding creative pathways to hold people to account and have experience of using strategic communications to change sector behaviour.
+ Team and collegial leadership and management – successful creation and operational leadership and management of strongly performing teams with high levels of employee engagement, and of building successful working relationships and high levels of trust with peers and seniors, including specialist colleagues (lawyers, finance).
+ Building and managing relationships and partnerships – experience in effective relationship building, with proven ability to engage persuasively and confidently, influencing effectively at all levels. Experience of working in environments where there are competing priorities, and a fast-changing situation. Understanding how to promote the effective use of evidence to senior stakeholders.
+ Strong personal resilience– experience of working effectively and of leading an inclusive team successfully during periods of sustained pressure and ambiguity.
+ A good understanding and/or experience of the process of litigation in England (formal legal training not required)
Desirabe criteria
+ Some understanding of construction and the housing sector and of intelligence gathering and use.

Alongside your salary of £80,000, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £23,176 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, For external appointments, remuneration for this role will be £80,000 pa plus a bonus opportunity depending on performance (within the normal Civil Service pay arrangements) and attractive pension.