Faith and Communities Rough Sleeping Adviser

The new Government has committed to re-setting the work tackling rough sleeping and homelessness. This is an exciting time to join a high-profile team and provides a great opportunity for an excellent individual to work collaboratively across sectors and help influence the shape and delivery of rough sleeping services and make a real difference to thousands of lives. The Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) began in 2018. We have made great strides working with local authorities, their partners and stakeholders to support people sleeping rough in England. We are looking for someone to join the team and lead these partnerships to greater success. We are now recruiting for a Rough Sleeping Faith and Communities Adviser to join the existing team working with local authorities, their delivery partners and community stakeholders to further develop and deliver local strategies to reduce homelessness and rough sleeping. The adviser will also contribute to development of policy and planning for delivery of government rough sleeping and homelessness priorities, taking a lead on the work to maximise the impact of faith and community based organisations. We would 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. We would also love people with lived experience of rough sleeping or homelessness to apply. This role includes regular face to face contact with local authorities, stakeholders and civil service colleagues in a variety of locations across the country. This role can require extensive travel commitments and overnight stays. It is likely that you will undertake official business from sites other than official MHCLG offices, alongside homebased working in accordance with our hybrid policy., We are looking for someone who understands the challenges and complexities around rough sleeping and homelessness and the impact it has on the people affected. You will have a commitment to transforming services to reduce levels of rough sleeping and will have experience of managing or working in rough sleeping services, to improve the delivery of services and improve outcomes for rough sleepers and people at risk of sleeping rough. You will be: • Working directly with faith and community providers to promote, encourage, facilitate and enhance effective service delivery. • Working directly with up to 10 local authorities to deliver the government’s work to tackle rough sleeping. • Delivering support to faith and community organisations and local authorities that is relevant to local context and issues. • Providing guidance and advice to faith and community organisations and local authorities to improve their engagement with people who have lived experience of rough sleeping. • Providing guidance and advice to faith and community organisations and local authorities on delivery of RSI funding, to ensure the programme is delivered to timescales, provides value for money and has a tangible impact to reduce rough sleeping. • Providing information and advice for senior officials and Ministers, on the delivery of RSI interventions, identifying areas of concern and barriers to reducing rough sleeping in addition to useful practice. • Providing targeted challenge and support to help local areas to improve practice and performance • Supporting the development and sharing of effective practice. • Supporting implementation of improved data collection, as well as learning from experience around the country to inform on-going policy development • Delivering presentations, workshops and events, disseminating good practice information and advice • Effective recording and sharing of key information to support programme management and policy development, We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: + Changing and Improving + Communicating and Influencing + Working TogetherTechnical skills We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: + Name three changes the Government should make to end rough sleeping in England. + 5 minute presentation followed by 5 minutes of questions from panel. Details will be provided with interview invite., This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills. As part of our pre-employment checking process we will be using your CV to confirm your job history. Please note that by providing us with your CV you are consenting to us using the information enclosed as part of the checking process. Unless stated otherwise in the advert, your CV will not form part of the assessment but will be used for information purposes and only shared with the panel at interview stage. 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 candidate’s 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 won’t 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!), 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.
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 w/c 25/11 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 in 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@communities.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 MHCLG 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 MHCLG. Please see the Candidate Pack for further information on the Internal Fraud Database. Candidate Pack Information Please see attached Candidate pack for further information. The candidate pack contains information about the CS Commissioners appeals and complaints procedure. Before starting your application it’s 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 MHCLG 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 MHCLG as a participating government organisations. MHCLG 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 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 counter-terrorist 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).

Have a comprehensive understanding of developing and delivering faith or community-based services, which effectively prevent rough sleeping and support vulnerable people away from the street and into safe accommodation, and how they relate to other services and stakeholders. • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including ability to motivate and inspire individuals and groups and to support the development of partnerships around shared commitments to improve outcomes. Demonstrating strong verbal and written presentation skills including the ability to able to speak at conferences and events. • An excellent understanding of equality and diversity and issues surrounding disadvantage and discrimination, and the ability to advise and support local authorities to provide excellent customer care to all sections of their community. • Leadership experience and have expert knowledge of homelessness and rough sleeping and or lived experience of homelessness and rough sleeping. • Knowledge of faith and community organisations, local authorities, commissioned providers and community stakeholders to improve the delivery of services, and to achieve better outcomes for people experiencing rough sleeping. Desirable Criteria: A proven track record in delivery and improvement of rough sleeping and homelessness would be desirable., Experience: Please set out the relevant experience you have in relation to this role, as set out in the person specification. (Lead sift) Behaviour 1: Changing and Improving Behaviour 2: Working Together Technical: Name three changes the Government should make to end rough sleeping in England. 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 the following success profiles elements: Behaviours: Changing and Improving, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together. Technical: 5 minute presentation followed by 5 minutes of questions from panel. Details will be provided with interview invite. In the full campaign we will test the below Success Profile Elements: Behaviours: Changing and Improving, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together. Experience: Please set out the relevant experience you have in relation to this role, as set out in the person specification. Technical: 5 minute presentation followed by 5 minutes of questions from panel. Details will be provided with interview invite.

Alongside your salary of £54,531, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £15,797 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 employer contribution of 28.97%, 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 £59,946 (London) or £54,531 (National).