South West Area Lead
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 18th November 2024
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For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If you apply for a role that requires a transfer of location, for example if you are transferring from London to a National location, your salary will be adjusted in accordance with our policy on transfer between HQ pay ranges.
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About the job
Job summary
The South West Area Team is recruiting for a G7 Area Lead. Area leads are the experts for their sub-region on local growth challenges and opportunities and manage HMG’s relationships with key delivery partners in these places. Our team works collaboratively with partners in the South West to develop economic growth opportunities, while sharing invaluable insight on regional issues with local and central government to help inform decision making.
Local stakeholders include both the public and private sector and includes external engagement with key business and business representative organisations in the area. You will also manage relationships with key partners within Government and gather and present intelligence to ensure maximum impact.
Area teams are experts on the places. We have a strong grasp of the facts and figures, but facts and figures don’t explain a place. We understand local individuals and institutions. We know how places feel. We know their history. We can tell stories about them and work with them to deliver change. MHCLG, DBT and the centre of Government, rely on area teams to work with people and places across the UK to develop and deliver policies to deliver Ministers’ objectives. The teams are an integral part of the policy development and delivery mechanisms.
The Cities and Local Growth Unit represents the Government Local Growth agenda across the whole of the UK focusing on relationships with local partners and delivery.
It is a joint Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) directorate formed of 5 area teams (North West; Yorkshire, Humber & North East; West Midlands & South West; East Midlands, East Anglia and Ox Cam; London & South East).
Job description
Key responsibilities
As an Area Lead for the South West Area Team, you will:
- Lead Government’s relationships on local growth in your area, including collaborating on economic development plans in the area and supporting local authorities, universities, business groups and others in their interactions with central government.
- Represent CLGU at key regional business representative organisational events/meetings as well as with other businesses in the region.
- Produce high quality local economic intelligence, ensuring impacts of energy costs, supply chain pressures and other high level changes are understood and supporting the HMG response to local economic shocks.
- Use your relationships and influence with partners across Government to feed local knowledge into the design, appraisal, assessment, and decision-making process of policy and programmes design.
- Lead and support Ministerial briefings on regional risks and opportunities and ensure a high-quality service on parliamentary business and ministerial visits.
- Assure delivery of government funded growth projects by local partners through performance management reviews on a regular basis for the larger or more complex local authorities in your area.
- Deputise for and support G5s and / or G6s in their responsibilities as appropriate.
The role may require a specific geographical area focus in the future and therefore some flexibility is required.The role may involve some line management.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
- Proven leadership skills and the ability to identify and advocate an evidence based response to risks/issues/opportunities, even when overlooked by others.
- Excellent oral communication and influencing skills, able to build rapport with colleagues from different backgrounds and experiences.
- Robust written communication skills, able to translate complex policy detail into simple and strategically consistent briefs and speeches.
- Strong organisational skills, able to manage competing/changing deadlines and effectively articulate pressures faced.
- The ability to quickly get up to speed with a range of policy areas, able to adopt a holistic approach to Whitehall policy developments.
- Proactive stakeholder management skills, able to listen to key stakeholder issues/opportunities and translate these into action within government.
Desirable Criteria
- An understanding of the key challenges and opportunities for the South West economy.
- An understanding of local government structures and developments.
- Demonstrated competence using data, including key economic indicators.
Benefits
- 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%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
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.
CV and Cover Letter Declaration
We recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - this is called name blind recruitment.
Please remove references to your:
- name/title
- educational institutions
- age
- gender
- email address
- postal address
- phone number
- nationality/immigration status
You will need to merge your CV and covering letter into one document. When submitting your application Applied will ask you to upload a CV, when doing this you should upload your merged document of your CV and covering letter.
Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that your application would be viewed by different assessors.
At sift, through your CV and covering letter we will be assessing:
Experience
Your covering letter should not be more than 750 words and your CV should not be more than 2 sides of A4 paper.
In your covering letter, please include: a. why you are interested in the role; b. how you meet the essential skills and experience required
The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of the following success profiles elements:
Behaviours: Seeing the Big Picture, Delivering at Pace, Leadership, Communicating and Influencing
Strengths
The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.
Candidates will be expected to complete a presentation at interview stage to assess Communicating and Influencing, further details would be provided upon invitation.
In the full campaign we will test the below Success Profile Elements:
Behaviours: Seeing the Big Picture, Delivering at Pace, Leadership, Communicating and Influencing
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 £51,934 (National).
- For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If you apply for a role that requires a transfer of location, for example if you are transferring from London to a National location, your salary will be adjusted in accordance with our policy on transfer between HQ pay ranges.
Please note that the average employer pension contribution is based upon the National minimum salary for this role. Should your agreed starting salary for this role be different, the average employer pension contribution will be calculated accordingly. If you are a Secondee, this will not apply as you will remain on your home organisation’s terms and conditions.
BENEFITS:
Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018:
Any move to MHCLG 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 MHCLG employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:
- Bristol
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.
SIFT AND INTERVIEW DATES:
Sifting is envisaged to take place w/c 18th November 2024 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.
Candidate Pack Information
Please see attached Candidate pack for further information.
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
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Josie Gough
- Email : josie.gough@businessandtrade.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : recruitment@communities.gov.uk