Job Description

Details

Reference number

325721

Salary

\xc2\xa332,178

The salary for this role is \xc2\xa335,400 (London) or \xc2\xa332,178 (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.

A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Job grade

Higher Executive Officer

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

Elections

Type of role

Project Delivery

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share

Number of jobs available

1


Contents

• Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information

Location

Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Wolverhampton
About the job

Job summary

The Electoral Integrity Programme (EIP) in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is a Tier A Government Major Programme in the Infrastructure and Projects Authority\xe2\x80\x99s Government Major Projects Programme Portfolio.
During the lifetime of this Parliament, we will implement the key Government manifesto and Ministerial commitments framed by the Elections Act 2022. The Act requires a substantial programme of change to the way in which elections work in the UK.
The commitments include:

• the introduction of voter identification at polling stations in Great Britain;
• the removal of the 15-year limit on overseas electors\' voting rights and making it easier for British expatriates to vote in UK Parliamentary elections;
• improving the security and integrity of elections (including on digital imprints, political finance and intimidation);
• ensuring reciprocal voting and candidacy rights of EU citizens;
• making the change to the first-past-the-post electoral system for Mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections;
• making changes to processes for proxy and postal voting;
• improving accessibility of voting in polling stations for disabled voters; and
• Electoral Commission reform.

The EIP will deliver this transformational work, giving effect to the Elections Act and a substantial volume of secondary legislation. The EIP has a substantial digital transformation element and continues to develop and deliver new policy and processes to support the successful delivery of the Government\xe2\x80\x99s vision.
This is an exciting time to join our dynamic and growing Programme, and make your contribution to the most significant set of changes to electoral law by the UK Government in many years. This high profile and ambitious programme of work continues to draw significant attention within Parliament, across the media and from a wide variety of commentators interested in how our democracy works.
The EIP works with a range of stakeholders, including local government elections teams, the Electoral Commission, Ministers, parliamentarians, the Devolved Administrations, civil society organisations and other government departments.
The Business Change Team, within the Programme, is responsible for ensuring the readiness of the electoral sector to absorb and deliver the changes.
We are now looking for a Communications and Engagement Adviser, which is at the heart of successful delivery of the Programme. The role will involve working with projects across the EIP to produce communications materials for a range of audiences.
This will be a stretching and varied role requiring exceptional stakeholder management skills, excellent written and verbal communication skills, a good understanding of a wide range of policy areas, and an ability to design and manage process.

Job description

You will be part of a dynamic team in a fast-paced environment, delivering a major government change programme. You will be responsible for delivering clear and compelling communications to a variety of stakeholders, including the electoral sector, parliamentarians and the public, to help ensure that they are aware of the changes the EIP is implementing. You will work collaboratively across all aspects of EIP engagement and communications, working with the SEO Engagement Lead, SEO Communications Lead and Grade 7 Head of Partner Engagement, to deliver high quality advice and guidance. Alongside the existing HEO Communications and Engagement Advisers, you will have responsibility for providing support across a varied and exciting range of EIP priorities. It will be critical that you are a self-starter; comfortable handling a high degree of ambiguity, often within exact deadlines. You will need to be adept at managing different priorities and keeping up to date across a number of workstreams. This role is a great opportunity to develop your engagement and communications skills and build a profile within the wider Department. Key responsibilities may include:

• Providing high quality, timely and accurate advice and feedback to Ministers and Senior Officials on matters relating to the EIP.
• Supporting the implementation of one or more of the policies from the Elections Act.
• Working with the Business Change Implementation Team to produce regular written updates and newsletters for circulation to stakeholders across the sector.
• Leading on internal communications regarding progress of the EIP, including producing regular written updates for circulation to stakeholders.
• Working with teams across the Department to understand and meet stakeholder engagement needs.
• Proposing improvements to meet the evolving priorities of colleagues and stakeholders.
• Scheduling meetings with key stakeholders and preparing agendas, taking minutes and an action log for engagement.
• Line management of an EO, providing direction and support where required.

Person specification

Essential:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience of translating complex messages into quality written products for a range of audiences, and the ability to write succinct, clear advice and briefings.
• Experience of stakeholder management and/or communications.
• Excellent relationship management skills and the ability to build productive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Confidence to brief senior colleagues and external stakeholders and to give communications advice.
• The ability to work under pressure to urgent or shifting deadlines, including the ability to work flexibly on quickly changing or multiple priorities.
• The ability and confidence to advise senior colleagues.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of elections and registration policies.
• Confidence in representing the Department\xe2\x80\x99s interests, and the ability to understand potential sensitivities and wider political dimensions of key issues connected to the Programme.

Behaviours

We\'ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of \xc2\xa332,178, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities contributes \xc2\xa38,688 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%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

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.
We are for everyone
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 \xe2\x80\x93 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).
At application stage you will be asked to upload a CV document. 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.
Your answers are randomised and chunked up. This means that each assessor views sets of responses to questions for example all candidates\xe2\x80\x99 responses to \xe2\x80\x98Seeing the Big Picture\xe2\x80\x99 rather than seeing a candidate\xe2\x80\x99s 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\xe2\x80\x99t 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
Experience (Lead Criteria): In no more than 250 words, why do you think you are suitable for this role? Behaviour: Seeing the Big Picture Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing Behaviour: Delivering at Pace
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 progress straight to assessment/interview
The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of the following success profiles elements: Behaviours Experience 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: Seeing the Big Picture, Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace Experience: Yes Strengths: Yes
We do not consider direct CV applications to our Recruitment mailbox \xe2\x80\x93 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. HEO salary

• The salary for this role is \xc2\xa335,400 (London) or \xc2\xa332,178 (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\xe2\x80\x99s terms and conditions.
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:

• Wolverhampton
• Leeds
• Cardiff
• Edinburgh

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. The locations listed in this advert are the only locations available for this role and cannot be negotiated. SIFT AND INTERVIEW DATES: Sifting is envisaged to take place W/C 27th November 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.
Candidate Pack Information Please see attached Candidate pack for further information. Before starting your application it\xe2\x80\x99s 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

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

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.
Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• 
  Name :
  Daniel Wood
  Email :
  daniel.wood@levellingup.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• 
  Email :
  recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk