Head of Grenfell Litigation Strategy
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 13th May 2024
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About the job
Job summary
We are recruiting for a compelling leader to oversee the team delivering the Department for Levelling Up and Communities' (DLUHC) litigation strategy. The team is within the Grenfell Inquiry and Stewardship Design division and manages the DLUHC’s engagement with the Inquiry, other involved departments, and with all parties involved in ongoing litigation.
The Inquiry is establishing the circumstances that resulted in the fire and will make recommendations to prevent a similar tragedy happening again. The hearings have concluded, and the final report and recommendations are due to be published shortly.
You will be responsible for the department’s response to ongoing litigation ensuring it reflects its broader strategy to help the Grenfell community to recover from the tragedy.
You will also lead the delivery of a Restorative Justice programme. The division is central to DLUHC responding to flaws that allowed the tragedy at Grenfell Tower to happen; to creating a built environment that provides safe homes for generations to come; and to supporting the Grenfell community to find a positive path forwards.
If you want to lead the team to deliver on the important response to the Grenfell Inquiry and related litigation, and have the resilience, empathy and capacity to support the team through ongoing change, we’d love to hear from you. The Head of Grenfell Litigation Strategy will play a critical role in shaping the department’s approach, involving the right stakeholders and providing direction, focus and an excellent environment to their team.
Job description
• Providing visible senior leadership across the team and the wider Group, acting as a passionate ambassador for your team’s work, internally, across government, and externally.
• Setting the strategic direction of the Grenfell Litigation team, assuring the outcomes they deliver.
• Advising senior officials and ministers and providing input into written advice.
• Managing and developing the team and wider division, fostering their dedication to the department’s objectives (Direct line management of 2 x G7, with countersigning responsibility for a number of SEOs and HEOs). Put the right systems, processes and learning and development in place, reflecting diverse needs and experiences.
• Collaborative working with both other G6s in the division and wider Group, supporting the wider work on the Grenfell Inquiry.
• Confidently and empathetically leading a team through a period of change, and the uncertainty that can cause.
• Working closely and collaboratively with influential senior stakeholders in DLUHC, Cabinet Office, Home Office, No10, HM Treasury, Government Legal Department and outside organisations to deliver the department’s response to the final Inquiry report and ongoing litigation.
• Providing progress reports and reassurance to programme, risk and portfolio boards.
• Securing approval for financial business cases internally and from the Treasury.
Person specification
• An engaging, inspiring and conscientious leader of people and teams, with extensive line management experience.
• Comfortable and resilient working in ambiguous and changing circumstances, including possessing the empathy to support your team through change.
• Comfortable building and fostering constructive relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders within and outside of government.
• The ability to spot problems and create solutions to them, including seeking out diverse contributions.
• Experience of skilled, organised delivery in testing, ambiguous and fast-paced environments by working resiliently with a wide range of stakeholders and using appropriate programme and project management.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication, with the ability to communicate and influence concisely and coherently to a wide variety of audiences including senior leaders.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
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 average employer contribution of 27%
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.
Please contact the vacancy manager if you have any questions about the role.
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.
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).
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’ 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!)
At sift, we will be assessing
Behaviour 1 - (lead behaviour) - Leadership
Behaviour 2 - Seeing the Big Picture
Behaviour 3 - Delivering at Pace
Behaviour 4 - Communicating and Influencing
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:
Behaviour – Seeing The Big Picture, Leadership, Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace
Strengths: Yes
The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.
Presentation: Candidates will be expected to prepare a presentation, details of which will be sent on invitation to interview.
In the full campaign we will test the below Success Profile Elements:
Behaviours: Seeing The Big Picture, Leadership, Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace
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 6 salary
- The salary for this role is £67,889 (London) or £61,599 (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 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
- Birmingham
- Wolverhampton
- Darlington*
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:
We will be sifting applicants as we go – so please don’t wait until the deadline to submit your application. Interview dates will be confirmed at a later stage, 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@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 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 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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Jenny Bradley & Jessica Hodgson
- Email : bradley.hodgson@levellingup.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk
