Engagement Advisor
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 12th May 2024
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About the job
Job summary
The Electoral Integrity Programme (EIP) is a Tier A Government Major Programme which will implement the key commitments framed by the Elections Act 2022. The Programme has a substantial digital transformation element and continues to deliver new policy and processes to support the successful delivery of the Government’s vision.
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 is responsible for ensuring the readiness of the electoral sector to absorb and deliver the changes.
We are looking for an Engagement Advisor to support internal and external communications and engagement. This will be a stretching, fast paced and varied role requiring exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, and the ability to understand rapidly developing government policy.
You will work collaboratively across all aspects of programme communications to support the electoral sector in understanding upcoming changes and the actions they are required to take.
This role involves working with senior officials and ministerial offices to respond to tight deadlines, requiring you to be adept at managing different priorities and keeping up to date across a number of workstreams.
Job description
You will be responsible for:
- Providing high quality, timely and accurate briefing, drafting, advice and feedback to Ministers and senior officials on matters relating to the EIP.
- Supporting engagement with the devolved administrations, including maintaining strong relationships with devolved administration colleagues to build an understanding of their priorities and concerns, and coordinating engagement with representatives from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland at both official, senior official and ministerial level.
- Providing valuable secretariat functions, including chairing and scheduling meetings, preparing agendas, minutes and action logs.
- Supporting internal communications regarding progress of the EIP, including producing regular written updates for circulation to stakeholders across organisations, and coordinating information sharing sessions.
- Working with teams across the department to understand and meet stakeholder engagement needs, responding quickly to requests and effectively managing multiple priorities.
- Maintaining an up to date picture of the priorities and concerns of key stakeholders, and an awareness of upcoming risks.
- Contributing to continuously reviewing existing communications and engagement strategies and proposing improvements to meet evolving priorities.
- Line management and/or matrix management of one or more Executive Officers (EOs), providing direction and support where required.
Person specification
The successful candidate will have:
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 produce high quality advice and briefings.
Experience of leading on stakeholder management and communications.
Excellent relationship management skills and the ability to build productive working relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders.
Confidence to advise senior stakeholders on complex communications and strategic engagement workstreams.
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 to demonstrate effective leadership, and experience of managing people and/or workstreams.
Desirable:
Experience working with ministers and senior civil servants on complex and quickly evolving government policy matters.
Confidence in representing our organisation's interests and the ability to understand potential sensitivities and wider political dimensions of key issues connected to the Electoral Integrity Programme.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
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.
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 be up to 750 words.
In your covering letter and CV, please reference how you meet the essential skills and criteria set out in the job description, providing examples where relevant.
The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of behaviour and strength based questions as listed in the advert. The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.
In full the campaign will test the below Success Profile Elements:
Experience: Yes - Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description
Strength: Yes
Behaviours: Communicating and Influencing, Working Together, Delivering at Pace
We do not consider direct CV applications – 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 £32,178 (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’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.
Location
- Wolverhampton
- Darlington*
- Leeds
- Manchester
*Please note: The Darlington Economic Campus 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.
At present, a minimum of 60% of your working time will be spent in your contractual office location. Requirements to attend other office locations or off-site meetings will be counted towards this. You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process. 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 .13.05.2024 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 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.
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 : Amzie Twells
- Email : Amzie.Twells@levellingup.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk
