Deputy Director, Housing, Planning and Cities

Job description

About the job

Job summary

Working at HM Treasury puts you at the heart of government, making a difference to the UK economy and ultimately to people's lives right across the UK.

Jobs at the Treasury are fast-paced, fun and can offer unparalleled perspective - not least the opportunity to advise Ministers on the decisions which directly determine the UK's prosperity. Deep in our DNA is a commitment to empowering our people: maximising individual and collective impact, with interesting work no matter your role or seniority.

Day-to-day you could be supporting Ministers to decide the right level of a specific tax or line of government spending; helping maintain the stability of financial markets; analysing the long-term trends impacting the future of the economy; or enabling this work as part of our vital corporate functions.

We are a high-performing department and proud to have outstanding staff from a wide range of backgrounds. We are also a friendly, inclusive and sociable workplace that prides itself on fostering great team spirit. Our two largest offices are 1 Horse Guards Road in London, opposite St James' Park, and the Darlington Economic Campus, which also contains eight other departments. We work seamlessly across all our sites, including Norwich, Birmingham and Leeds, as one Treasury.

We are both a 1,000-year-old institution and dynamic, forward-looking economics and finance ministry, with a strong direction set by our organisational strategy, the Future Treasury Vision. The 21st century offers huge opportunities and poses new challenges for the UK. Working at the Treasury is your chance to help the country chart the right course.

Job description

Are you interested in making life better in the country's least prosperous places? Do you think the Treasury has a part to play in enabling everywhere to prosper?

We're advertising for an exciting role at the heart of the Treasury's work on economic growth and spending. The Treasury's role in crafting economic policy and its oversight of public spending makes it an outstanding place to make a tangible impact on these issues. The role offers the successful candidate the opportunity to work on some of the Government's biggest domestic priorities, with keen interest from the Chancellor and other Ministers.

Your key accountabilities will include:

• Playing an active role in the leadership of the Public Services Group through membership of the Group Management Team. This will include leading on key corporate projects and playing a visible role connecting the Group with colleagues across Treasury.
• Leading the Housing, Planning and Cities team, building capability and The team includes 3 G6s, 7 G7s, and 7 HEO/SEOs. This is a priority for us, and you will set direction for theteam, provide development opportunities and coaching, and pastoral support to build an outstanding team.
• Fostering excellent relationships with senior partners in MHCLG; No 10 including No10 North; external regional growth and housing specialists; MSAs and local government; think tanks; and developers. We are an outward looking team and part of this will involve supporting your team in developing wider links with external stakeholders in order to provide the best advice possible to HM Treasury Ministers.
• Developing and articulating HM Treasury's strategy on housing and planning, including for the Spending Review - this will involve developing a strong understanding of the housing market and planning system, and how to best support economic growth, working with others in HMT to ensure it continues to be an important part of our wider growth strategy. You will develop the HMT view on where HMG should focus its efforts on housing to boost growth and deliver on the government's housing ambitions, as well as how we can get best value from the money we spend on housing for vulnerable people, including homelessness and rough sleeping. This will include working with MHCLG and CO on options for reforming the system to make it more sustainable, effective and better value for money.
• Developing, articulating and working with MHCLG and No 10 North to implement HMG's regional growth strategy, including at the Spending Review - this will involve developing a strong understanding of regional growth, and how we can best use HMT's policy levers to drive it. You will work closely with the Local Government and Reform team to set direction across HMT, to ensure regional growth is at the heart of our wider economic growth strategy, and lead policy development ahead of SR27 on the future of local growth funding, in the context of fiscal devolution and filling in of the devolution map.
• Supporting the team to provide robust financial challenge and support, shifting way of working to align with RESET ways of working and developing clear and consistent approaches to dealing with the new questions, including devolution and greater use of financial transactions.
• Setting and monitoring MHCLG's budgets, supporting and challenging MHCLG on value for money, spending decisions, financial risks, in-year control, and effective governance and delivery capital programmes.

Candidate Drop-In Session

We will be running a candidate drop-in session for this role to give you greater insight about the role as well as the chance to learn more about HM Treasury and the recruitment process. If you would like to join us, then use the appropriate link below to join the call at the right time.

• Candidate drop in session: Friday 21st August @ 11:00
  Microsoft Teams meeting
  
  Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/329454166184649?p=zHKfdxYU9Fz0jM8439
  
  Meeting ID: 329 454 166 184 649
  
  Passcode: uE65NY6h

If you would like to speak to the hiring manager informally prior to the closing date for applications to find out more about the job, please contact: [email protected]

Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

Person specification

While in post, the successful candidate will be expected to perform well across the full range of Senior Civil Service behaviours set out in the Success Profile framework and demonstrate commitment to Civil Service values.

The essential criteria for the purpose of selection are:

1. Experience leading a diverse, inclusive, high-performing team which prioritises wellbeing and mutual support and can deliver on multiple and competing work pressures (Leadership)
2. The abilityto lead on a wide, high-profile, fast-moving portfolio using strong analytical and policy skills, excellent judgement, and strategic thinking (Making Effective Decisions)
3. A track record of analysing a range of qualitative and quantitative information and evaluating evidence to provide good advice to Ministers on key issues (Seeing the Big Picture)
4. Experience building constructive relationships and working confidently with a wide range of senior and external partners, deploying strong personal influencing and negotiating skills (Working Together)

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £86,000, HM Treasury contributes £24,914 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Generous Annual Leave - 25 days (rising to 30 after 5 years), plus public holidays and the King's birthday.
• Outstanding Pension Scheme - Defined Benefit pension with employer contributions of 28.97%
• Parental Leave Packages - Including 6 months' occupational pay for maternity/adoption, shared parental leave options.
• Flexible & Hybrid Working - Options include part-time, job-share, compressed hours, flexitime, and hybrid working (where business needs allow).
• Advance Schemes & Discounts - Rental deposit, cycle-to-work, SmartTech, season ticket loans, and access to HM Treasury's benefits portal for a wide range of discount codes.

You can review HM Treasury's full offer here.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

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

How to Apply

Applications should consist of a CV (of no more than 3 sides) and a 1,000-word personal statement demonstrating evidence of how you meet the skills, behaviours and experience detailed in the person specification.

Please note that only applications submitted through Civil Service Jobs will be accepted.

Applications will be reviewed by the panel to select those which demonstrate the best fit with the post against the criteria set out in the person specification.

Leadership Assessment Stage - Scenario-based Leadership Exercise

If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to undertake a scenario-based leadership exercise as part of the interview process. This assessment will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather it is designed to support the panel's decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview. Further details on this assessment will be provided to shortlisted candidates in due course.

Interview Stage

Candidates will be invited to an interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of previous experience and professional competence. The criteria that will be assessed at interview are:

• Experience
• Strengths
• Behaviours:
  • Leadership
  • Making Effective Decisions
  • Seeing the Big Picture
  • Working Together

The interview will include a presentation. Details of this will be provided to successful candidates nearer the time.

Candidate GuidancePlease review the candidate guidance for an overview of the Success Profiles and STAR approach, along with top tips for applications and interviews.

Recruitment Timeline

• Closing date: Monday 31st August 2026
• Shortlisting: w/c 31st August 2026
• Scenario Based Leadership Exercise: TBC
• Interviews: w/c 7th and 14th September 2026

This timeline is indicative and may be subject to change. We will inform you if there is a substantial change to the recruitment timeline.

If your contact details change at any time during the selection process, please ensure you update your Civil Service Jobs Profile.

Reserve Lists

You will be placed on a reserve list if your application is successful, but we cannot offer you a role immediately. Where more than one location has been advertised, candidates will be posted in merit order by location. You will be asked to provide your location preference on your application form. Please note that a place on the reserve list does not guarantee an offer.

If you are offered a role in your first preferred location and you decline the offer or are unable to take up the post within a reasonable timeframe, you will be removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances.

Those on the reserve list may also be approached for similar roles at a lower grade. If you are offered a role at a lower grade and choose to decline, you can remain on the reserve list.

Internal Fraud Database Check

Candidates cannot apply to roles in the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Successful candidates will be subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database. This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This also applies to those who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the database will be refused employment.

National Security Vetting

Everyone working with government assets must complete Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks. Additionally, successful candidates will be subject to National Security Vetting. The level of security vetting required for this role is Counter-Terrorist Check.

To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out, applicants will need to have lived in the UK for at least 3 out of the past 5 years. You will be asked to provide residency information within your application form, and eligibility for national security vetting will be checked once the advert closing date has passed. In certain circumstances, for example if you have been working abroad on a government posting, a lack of residency would not be a bar to security clearance however the Department will need to consider eligibility on a case-by-case basis once the advert closing date has passed.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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 theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

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

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

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 : Will Burgon
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]

Further information

Complaints Process: Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment based on fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact HMT by email at: [email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.