Programme Director - Local Land Charges

Job description

About the job

Job summary

Millions of people and businesses rely on HM Land Registry every year for guaranteed and trusted information on property ownership which covers properties worth around £8 trillion. Understanding and protecting the nation's land ownership, and its potential use and value, is vital to a successful economy and a sustainable future.

The Local Land Charges programme is driving the large-scale transformation of local authorities' data, digitising Local Land Charges information to create a single national digital register and make the home buying and selling process more efficient.

With the programme well established, the next phase will focus on delivering the remaining authorities while building on the data capability already created and exploring how AI and emerging technology can be used at scale to process, interpret and unlock greater value from this and other similar data.

Job description

As programme director for our multi-award-winning Local Land Charges initiative, you will have overall responsibility for managing the roadmap, delivery and risk management, leading a large in-house team and managing key commercial relationships, including the programme delivery partner and Local Authority IT suppliers. You will work closely with local and central government stakeholders to ensure successful delivery and help shape the next phase of digital and data transformation.

As our programme director, you will be responsible for:

• Provide strategic leadership across the full programme lifecycle, overseeing the roadmap, delivery, implementation, governance, risks, resources and benefits realisation, ensuring the Local Land Charges programme remains aligned with HM Land Registry's strategic priorities.
• Lead a geographically dispersed, multidisciplinary team of 400+ colleagues, including the senior programme team, creating a high-performing, engaged and supportive environment that encourages innovation, professional development and continuous improvement.
• Build and maintain strong senior stakeholder relationships across HM Land Registry, including Executive and Non-Executive Board members and key internal teams, while developing strategic partnerships with other government departments and 300+ local authorities to support successful programme delivery and wider transformation across the property sector.
• Lead the transition of the programme team, ensuring HMLR staff are effectively supported through changes to ways of working, while maintaining strong communication and engagement across the programme. Work closely with local authorities, technology suppliers and delivery partners to ensure operational readiness and successful completion of the programme.
• Lead commercial and financial management of the programme, overseeing budgets, suppliers, business cases, investment decisions and value for money, while managing key strategic delivery risks and ensuring resources and capability are secured at the appropriate stages.
• Contribute at Executive level to the wider transformation agenda, supporting Executive Committees and the Land Registry Board with effective programme governance, strategic decision-making and oversight, while identifying opportunities to build on the programme's data transformation capability and deliver further economic benefits.

Person specification

To be successful in this role, you will be required to demonstrate the following criteria throughout the recruitment process.

Essential Technical Skills and Qualifications:

• Must hold or be willing to work towards Major Projects Leadership Academy qualification.
• Project Leaders Programme, MSP Practitioner, or equivalent qualification or experience.

Essential Experience:

• Demonstrable experience and associated evidence successfully leading and managing high value, high profile, complex and multifaceted programmes and projects.
• Significant experience as a proactive and visible driving force behind transformational change, including customer and workforce transformation.
• Strong commercial and financial awareness, with experience of cultivating successful relationships with external suppliers to drive value for money and flexibility
• Evidence of building strong business cases to secure resources and alignment of sponsorship from different parties
• Able to shape the business direction and strategy through anticipating and identifying trends and shifts in relevant technological, political, economic, social, and/or environmental developments.
• Significant leadership experience, including at executive board level, ideally in a heavily unionised environment.

Desirable Experience:

• Previous experience at programme director and executive level
• Data transformation experience
• Knowledge and understanding of central and local government environments

Please note that you will not be assessed against the desirable criteria during the recruitment process.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £95,000, HM Land Registry contributes £27,521 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).

#WeAreHMLR

At HM Land Registry our vision is a world leading property market as part of a thriving economy and a sustainable future. We are unique in terms of the economic and social impacts of our work, our ability to make a positive difference to the lives of our customers, our sense of mission, and our great people. They are the foundation of all we have achieved and all we aspire to in the future. We want our people to feel proud to work for HM Land Registry and able to fulfil their full potential.

We have a strong and positive culture, a commitment to inclusivity, an emphasis on continuous learning and development, and flexible ways of working. We offer competitive pay and annual leave, attractive pension options and a wide range of other benefits.

• We have integrity - we value honesty, trust and doing the right thing in the right way.
• We drive innovation - we are forward-thinking, embrace change and are continually improving our processes.
• We are professional - we value and grow our knowledge and professional expertise.
• We give assurance - we guarantee our services and provide confidence to the property market.

You can find more information on our rewards package on our website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry/about/recruitment#what-hm-land-registry-can-offer-you

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.

We highly value diversity in all its forms and welcome applications from all sections of society.

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process through our chosen executive search provider, Global Resourcing, accessed via the following email: [email protected]

Once you have emailed the above address, you will receive a reply containing a link to a microsite and full instructions on how to submit your application. You will also have the opportunity to book a briefing call to learn more about the role and ask any questions you may have.

Contact Information:

Should you like to discuss the role in more detail before submitting an application, please contact Bev Evans by emailing [email protected] or by calling 020 8253 1806.

If successful at the shortlisting stage, you will be invited to attend a Staff Engagement Exercise which will be held on week commencing 12 October 2026 and further details will be issued to the successful candidates at the sift stage. A blended interview will follow the Staff Engagement Exercise, which we anticipate will be held on week commencing 19 October 2026. You will be asked to deliver a short presentation as part of the interview. Full details will be provided to those successful at sift to support your preparation.

HMLR is accredited to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. DCS applicants who meet the minimum criteria at shortlisting may be invited to attend an interview. There may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all DCS applicants that meet the minimum criteria for the job. For example, when we receive high number of applications. In these circumstances we may select the DCS applicants who best meet the minimum criteria for the job, rather than all of those that meet the minimum criteria, as we would do for non-disabled applicants.

If you require the panel to consider a reasonable adjustment or there is anything else you would like the panel to take into consideration, you are asked to notify us of this at application stage where possible or during the process as soon as it becomes a requirement.

Visa Sponsorship - Please note that we will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa where a role is in a certain business critical category. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a skilled worker visa. You must ensure you have the appropriate right to work in the UK before applying.

Salary

Remuneration for this role is expected to be between £95,000 to £100,000 per annum.

For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply. If appointed on promotion, you will be appointed to the salary band minimum for SCSPB1 - Director, or receive a 10% uplift on your existing salary, whichever is greater. Individuals appointed on level transfer will retain their existing salary. Standard pay rules apply for existing civil servants.

Please note that, if successful, any existing specialist allowances you currently receive will not automatically transfer to or be retained in this role.

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.

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 : Bev Evans
• Email : [email protected]
• Telephone : 020 8253 1806

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance to the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, please email [email protected] in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from HM Land Registry then you may take your complaint to the Civil Service Commission: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/making-complaint/