About the job

Summary

DLUHC’s housing work is divided between four directorates – Housing Markets and Strategy; Social Housing; Housing Delivery and Leasehold and Private Renting.

The Housing Markets and Strategy Directorate leads on our overall housing strategy and the market interventions that deliver that strategy. The Social Housing directorate leads on our work to improve the quality of social housing and the social housing experience. The Housing Delivery Directorate leads on place-based strategies for housing including London. The Leasehold and Private Renting directorate leads on our work to reduce the numbers of people sleeping rough and without a home, and on our work with the private rented sector and on the leasehold market.

These directorates work closely together (for example on home ownership), and also with the Planning directorate. There are also links with our wider Building Safety and Local Government teams, and the directorate is supported by our wider statistical and analytical function.

The Housing Markets and Strategy directorate leads on our work to:

- Develop and implement our overall housing strategy

- Promote productivity and competition in the housing developer market

- Promote investment in market housing

- Make home ownership more accessible and affordable for people

We are looking for a Deputy Director to lead the Housing Supply and Markets Division, a newly formed broader team to take account of the Secretary of State’s ambition in this area. Few things matter more to families than having an affordable, high-quality home to live in. This role plays a key part in helping make that happen, leading on how the Government intervenes in the housing market to best effect to make the market work for consumers and deliver the houses people want and need. This is an exciting opportunity for a policy professional who wants to lead a complex and important agenda to the Secretary of State, whilst taking into account the reality of delivery.

Job description

The work we do influences the lives of everyone, whether it's through the homes we live in, our local councils, or the communities we are all a part of. With a recently new Secretary of State, a new department and so much of our work at the top of the political agenda, this an exciting time to be joining the Housing Markets and Strategy leadership team.

The Housing Supply and Markets DD role is a key role in DLUHC, looking to address some of the biggest challenges to our Housing Market, including: how the Government achieves its significant housing supply ambitions including delivering against the Government’s commitment to build 300,000 houses a year by the mid-2020s, crucial for improving housing affordability in this country. It would also be responsible for the health and effectiveness of the housing market for consumers: reviewing the current market to understand market failures, developing innovative policies and financial incentives and instruments to diversify the market and address those failures as well as responsibility for a number of big housing programmes with our delivery agency Homes England. All with a strong focus on the government priorities of housing quality, consumer choice, net zero and levelling up. This is a great opportunity for individuals who thrive in complex and fast paced environments, working collaboratively across a broad systems to develop coherent policies, enjoy problem solving and managing rapid change and are comfortable operating in a commercial environment.

You will be a key part of a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing team, working flexibly to deliver on one of the Government’s top priorities. As one of the Department’s senior leaders, you will also be a visible role model for the Civil Service leadership behaviours. The Directorate is passionate about diversity and inclusion and welcomes candidates working in flexible working arrangements. We’re also committed to building the department Beyond Whitehall, and so welcome candidates based across the country.

Responsibilities

Working closely with the Director General and other Directors in key areas across the department, in particular the other housing teams, the key elements of the DD Housing Supply and Markets responsibilities will include:

- To set and lead the Department’s overall strategy for housing supply and markets, helping the market to deliver high quality, affordable housing for all

- Lead cross cutting work on the competition in the housing market, working across the department and with the CMA

- Lead the department’s strategy on Modern Methods of Construction, including the MMC taskforce

- Responsible for some of the key relationships with the housebuilding sector and expected to work closely with Homes England in a Policy/Delivery partnership

- Work closely with the other housing and planning directorates, analytical, legal, finance and commercial colleagues

- Run a hub of experts on housing guarantees including managing the £11bn of existing guarantees with HE and support opportunities for new guarantees

- With Homes England run the £1.5bn Levelling Up Home Building Fund and legacy development funds

- Policy and administration of the New Homes Bonus

- Play an active role in the senior leadership of the Group and Directorate, helping to make the Directorate a fantastic place to work

- Lead a team of around 25 people and form part of a 5-strong SCS leadership team in Housing Markets & Strategy

- Lead work to refresh the commitments in the 2017 Housing White Paper

The Person

You will be an experienced and visible leader, able to engage a motivated team working under pressure and at pace, and to actively contribute to the wider leadership agenda of the Directorate and Department.

You will be a highly effective strategic thinker, able to use your judgment, drawing in outside expertise as needed to develop your advice and help Ministers navigate lead an agenda in an uncertain policy environment. You will need to be able to engage effectively across departmental boundaries and outside government at a senior level and have proven and credible experience working with ministers or external equivalent senior stakeholders.

First rate stakeholder handling skills are essential as you will need to work closely with senior leaders across and across the housing sector in this role. You will need to be a collaborator and influencer; and to thrive on handling a broad range of policy and performance oversight issues.

With strong analytical skills, you will understand the wider contextual economic and social issues. You will be able use this insight to develop innovative new policy solutions and challenge established ways of thinking. It is important that you are adept at managing and working with specialists and comfortable with commercial content.

Essential Criteria

The role requires someone with the following:

Experience of developing/ setting complex and cross-cutting strategy (in an economic or social policy making context).

Managing complex programmes/funds.

An inspiring, confident and empowering leader, who can lead effectively through ambiguity and get the best out of a diverse workforce through promoting an inclusive, high performance culture.

Strong analytical and strategic capability, with the ability to use evidence to solve complex problems.

A track record of driving successful delivery at pace and managing risks effectively, including the ability to adapt to changing situations.

The ability to develop, maintain and influence senior networks across Whitehall and externally A record of working effectively with senior stakeholders which may include Ministers and/or comparable senior groups externally, and the judgement to handle sensitive and political issues confidently with acumen.

Knowledge of housing policy is an advantage, but not essential.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role

•An environment with flexible working options

• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

• A Civil Service pension