Job summary
We are looking for a dynamic strategy Lead to help grow and shape the new Strategy Unit within the Safer Greener Buildings group. The Group was established following the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire to make sure that buildings are safe, and that residents feel safe in them, now and in the future. The �10bn remediation programme is one of the largest programmes in government with significant political and stakeholder interest. We are making a tangible real-word impact by fixing the errors of the past and shaping the future of the built environment.
The Strategy Unit is a welcoming and collaborative place to work, leading on innovative strategic thinking, and dealing with urgent, complex, and challenging policy considerations and political demands. The Strategy Unit plays an important role in setting strategic direction, ensuring ministerial priorities are delivered, anticipating threats to the portfolio and delivering proactive strategy development. It has a critical role in long-term strategic planning and horizon scanning, as well as building and promoting a positive culture and ways of working across the remediation portfolio.
As a strategy lead, you will lead teams to provide direction to the programme�s strategy and help solve the most challenging and impactful problems that it faces. You will also work with the Head of the Strategy Unit to build strategic capacity across teams and engage with the Group�s senior leadership to understand and tackle challenges to making buildings and residents safe as quickly as possible. You will be responsible for developing and maintaining the portfolio strategy, undertaking strategic analysis, strategic coordination and leading critical projects. You will normally lead two projects: a reactive project, responding at pace to urgent departmental priorities, and a proactive project, undertaking original research to shape the Group�s strategic direction and to ensure it meets its strategic objectives. You will regularly collaborate with senior civil servants across the different teams throughout the group, whilst managing your own project teams.
The role is a great opportunity to gain experience working across a broad range of policy areas with significant exposure to senior decision making. We work across programmes, with policy and strategy teams across the department and across Whitehall. We are a small and friendly team and are looking for an enthusiastic team player who will work collaboratively and confidently lead teams.
Job description
1. Direction setting for the remediation portfolio, working regularly and closely with senior civil servants to achieve this by developing and maintaining the remediation strategy which underpins the remediation portfolio, theory of change and delivery plans. Using strategy tools, methodologies and strategic analysis to proactively adapt it. This includes ongoing development of strategic objectives and collaborating on departmental objectives.
2. Working collaboratively with teams across the department at pace to spot opportunities, risks and interdependencies. Keep abreast of and react to developments across government by developing and maintaining tools such as horizon scanning to generate a strong understanding of developments coming down the track to support decision-making. Grip emerging issues and identify solutions.
3. Incubate and test new ideas. Lead priority strategy projects to solve strategic problems across the portfolio.
4. Leadership and line management of multidisciplinary teams to deliver objectives, ensuring they feel supported to deliver under pressure whilst maintaining an inclusive environment. Seek continuous improvement.
5. Establish and maintain good working relationships with Private Offices, programme teams, policy teams, central strategy teams and others.
We will run an information session on Wednesday 25th�September for applicants ( Please use the link below.)
Information session link: Microsoft Teams�Meeting ID:�337 687 878 700 Passcode:�EpCALw
Person specification
6. Critical and creative thinking. You will possess the ability to creatively source evidence and form reflective, well informed judgements on this basis. You are confident at getting into the nitty gritty detail as well as standing back and seeing the big picture. You are adept at developing strategic solutions to complex situations where there could be competing interests or incomplete information.
7. Strong organisational skills. You have the ability to effectively manage multiple, sometimes conflicting priorities and workstreams whilst delivering high-quality results. You are experienced at delivering outputs at pace, reprioritising less urgent work when necessary. You will sometimes coordinate work delivered by others outside of your line management chain so will need to set out clear processes and workplans, communicating these to ensure delivery.
8. Excellent interpersonal skills. You are skilled at developing positive, trusting relationships with a range of stakeholders at all levels and across organisational boundaries. You collaborate effectively with others to build consensus, influence outcomes and challenge consensus when necessary. As strategy lead you are expected to fulfil a critical friend function for other teams and business areas.
9. Leadership experience, covering two elements. First, you should be able to provide cross-cutting leadership across teams and feel confident providing challenge to seniors when appropriate. Second, you should be able to provide leadership to your project team maintaining a strong focus on team wellbeing and morale. As a strategy lead you will deliver on complex issues calmly, professionally and at pace; and be committed to developing and empowering your colleagues.
Desirable criteria
10. Experience in implementing strategy methodologies and tools such as theory of change, systems thinking, futures thinking, scenario modelling etc.
11. Experience leading projects across multiple teams, a department or organisation.
12. Experience working with qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to surface and interrogate evidence to achieve outcomes.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of �51,934, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes �15,045 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
13. Learning and development tailored to your role
14. An environment with flexible working options
15. A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
16. A with an employer contribution of