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Senior
Leadership
Careers

Senior Civil Servants (SCS) comprise the four highest leadership levels across government.

They form the executive leadership team within each department. SCS are responsible for ensuring that the Civil Service delivers the best services for the public.

As the MHCLG’s senior leaders, our SCS are also visible role models for the Civil Service leadership behaviours. These can be found in the Civil Service Leadership Statement.

A woman wearing a sunflower lanyard. A colleague beside her is touching her shoulder reassuringly.

Read the Leadership Statement

Your application

We advertise all SCS roles on Civil Service Jobs. Candidates submit applications through BeApplied. When applying for SCS roles in MHCLG you will typically be asked to provide a CV and statement of suitability.

Your CV and statement will be reviewed by the Hiring Panel. Candidates who best meet the role’s essential criteria will be invited for interview.

CV

Please include key responsibilities, achievements and relevant qualifications. Ensure you provide reasons for any gaps within the last two years. You’ll need to include two referees.

Statement of Suitability

Your statement of suitability explains how your skills, qualities and experience make you suitable for the role. You should directly address the essential criteria provided in the job advert.

The Selection Process

Staff Engagement Groups

At MHCLG we hold Staff Engagement Groups as an integral part of the recruitment process for Senior Civil Servants. These sessions help the panel gain insight into your leadership style. demonstrating how you might engage with your team should you be successful.

During your Staff Engagement Group you’ll meet with some MHCLG staff members to facilitate a discussion around a set topic. The purpose of the session is to assess your engagement and communication skills. It is not about testing your subject knowledge or expertise for a particular role. Feedback from the session is considered alongside your final interview.

Interview

The selection process concludes with a panel interview. The questions are centred around the role’s essential criteria.

During the interview you may be asked to take part in a technical exercise or to prepare a short presentation. Details of this will be in the job advert and in correspondence from the SCS Recruitment team.

Prior to your interview, you may be invited to a meeting with a Minister or the Secretary of State, and/or other senior stakeholders. This is not a formal part of the selection process. It’s an informal chance for you to find out more about the role and the organisation.

Security Clearance

All SCS roles within MHCLG will require you to have or obtain Security Check (SC) clearance.

If you don’t already hold this clearance, you will need to apply for it during your onboarding and it may take up to 12 weeks to receive. Some roles may also need you to obtain Developed Vetting (DV) clearance while in post.

For further information on security clearance please visit the application guidance page.

Civil Service Accelerated Development Schemes

The Civil Service Accelerated Development Schemes aim to develop high-potential individuals to build a robust and diverse pipeline to the most senior and critical Civil Service roles.

Find out more about Accelerated Development Schemes

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