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Civil Service Grade 6 (G6) jobs

There are currently 89 G6 vacancies open across the Civil Service.

Grade 6 is the most senior grade below the Senior Civil Service, and in most departments it means heading a division: several Grade 7s and their teams, a budget, and direct accountability to a Deputy Director. There are far fewer Grade 6 vacancies than Grade 7 vacancies at any time, which is worth knowing before you build a job search around them.

A Grade 6 is expected to run a portfolio rather than a subject. Where a Grade 7 owns a policy area deeply, a Grade 6 holds several and decides where the effort goes between them — which usually means being the person who says no. The grade is often described internally as the first where your job is genuinely about trade-offs rather than delivery.

Grade 6 roles concentrate in the areas where departments carry the most risk: major programmes, finance, commercial, legal, analysis and the policy areas closest to ministers. Several of the specialist professions also use Grade 6 as the senior technical grade for people who lead through expertise rather than through a large hierarchy.

On assessment, Grade 6 shares its behaviour level with Grade 7, so the framework does not change — but the examples panels expect are wider. They want evidence of leading through other leaders, of decisions affecting more than your own division, and of the judgement to protect a long-term objective when short-term pressure would be easier to satisfy. Because these campaigns are small, the sift is unforgiving.

Live vacancies

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The full board also shows how many posts each campaign is filling, which the official results list does not.

Common questions

What is the difference between Grade 7 and Grade 6?
Grade 7 typically owns a policy area or programme in depth; Grade 6 typically heads a division containing several Grade 7 teams, holds a budget, and decides how effort is allocated between competing priorities.
How many Grade 6 vacancies are advertised?
Considerably fewer than at Grade 7 — it is a much smaller population of posts, and a proportion are filled internally or by managed move. Saving a search on this board is the practical way to hear about them promptly.
Is Grade 6 in the Senior Civil Service?
No. Grade 6 is the most senior delegated grade. The Senior Civil Service starts at SCS Pay Band 1, usually a Deputy Director post.
Do Grade 6 roles always involve managing large teams?
Not always. In several specialist professions Grade 6 is the senior technical grade, where you lead through expertise and influence rather than a large reporting line. The advert will make the shape of the role clear.