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Civil Service Grade 6 (G6) jobs

There are currently 67 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

Search and filter all 67 vacancies

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.

Vacancy data is sourced from Civil Service Jobs. This tracker is not affiliated with the Civil Service or the Cabinet Office.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.