Chartered Surveyor – Technical Lead

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This role is part of HMRC Valuation Office, formerly known as the Valuation Office Agency. We have recently integrated into HMRC.

HMRC Valuation Office are the public sector’s property valuation experts and advisers with a vision to be a world-leading provider of public sector valuations. Our work is vital to the collection of over £60 billion of revenue which goes back into communities, touching every citizen and every business across England and Wales.

There is also a Technical Lead vacancy available in an alternative region (VACANCY REF: 481109). If you would like to be considered for both roles, please submit a separate application for each vacancy.

Role Overview

The Council Tax Unit plays a vital role in delivering fair and consistent Council Tax valuations across England and Wales. As a Council Tax Technical Lead, you will be at the forefront of this work, providing expert technical leadership on complex valuation, legislative and procedural matters.

As a recognised specialist in Council Tax valuation, you will provide authoritative advice on complex proposals, appeals and emerging technical issues, helping to ensure technical decisions are robust, evidence-based and applied consistently across the Council Tax Unit.

Working closely with operational leaders, quality colleagues and Chief Valuer Directorate teams, you will help shape valuation practice, strengthen technical capability and drive continuous improvement across a nationally dispersed operation.

Join a highly skilled professional community where your expertise will influence decision-making, support the development of others and contribute to the delivery of a trusted and high-quality valuation service.

Key responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership, guidance and support to colleagues across the Council Tax Unit.
• Act as a recognised technical expert, providing authoritative advice on complex technical cases.
• Interpret and apply Council Tax legislation, case law and wider legal principles to support consistent operational decision making.
• Support litigation by preparing and presenting cases before the Valuation Tribunal and assisting in the preparation of appeals to High Court and higher where required.
• Undertake horizon scanning activities to identify issues, assessing potential impacts and developing appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Build effective working relationships with operational leaders and stakeholders to support the delivery of accurate, consistent and customer focused outcomes.
• Contribute specialist Council Tax expertise to wider business improvement, transformation and change initiatives.
• Lead the development, review and maintenance of technical guidance and instructions for the Council Tax Unit.
• Design and deliver technical learning that strengthen technical knowledge and promote consistency.
• Coach, mentor and support colleagues, helping to develop capability and improve quality across the Unit.

Full RICS Professional membership (MRICS or FRICS) or IRRV

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply

If you can meet our person requirements above, we are keen to hear from you.

To apply for this post, you must complete an online application with the following:

A CV setting out your Job History, Full Qualifications, Previous skills and experiences.

A Personal Statement (maximum 750 words), please outline your suitability for the role. Please pay particular attention to the ‘Essential Requirements’ and ‘Person Specification’ outlined in the advert when providing your answer.

Sift: 5th & 6th October 2026

Please note these dates are provisional and may be subject to change.

We will assess you on your CV and Personal Statement.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead criteria:

Advanced technical expertise in Council Tax valuation and associated legislation with the credibility to provide authoritative advice and guidance on complex matters.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

Interviews - 20th & 21st October 2026

Please note these dates are provisional and may be subject to change. These will be confirmed should you be invited to interview.

Interviews are currently taking place using Microsoft Teams Video. We will provide more detail if you are shortlisted for interview.

We will assess you on the Behaviours listed in the job description, Strengths, Presentation and Technical questions.

At the interview, the panel can then probe further and ask applicants to provide further specific examples that show how they best demonstrate their skills.

Presentation

You will also be required to conduct a 5-minute presentation.

Information on the presentation topic will be provided to you if you are shortlisted for interview.

Technical

You will be asked technical questions at interview.

Eligibility

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. Mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we may not be able to reopen your application for you.

If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, or have withdrawn yourself in error and need your application reinstated whilst the campaign is still live, please contact us via: resourcingteamvo@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – 481023 & vacancy closing date 01 October 2026’.

To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.

Application Hints and Tips

For more information on Success Profiles, tips on how to write a successful application and find out more about what’s involved in the application process please visit About the application process , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk).

Further Information

Internal role title will be known as Council Tax - Technical Lead

Hybrid working at HMRC

HMRC is an office-based organisation, and colleagues are expected to spend 60% of their working time in the office. Our offices provide opportunity for interaction, collaboration which aids learning and development and a sense of community. Where the role allows it, and where the home environment is suitable, colleagues can work from home for up to 2 days a week, averaged over a calendar month (or a proportionate amount of time for colleagues who work less than full time).

Reasonable Adjustments

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact the UBS Recruitment Team via resourcingteamvo@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Criminal Record Check

Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

Additional Security Information

Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for CTC is 3 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.

From 1 April 2026, applicants will be required to meet updated nationality and residency requirements so that National Security Vetting (NSV) checks can be conducted. If this affects you, we will give you more information at the appropriate time.

Locations

As part of the application process, you will be asked to tell us which of the locations available you can work in. You will be able to select only 1 location. Please be aware that you can be posted to any location that you put in your preferences.

Successful candidates must select one of the locations noted in this advert as their base office and will be expected to undertake regular travel to this location under HMRC hybrid working policy.

A full UK Driving Licence is essential to this role. However, if you are considered disabled under the Equality Act 2010 and do not hold a full driving licence, we will consider your application. Please contact resourcingteamvo@hmrc.gov.uk before you start/submit your application with your details to discuss this further.

Terms & Conditions

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Reserve Lists

If we have more successful candidates than available vacancies, we will hold 6-month reserve list. During that time, we may use the list to fill the same, or similar roles with closely matching essential criteria, without further testing of merit. Any appointments from the Reserve list will be made in strict merit order.

Concerns/Complaints

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you may make a complaint, by contacting the Central Recruitment Team at the following address: resourcingteamvo@hmrc.gov.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.