Rewiring the State Deputy Director, No.10 North

No10 North is a new and fast-moving team at the heart of government.

This high-profile SCS1 role within No 10 North leads the Rewiring the State Unit for the Prime Minister and First Secretary of State, shaping the Government’s approach to devolution across departments.

Working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, HM Treasury and Departments across government the postholder will drive work to turn the Cabinet Statement commitments on Rewiring the State into a clear strategy and deliverable programme, aligning policy, fiscal, public service and civil service reform levers.

The Deputy Director will lead a multidisciplinary unit, providing clear advice to senior leaders, Ministers and the Prime Minister. They will need to build collective ownership across domestic policy departments and drive the Prime Minister’s agenda forward through strong relationships and personal impact.

They will also oversee a genuinely UK-wide approach, working with Offices for the Nations and Devolved Governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The role holder will also work closely with the Future Civil Service programme team and UK Mayors to strengthen capacity and capability at all levels of government.

As a member of the Senior Civil Service, the postholder will be expected to provide visible, inclusive leadership; set strategic direction; make sound decisions in a complex political environment; manage people, resources, risk and delivery; uphold the Civil Service Code; and contribute actively to the wider leadership and corporate priorities of No 10 North, No 10 Downing Street and the Office for the Prime Minister.

The postholder will be expected to support the development and design of No10 North, and will need to be comfortable with the roles and responsibilities of the team evolving over time.

As Rewiring the State Deputy Director in No 10 North, your key responsibilities will include:

• Leading work across Departments, including in particular with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, HM Treasury and the Office for the Prime Minister, to drive forward the commitments outlined in the Rewiring the State Cabinet Statement.
• Working closely with special advisors and Ministers to shape the Prime Minister and First Secretary’s priorities for this agenda.
• Leading your team to provide high-quality, timely and candid written and verbal advice to the Prime Minister, Ministers and senior leaders, drawing together evidence, delivery insight and stakeholder perspectives.
• Building strong and influential relationships with senior leaders in domestic policy departments, Offices for the Nations, Strategic Authorities, Mayors, local government and other partners.
• Leading, motivating and developing a multidisciplinary unit, creating an inclusive and fun culture with clear objectives, delegated authority, high levels of resilience and strong performance.
• Be accountable for the unit’s resources, workforce planning, risks, assurance and delivery standards, ensuring value for money and effective governance.
• Contributing as a corporate leader across No 10, including talent, inclusion, capability and wider organisational priorities.

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 and Experience.

Candidate Information Session

No10 North will be holding an informal virtual information session on Wednesday 4th November 2026 between 10:00 & 10:30 (subject to change) for potential applicants to find out more about the role of Rewiring the State Deputy Director . Whether you are contemplating an application, or simply want more insight into the role and its potential impact, this session will provide you with a much better understanding of the environment, expectations and ambitions of the Office for the Prime Minister agendas.

To Join:

Wednesday 04-11-2026 at 10:00

Time zone: Europe/London

Video call link: Candidate information session: Rewiring the State SCS 1

Application process

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process, outlined below. This should be completed no later than 23:55pm, Thursday 12th November 2026.

1. A CV (max 2 pages) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.

2. A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience meet the essential criteria and how you would lead this portfolio at Deputy Director level. Use clear examples that show the scale of your responsibility, the choices you made, how you influenced others and the outcomes achieved.

Failure to complete both sections of the online application form (CV and Statement of Suitability) will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say’. See the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for more information.

Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with us via: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Candidates wishing to submit their application via High Side, please contact no10recruitment@no10.gov.uk

Shortlist

Your application will be acknowledged when it is received.

A panel, including the panel chair Will Davis, Policy Director will assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the ‘Person Specification’ section. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.

Assessment

If you are successful at the application stage, you will be invited to attend a panel interview, in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification. We will be assessing against the following Success Profiles at interview: Experience and Behaviours.

Full details of the Interview process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.

Candidates may have the opportunity to meet the wider team ahead/following panel interview, this will not form part of the assessment or selection process. This is to give candidates a feel of the culture and working environment to help them make an informed decision if they are successful in the role.

If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies in the Civil Service requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without the need for a new competition.

Offer

Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

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

• Contact Government Recruitment Service at: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the ‘assistance required’ section in the ‘personal information’ page of your application form to provide information we should be aware of that will enable us to support you further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to the Office for the Prime Minister from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.

Current Civil Servants (all contract types) will need to ensure that they are still employed as a civil servant at the point of starting in the relevant new post. If their contract ends (e.g. end of FTA contract or resignation) at any point during the recruitment/onboarding process for the advertised role, they will no longer be eligible and may be withdrawn.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

If successful you must hold or be willing to obtain SC level of security clearance. More information about the vetting process can be found at the following link: . More information about the vetting process can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/united-kingdom-security-vetting

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

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