Senior Insight Manager

We are MHCLG

This is an exciting time to join the Communications Insight and Evaluation team at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). As one of the Government's highest-profile departments, we are delivering on many of the Prime Minister's key priorities, including housing, devolution, local growth and community cohesion. Our work helps ensure that communications are rooted in a deep understanding of audiences, enabling the department to engage people effectively and demonstrate the impact of its activity.

As a Senior Insight Manager, you'll play a key role in shaping the future of government communications. You'll help drive the transformation towards a more digitally-led, audience-centred approach, using insight, research and evaluation to inform strategy, optimise content and improve performance across owned, earned and paid channels. Working alongside colleagues from across communications, policy and the wider Government Communication Service, you'll ensure that evidence is at the heart of decision-making. You'll also have the opportunity to lead and support insight and evaluation for high-profile campaigns that address some of the country's most important challenges. From helping social housing residents understand their rights to supporting behaviour change and public engagement on major government priorities, you'll use robust evidence to shape campaigns, measure their effectiveness and generate learning that improves future communications activity. Working as part of a small, ambitious and highly regarded team you'll have significant autonomy, exposure to senior stakeholders and Special Advisors, and opportunities to influence communications on some of government's highest-profile priorities.

Supported by the Head of Insight and our stand-by research agency you'll act as a trusted adviser to colleagues across the department, helping them identify insight needs, frame research questions and select the most effective approaches to generate actionable evidence. No two projects are the same. One day you could be evaluating a major national campaign, the next conducting audience research to understand the most effective channels, messages or content strategies to reach key audiences. Throughout, you'll ensure that all work meets the highest professional standards, drawing on Government Social Research, Government Communication Service and Market Research Society best practice. This is a unique opportunity to influence high-profile communications activity, develop expertise across the full insight and evaluation lifecycle, and help shape how government uses evidence to deliver better outcomes for citizens.

• Lead on building the evidence base around some of the government's most important social and housing challenges, likely including strengthening community cohesion, improving building and fire safety, and supporting efforts to end rough sleeping, becoming the team’s trusted insight expert in these areas.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with communications, policy and digital colleagues, as well as external research and creative agency partners, acting as a trusted adviser to ensure insight and evidence are embedded in communications planning and delivery.
• Lead the design, commissioning and delivery of high-quality insight, research and evaluation projects to support departmental communications priorities and decision-making. These will include campaign evaluations, deep dive message testing work and public opinion tracking.
• Analyse and synthesise evidence from multiple sources, including primary research, digital analytics, campaign performance data and external evidence, translating complex findings into clear, actionable recommendations for a non-analyst audience including Senior Leaders and Special Advisors.
• Support the department’s transition towards a more digitally-led and audience centred communications model by championing the use of insight, evaluation and data-driven decision making. This includes through our thematic cross-comms delivery boards.
• Explore and champion innovative approaches to insight and evaluation, including the use of digital analytics, AI-enabled tools and new research methodologies to generate faster, more actionable evidence while also ensuring all projects meet the quality standards expected by the Government Social Research, Government Communications and Market Research Agency standards.
• Build insight and evaluation capability across the communications directorate, championing best practice and helping colleagues make more effective use of evidence in decision-making

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)

Application and Selection

The application process will be split into 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles:

Experience , Technical , Behaviours

Stage 1: Sift - Technical question & CV/Cover letter

Lead Sift question: Please provide 250 words outlining your technical skills. Please include how you meet the professional and technical skills expected at this grade, in line with the Government Social Research competency framework.

If we receive many applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead question. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

CV & Cover letter: CV (of no more than 2 pages) & Cover letter (of no more than 2 pages) - explaining how you meet the essential criteria for the role.

If you run into any technical problems when applying through Be Applied (for example, trouble logging in or submitting your application), their support team can help. Please contact them at hello@beapplied.com.

Please ensure your CV does not contain any personally identifiable information.

We do not consider CV applications sent directly to the inbox. All applications must be submitted via the provided application link.

Important: Your CV and Cover Letter must be merged into a single document before uploading.

Stage 2: Interview

• Behaviours: Seeing the big picture, Managing a quality service, Communicating and influencing
• Technical: Candidates will be assessed against the Social research competences.
• Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

Candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation, further details will be provided on invitation to interview.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 19/10/26.

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 02/11/26 and are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change.

Disability Confident Scheme (DCS)

We are a Disability Confident employer.

We apply a fair and proportionate interview process for all candidates. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to progress candidates who apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and meet the required minimum selection criteria.

However, where high application volumes are received, progression to interview may be limited to those who best meet the role criteria. In these circumstances, the benchmark required to proceed to interview may be raised for all candidates.

How We Recruit

Find out more about our recruitment processes here.

• Applying
• Sifting
• Interview
• Interview Results & Feedback
• Reserve List
• Near Miss
• Civil Service Grades
• We are a Disability Confident Scheme, Redeployment Interview scheme & Great Place to Work for Veterans employer
• Reasonable Adjustments

How to Apply

Find out everything you need to know before applying here.

You must review the following information from the MHCLG Career's Site before submitting your application. This step is essential to ensure your eligibility for the role and that your application is completed correctly.

• Security Clearance Requirements
• Civil Service Nationality Requirements
• Right to Work
• Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles
• CV Declaration
• Sponsorships
• Salary and Grade
• Existing Civil Servants
• Conflict of Interest
• Location and Flexible Working
• Internal Fraud Database
• Appeals and Complaints
• Fixed Term Appointments for:
• External Candidates
• Existing Civil Servants (Including Loans)
• Secondments
• MHCLG employees

Security Clearance Requirements

National Office: BPSS + SC

London Office: BPSS + SC

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