Senior Strategic Engagement Adviser

We are MHCLG

In the Place Engagement Team, we work closely with local government in places across the country to ensure they are well informed and that their voice is heard across central government. We build strong relationships with local partners, gathering perspectives and insights that help shape government policy and delivery. We also work closely with policy teams across government to maintain a strong understanding of the issues affecting local government and ensure the sector is kept informed of relevant policy developments.

The Strategic Engagement branch of the team is responsible for maintaining a range of engagement channels with local government. This includes working with ministers and senior officials to support their engagement with the sector and briefing them effectively. We also advise and support a wide variety of teams from across government to collaborate with councils, strategic authorities and sector organisations.

As a Senior Strategic Engagement Advisor, you will help maintain engagement channels and work with a wide variety of teams from across government to support and advise on how they can best work with councils and strategic authorities.

You will:

• Advise and support policy teams to carry out engagement with local government
• Coordinate MHCLG and other departments’ contribution to the annual Local Government Association Conference
• Lead on cross-cutting ministerial and senior official briefings for external engagements
• Deliver large webinars with ministers and senior officials
• Act as a link between the Place Engagement Team and important policy areas

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:

Behaviours , Experience , Strengths

Stage 1: Sift

• Experience: (Lead Question): Please outline what experience you have of working effectively in or with the local government sector
• Behaviour 1: Working together
• Behaviour 2: Seeing the big picture
• Behaviour 3: Delivering at pace

There is a 250-word limit per question.

When writing your application, remember:

• the assessor won’t be reading your answers sequentially
• do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers
• if talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead behaviour listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

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.

Stage 2: Interview

• Behaviours: Making effective decisions, Working together, Seeing the big picture, Delivering at pace
• Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

Candidates will be asked to undertake a written assessment as part of the Making effective decisions behaviour, further details will be provided on invitation to interview.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 23 November 2026.

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 7 December 2026 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

London Office: BPSS + CTC

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