Strategy Advisor

We are MHCLG

About the Team

You will be joining the Elections Strategy Team within the Elections Directorate at MHCLG. This is an exciting time to join the Directorate as we deliver the Government's strategy to reduce barriers to participation in democracy and modernise elections, as set out in Restoring Trust in Our Democracy: Our Strategy for Modern and Secure Elections. The Elections Strategy Team supports the delivery of electoral reform and change across Great Britain. Our work includes: Tackling attitudinal and practical barriers to voting. Supporting inclusive democratic engagement. Piloting modernisation initiatives such as flexible voting. Improving voter information and accessibility. Supporting local authorities to deliver change. Ensuring clear public communications concerning electoral reform. Working with the Scottish and Welsh Governments and the Electoral Commission to deliver an elector-focused environment across Great Britain.

We are recruiting two HEOs to support this high-profile programme of work. These roles offer the opportunity to contribute to meaningful democratic change and work closely with stakeholders across government, the electoral sector and statutory bodies.

These roles will support pilots and innovation in elections delivery, including:

• Engaging with and supporting local authorities with pilots; Supporting pilot design, delivery, and evaluation;
• Support the delivery of Ministerial submissions and briefings
• Support the team in drafting responses to Parliamentary Questions and Ministerial Correspondence
• Liaising with suppliers and supporting funding initiatives;
• and Contributing to a market development strategy.

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 , Strengths ,

Stage 1: Sift

• Behaviour: Delivering at pace (Lead Behaviour)
• Behaviour: Communicating and influencing
• Behaviour: Working together

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: Delivering at pace, Communicating and influencing, Working together.
• Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place starting 02/09/2026.

Interviews 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.