JOB SUMMARY

This is an exciting and challenging time to join the Office for Government Property, and particularly the Places for Growth Programme (PfG). The PfG programme is a large scale people and property programme that aims to bring government closer to the communities it serves, strengthen the Civil Service’s presence across the UK, optimise the London office estate, and strengthen regional government hubs.
Ministers in the Cabinet Office and Cat Little (Permanent Secretary for the Cabinet Office and Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service) are clear in their ambitions to build on the progress to date on PfG.
Government departments have agreed to the principles for the next phase of this 10-year programme (2020-2030), however there are complex, systemic challenges to navigate including balancing the current fiscal climate with the drive for innovation and reform across Government.
The PfG team leads change through developing enabling policies from the centre and convenes senior stakeholders across Government on workforce and location planning. This role will also support the delivery of broader Government priorities (Missions and Public Sector Reform) in place. Working on PfG requires strategic and systems-led thinking, an ability to expertly manage stakeholder relationships at the highest levels of Government and in the wider sector as well as excellent communication skills.
This will be a challenging and rewarding role for the successful candidate, giving the opportunity to implement a high priority programme across Government that will deliver change and have a lasting impact. It’s roles like this that make the Cabinet Office such an exciting place to work.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Office of Government Property (OGP) is a business unit of the Cabinet Office, leading the Government Property Function, setting strategy and delivery standards for multiple government-wide programmes, and leading the Property Profession across government.
The Places for Growth team is a friendly, highly collaborative team operating in a fast paced environment. It is part of the Civil Service People & Places Directorate within OGP.
Reporting to Mark Chivers, Government Chief Property Officer, this role is a key part of the senior leadership of OGP, as well as providing cross-government leadership on this ambitious Civil Service programme.
The Civil Service is on a journey to become more representative, efficient, and effective. Central to this is the Places for Growth programme, which aims to bring the Government closer to the communities it serves, strengthening the Civil Service’s presence across the UK, optimise the London office estate, and strengthen regional government hubs. We are seeking an experienced and driven Director to lead the Places for Growth programme. This role will oversee a complex, cross-government initiative reshaping where and how the Civil Service works with publicly committed KPIs due to be delivered by 2030.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

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)
• 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

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

As the Senior Responsible Officer for the Places for Growth programme:

• Lead the delivery of the programme, ensuring successful implementation of government plans to strengthen the presence of the Civil Service across the country, moving Government roles from London and consolidating the London estate while maintaining operational effectiveness.
• Collaborate with Government departments, agencies, and partners to align workforce planning, estate optimisation, and regional growth ambitions.
• Drive achievement of key targets, including ensuring 50% of UK-based Senior Civil Servants are located outside London by 2030 and annual savings of £94 million through estate consolidation.
• Ensure the programme is aligned with, and embedded in, a range of other strategic programme initiatives including Missions and Public Sector Reform.
• Champion modern, collaborative, and sustainable workplaces that foster cross-departmental working and support a productive and agile Civil Service.
• Engage with stakeholders including senior civil servants and regional leaders, providing clear communication on the phased and considered nature of the programme.
• Promote workforce diversity and development by aligning mobility and career strategies with the government’s Plan for Change and Civil Service Reform agenda.
• Lead the sponsorship of the Government Property Agency (an arms-length body of the Cabinet Office).
• Provide leadership and direction to a directorate of ~25 FTE as well as broader leadership across the department as a Senior Civil Servant.
• Support the management and running of the Office of Government Property, developing and delivering against agreed business plans and resources, as well as providing leadership to OGP staff.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS ROLE, PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED CANDIDATE INFORMATION PACK.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.
As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.