Head of Casework - Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom - Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Verified Company

Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

2 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

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Description

Details:

Reference number:

Salary:

- £58,946

A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Job grade:
Grade 6
Contract type:
Permanent
Business area:
Planning Chief Planner
Type of role:
Planning
Working pattern:
Flexible working, Fulltime, Job share, Parttime
Number of jobs available:
1Contents

Location

About the job

Benefits:

Things you need to know

Location

Birmingham, Bristol, Darlington, Leeds, London, Manchester, NewcastleuponTyne, WolverhamptonAbout the job

Job summary:

PCU is decentralised, with caseworkers at 7 locations across the country. This post reports to the Deputy Director for Planning Casework and advises the Chief Planner.

The post-holder will lead on the delivery of a high-quality service to Ministers, so that they can make informed, legally sound casework decisions, as well as managing casework which is decided under delegation.

Secretary of State casework often involves very high-profile and controversial cases and to advise on these cases the post-holder will need a high level of political awareness as well as sound technical planning knowledge and an attention to detail.

The PCU also has a role in imparting its knowledge and experience to policy development teams, and provides development opportunities in enabling leads to be part of wider working groups within Planning Directorate.

Job description:

The post-holder will work with the Chief Planner, Deputy Director and other colleagues of the same grade to form the leadership team of the PCU and will lead, manage and develop a team, building resilience and ensuring that well-being is a priority.

They will empower the team, and ensure that caseworkers who are based in different locations work effectively together in an inclusive environment.

They will act as an expert technical adviser and coach on a range of case types and casework-related matters, and provide an effective layer of quality control to ensure that decisions are robust and defensible, minimising legal and reputational risks, while also delivering a professional and responsive service.

Ministerial casework often involves very high-profile and controversial cases and to advise on these cases the post-holder will need a high level of political awareness as well as sound technical planning knowledge.

They will present cases at Ministerial meetings and liaise directly with Ministerial private offices.

The post-holder will be responsible for:

Leadership of a team: Contributing heavily to the leadership priorities of the PCU and leading a sub-team of caseworkers. Ensuring that clear expectations are set, and that the team has the right support and training in place to enable delivery at a high level. Ensure that wellbeing is supported and that the team are empowered to play an active role in the development of the Unit as a whole. Manage change in a positive and inclusive way.
Quality control: Ensure that any decisions, Ministerial advice and briefings, offer sound, high quality advice and contain clear rationales to support recommendations. Ensure that decisions issued by the team meet appropriate standards and are in line with governance and propriety requirements.
Risk and Propriety: Ownership of the riskregister of the PCU and its policy on propriety to ensure officials and Ministers act professionally when undertaking their duties in relation to casework.
Continuous improvement: Ensure that systems and the right culture are in place to facilitate and monitor continual improvements in quality and pace. Lead and undertake an impactful programme of service improvement to promote the PCU as a centre for excellence.
Collaboration: Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues in the Unit, private offices, legal, the FOI/EIR team, press office, Parliamentary branch and the Planning Inspectorate. Liaise with other government departments and statutory consultees. Advise policy colleagues of how policy is playing out through casework, and support the development of future policy.
Strategy: Develop and implement strategies to ensure the effective and continually improving operation of the Unit by way of people, policy, procedural or legislative interventions.

Person specification:

Knowledge and skills needed
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Leadership: Ability to engage with others in delivering a shared vision, while promoting diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity, including development opportunities.
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Changing and Improving: Being able to manage both cultural and procedural change, and being able to challenge current procedures and culture and suggest improvements.
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Working Together: Ability to build and maintain strong and constructive relationships within the wider Planning Directorate and across other organisations, such as the Planning Inspectorate and statutory consultees
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Communicating and Influencing: Communicating orally and in writi