Hate Crime and Religious Hatred Policy Adviser

Role overview

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is looking for a Policy Adviser to join its Hate Crime and Religious Hatred team. This is a busy, high-performing group working across government and with external stakeholders to help strengthen social cohesion and tackle religious hate in all forms, including antisemitism and anti-Muslim hostility.

The post is based across Bristol, Darlington, London, Manchester and Wolverhampton, and the working pattern is full time with remote working.

The role focuses on supporting the team’s policy work on anti-Muslim hostility, including the rollout of the new definition across sectors, handling correspondence and briefing, and giving administrative support to the wider unit. In more demanding periods, the successful candidate may also contribute to other strands of work, such as antisemitism and response activity linked to unrest or hate incidents.

What you will do

• Help deliver policy commitments, including putting the anti-Muslim hostility definition into practice across different sectors, and provide practical advice, coordination and logistical support across MHCLG and other government departments.
• Act as secretariat support for the incoming Special Representative on anti-Muslim hostility, including preparing briefings and arranging engagement.
• Take ownership of ministerial briefings and correspondence connected to religious hatred work, ensuring advice is accurate, high quality and delivered on time.
• Support work with delivery partners and grant competitions aimed at tackling religious hatred, including pre-market engagement activity.
• Provide flexible surge support during busy periods, particularly when the team is responding to unrest or hate-related incidents.

Person profile

The team is seeking an ambitious policy professional who is motivated by the opportunity to support communities during vulnerable and difficult periods. The role calls for someone who stays composed under pressure, can juggle several deadlines at once, and is comfortable keeping administrative work moving alongside policy tasks.

You should also be resilient, tactful and sensitive to stakeholder needs, especially when dealing with emotionally charged situations. A collaborative approach is important, as the role may require stepping in to help colleagues even when tasks fall outside the formal day-to-day remit.

Essential criteria

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with proven ability in drafting advice, briefings and correspondence and in engaging stakeholders, particularly during periods of unrest.
• Excellent organisation and a proactive working style, with the ability to manage competing priorities, work independently and coordinate both short-term and longer-term tasks.
• Flexibility to work across a small team and support others where needed to handle pressure points within the wider portfolio.

Benefits

In addition to the salary, the department contributes £10,478 towards membership of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Civil Service pension benefits are available as part of the package.

Other employee benefits mentioned include tailored career pathways, flexible working, the MyLifestyle Staff Benefits Scheme, Childcare Vouchers and Cycle to Work Schemes.

Application and selection process

The recruitment process has two stages and assesses Behaviours, Experience and Strengths. Applicants should not include personally identifiable information in their CV. Direct CV applications are not accepted, and all applications must be submitted through the specified application route. The CV and cover letter must be combined into one file before upload.

Stage 1 is a sift based on CV and cover letter. The cover letter should be no longer than 750 words and should explain how you meet the criteria in the job description.

Stage 2 is an interview. The behaviours assessed will be Communicating and influencing, Delivering at pace, and Managing a quality service. Strength-based questions will be asked and should be answered naturally.

Sifting is expected to take place in the week commencing 20/07/26. Interviews are currently scheduled to take place remotely by video call, although this may change.

Accessibility and recruitment schemes

MHCLG states that it is a Disability Confident employer. It aims to run a fair and proportionate interview process and will normally progress candidates who apply through the Disability Confident Scheme and meet the minimum selection criteria. Where application volumes are high, the benchmark for interview may be raised for everyone.

The department also references wider Civil Service recruitment processes, including applying, sifting, interview, interview results and feedback, reserve list, near miss, Civil Service grades, Disability Confident Scheme, Redeployment Interview Scheme and reasonable adjustments.

How to apply and eligibility checks

Applicants are asked to review MHCLG career site information before applying, including security clearance requirements, nationality rules, 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, and fixed-term appointment rules for external candidates, existing civil servants, secondees and MHCLG employees.

This role is broadly open to UK nationals, Irish nationals, Commonwealth nationals with the right to work in the UK, eligible EU/Swiss/Norwegian/Icelandic/Liechtenstein nationals and their family members with settled or pre-settled status or a valid EUSS application, certain individuals with limited leave or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible for EUSS by 31 December 2020, and Turkish nationals and certain family members who have acquired the right to work in the Civil Service.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before appointment. The security level stated is Counter-Terrorist Check, and the National and London Office requirement is BPSS plus CTC. A criminal record check is also required, and people working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.

Additional information

Artificial intelligence may be used as support when preparing an application, but all examples and statements must be truthful, accurate and based on the applicant’s own experience. If plagiarism or misrepresentation is identified, the application may be withdrawn and internal candidates may face disciplinary action.

Feedback will only be provided to candidates who attend interview or assessment. If applicants encounter technical problems while applying through Be Applied, support is available at hello@beapplied.com.

For questions about the post or to request extra information needed to progress an application, candidates should contact the Resourcing team at recruitment@communities.gov.uk. The named job contact is Chloe James at Chloe.James@communities.gov.uk.

Appeals may be made at any stage of the recruitment process if there has been a procedural irregularity, a breach of the Civil Service equal opportunities policy, or exceptional circumstances not captured in the process notes.

Once the vacancy closes, the advert will no longer be available, so candidates may wish to save a copy for their records.