FAQs

At Homes England, we strive to be an employer of choice. We recognise diversity through our Homes England values. We believe that a diverse and inclusive organisation empowers teams to perform better. The diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, thoughts and ideas will provide a richer platform for us to do things differently and challenge the status quo.

We recognise that our diversity will enable us to best understand the housing needs of the communities we serve and in turn help us achieve our mission: to intervene in the housing market to ensure that more homes are built in the areas of greatest need.

We welcome everyone who believes in our mission and shares our values, regardless of their age, belief, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, maternity status, marital status, pregnancy, religion, sex or sexual orientation. We want everyone at Homes England to thrive, and this means feeling that they can bring their whole self to work and feel a sense of belonging, knowing that they play an important part in fulfilling our mission. Working closely with our partners and stakeholders will also allow us to make an impact not just within our organisation but on the sector more broadly.

Together we can create a welcoming and inclusive industry that attracts the best talent and drives productivity and innovation, which are essential for us to successfully grow communities and deliver the Government’s housing agenda.

After applying for a position you will be asked to complete an equal opportunities form but the hiring manager / shortlisting panel won’t see this, it’s there to help the business monitor that our processes are fair and accessible to all.

We are a Disability Confident employer and this is really important to us, it means we get to access a wider pool of talented individuals.

What does that mean for me? Well, if you are disabled and are happy for us to consider your application under the Disability Confident scheme it means if you meet the minimum requirements for the role we will invite you for an interview. We will make all reasonable adjustments to make sure our interview and assessment is fully accessible.

Be sure to let our friendly Resourcing Team know if there is any way we can help you during the process.

Once you start working at Homes England there are opportunities to join one of our many networks including our disability & carers network and neurodiversity network. These networks enable our colleagues to influence how we do things at Homes England and support each other along the way.

Every role is different and any qualifications required will be outlined in the job description. We are a learning organisation and just like you we know that learning doesn’t always happen in the classroom and doesn’t always come with a certificate.

We will look closely at your application focusing on your skills and experience to see if you are a good fit for the role. There are lots of opportunities at Homes England for those without specifc qualifications but with the skills and technological knowledge to succeed.

We also know that learning doesn’t stop after you’ve joined us. We have a comprehensive onboarding programme to welcome you and help get you up to speed with the Homes England Way.

We do also take on Graduates and Apprentices, these roles will be advertised on our careers page so if you are interested in these roles you may want to sign up for our job alerts.

At Homes England we are passionate about recruiting diverse talent. We know the best way to do this is to be flexible.

Flexible working can look very different at Homes England. Flexible working may be starting work after you have dropped the kids at school, it may be reducing your hours to look after an elderly parent or it may be compressing your hours - so Fridays are just for you. Whatever your circumstances we care about getting the right people with the right skills for our roles and we will do our best to give you the flexibility you need to thrive in your role.

Each role is unique so our hiring process can vary depending on the role. We do work very hard to keep you informed at every step of the way and our system is set up so that you can check your application status through your online account.

We know that your personal data is very important to you – so that means it is very important to us too. We have a Data Protection Team who have looked very closely at our system to make sure your data is safe and secure at all times.

When you create an account in our system your details are held securely and only when you apply for a role will your details be shared with the Manager reviewing applications.

You can access our careers page and search for vacancies or why not sign up for our job alerts? This way we contact you if a role matching your profile is advertised.

Yes, a CV should demonstrate your skills and experience that are relevant for the position you are applying to. Ideally this should be no longer than two pages long and we don’t need your date of birth or photo on there or too many other personal details as these are entered onto our secure application form.

Our system is very security conscious, so please avoid uploading a file with too many characters in the name. Make sure the file also ends on a single extension—for example, sampleDocument.pdf will work, but not sampleDocument.docx.pdf.

Yes of course – you may feel there are several roles that we are advertising that you are interested in. Each application will be assessed by the recruiting manager who is looking after that vacancy.

You will receive an email just to let you know we have received your application and our team will start to review it.

Simply login to your account.

Simply log in to your account and edit your details.

If you are shortlisted you can expect to be invited to an initial interview. This will give us the opportunity to learn more about each other. At this stage we will ask you a couple of competency-based questions followed by some technical and value based questions.

This is a great opportunity to see if we are right for you as well.

If you are successful at first interview you may be invited back for a second interview – for this you may be asked to produce a piece of work or prepare a presentation or you may just be asked a few more questions by different members of the team.

We think it is well worth reading our 5 Year Strategic Plan – this will help you to find out more about us, our work and our direction. It might also help you decide if we are the right organisation for you.

As for what to wear – we don’t have a dress code as such however we all tend to wear typical business dress when in the office. This is your opportunity to make a first impression but make sure you wear what makes you feel comfortable and confident on the day. We won’t be assessing your shirt or your shoes we will be looking at your skills, technical experience and values to determine if you are a good fit for our organisation.

An interview is a two way process so we would encourage you to ask any questions that help you to decide if we are the right place for you to work.

We would really like to meet you in person – but when that isn’t possible we can arrange an initial interview via Teams or Skype.

We have a whole team dedicated to learning and development – we recognise that training doesn’t just happen in the classroom so we offer coaching, mentoring, on the job training, attendance at conferences and external training opportunities. We will even pay one annual professional subscription fee for you.

Although we do not offer health insurance or dental insurance we do offer Nuffield 360 screening checks. This is an in-depth look at your health, providing a complete overview of your current wellbeing, whilst identifying any common health issues. The doctor will guide you through a comprehensive range of tests, with time to discuss and explain your results.

Yes - being a parent is important – actually we think it’s the most important job there is. We offer great maternity and paternity leave benefits.

As for parental leave, colleagues who have been continuously employed for 12 months are entitled to parental leave for each child born or adopted. This entitlement applies to any colleagues who have formal parental responsibility for a child. This leave is distinct from and additional to your maternity leave or paternity leave.

Colleagues are entitled to a maximum of 18 weeks unpaid leave per child – pro rata’d for part time staff, which can be taken up until each child’s 18th birthday.

33 days annual leave plus 8 days bank holiday – we think this is one of the really great things about working at Homes England.

Homes England is an executive non-departmental public body with its own terms and conditions, benefits and pension scheme. We are a government agency working in partnership with the private sector and want to employ and retain great people. In return we offer a range of excellent benefits.

Health and Wellbeing - We offer health screening with Nuffield Proactive Health Clinics, a free Employee Assistance Program which offers confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as well as access to Occupational Health.

Professional Development - We are committed to your continued professional and personal development with learning as one of our core values. We pay for one job-related professional membership subscription per year for our employees.

Cyclescheme – Cycling to work is a great alternative to driving or public transport (providing the weather is good!) You can join the cycling scheme and even benefit from a £30 allowance to make sure your bike is in tip top condition.

Although we advertise our roles on Civil Service Jobs Homes England is a non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. That means we have our own set of very favourable terms and conditions.

We have a wide range of roles in different areas of our organisation. You can find out more about what it is like to work in these teams from our careers page and all of our current vacancies are advertised.

We always welcome applications from talented people who share our values, however, we would recommend if you have recently been unsuccessful in your application for a role you take a little time to reflect before applying for the same role again.

We really appreciate the time you have taken to apply and your interest in working with us however, due to the volume of applications we are unable to offer feedback at the shortlisting stage. However, if you attend an interview we are more than happy to provide feedback.

As well as copies of your right to work documents and any relevant qualification certificates, all Homes England employees, contractors and temporary workers must undergo a Baseline Personnel Security standard check (BPSS). This is a range of security control checks applied to any employee, contractor, temporary worker or consultant who needs to access Digital IT Systems or Homes England premises and comprises of verification of the following:

• Identity Check
• Nationality and Immigration Status (including Right to Work)
• Employment History Check (covering the past 3 years)
• Criminal Record Check (unspent convictions only)

Please contact us at RecruitmentInfo@homesengland.gov.uk with any questions regarding the Careers website, your application or a specific vacancy.

Please refer to our Accessibility Statement.