QEII Relationship Manager

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Property Team as QEII Relationship Manager. The role will strengthen engagement between MHCLG and the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, supporting effective sponsorship, oversight and delivery against ministerial and departmental priorities.

The role is central to MHCLG’s oversight of QEII as an Arm’s Length Body and key partner in supporting the department’s priorities during this Parliament. This role provides strategic sponsorship and relationship management for the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre (QEII), a government-owned commercial conference business, established in 1997 under the Government Trading Funds Act 1973, operating from Westminster on a self-financing basis while remaining part of central government. Conference Events Meetings Exhibition Venue Hire London - QEII Centre.

The postholder will lead MHCLG’s day-to-day sponsorship relationship with QEII, ensuring effective governance, proportionate assurance and robust performance oversight. They will operate with autonomy, exercise sound judgement on complex and sensitive issues, and provide clear advice to senior leaders and ministers.

Reporting to the Head of Property Strategy, the role sits within the wider MHCLG Property team. The Property team is a small, multi-disciplinary and multi-site team who work closely together to successfully manage a range of different streams of work. The postholder will work collaboratively across organisational boundaries, manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes at pace.

Job description

• As the QEII Relationship Manager, you will provide leadership of the sponsorship function, setting direction for the relationship with QEII and ensuring the department has the right information, governance and assurance to support effective decision-making.
• Lead the department’s sponsorship relationship with QEII, setting direction, maintaining senior-level engagement and ensuring the relationship supports ministerial and departmental priorities.
• Provide strategic oversight and assurance of QEII performance, governance, risks and delivery against agreed objectives, using monthly and quarterly reviews to identify risks and opportunities, assess delivery, and escalate issues requiring senior attention.
• Lead departmental input into QEII’s annual Business Plan and public appointments to the QEII Board, working with Public Appointments, Private Office and senior stakeholders to deliver robust and timely outcomes.
• Provide high-quality advice, briefings and business cases for senior leaders and ministers, translating complex governance, commercial and performance issues into clear options and recommendations.
• Develop and maintain proportionate governance, assurance and programme management arrangements, including the sponsorship framework document and delegations agreed with HM Treasury.
• Act as the department’s main interface on QEII governance matters, engaging with QEII, the QEII Board secretariat, ARAC, the Remuneration Committee, ALB Governance, Finance, Legal, Commercial, policy and operational colleagues across QEII and MHCLG.
• Respond proactively to emerging issues, exercising judgement, managing risk, coordinating with the National Audit Office and bringing together the right stakeholders to resolve complex matters at pace.
• Provide constructive challenge on key ALB decisions, plans, performance, financial management and emerging risks, ensuring issues are identified early and addressed appropriately.
• Escalate significant risks and issues to the appropriate departmental governance and senior leadership forums, ensuring timely intervention where matters may have wider financial, reputational, operational or ministerial implications.

Person specification

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong judgement, leadership and delivery skills. They will be able to operate with autonomy, provide constructive challenge, build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and turn complex information into clear advice and practical action.

Understand the wider policy, political and operational context and can assess what it means for QEII, MHCLG and senior decision-makers.

Build credible and influential relationships across organisational boundaries, including with senior stakeholders, Boards and specialist professional teams.

Uses evidence, data and professional expertise to make sound judgements, identify trade-offs and present clear recommendations.

Provides constructive challenge and assurance, recognising when issues should be resolved directly and when they should be escalated.

Delivers through ambiguity and competing priorities, maintaining pace while ensuring quality, compliance and good governance.

Communicates clearly and confidently, producing concise written advice for senior audiences and adapting messages to the needs of different stakeholders.

Contributes to an inclusive, high-performing team culture and supports the development of others through collaboration, feedback and shared learning.

Essential criteria:

• Experience of leading a complex work area with a high degree of autonomy, setting direction and ensuring delivery of priority outcomes.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trust, influence senior stakeholders and work effectively across organisational boundaries.
• Ability to analyse complex information, identify risks and options, and provide clear, evidence-based advice and recommendations.
• Experience of producing high-quality written material for senior leaders or ministers, including briefings, business cases or decision papers.
• Ability to work calmly under pressure, manage competing priorities and deliver to tight deadlines while maintaining quality and governance standards.
• Experience of governance, assurance, sponsorship, performance management or working with an Arm’s Length Body or comparable organisation.
• Commitment to building an inclusive, respectful and high-performing working environment.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,092, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes

£16,829 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Staff Benefits Scheme, Childcare Vouchers, and Cycle to Work Schemes. For more information, please click here .

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Application and Selection

The application process will be split into 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles:

Behaviours , Experience , Strengths

Please ensure your CV does not contain any personally identifiable information.

Note: We do not consider direct CV applications. All applications must be submitted via the provided application link.

Important: Your CV and Cover Letter must be merged into a single document before uploading.

Stage 1: Sift (CV & Cover Letter)

Experience: To apply for this role, please provide a CV and short personal statement of no more than 500 words, setting out why you’re a good fit for the role and how you meet the essential criteria, drawing on relevant examples where possible.

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: Seeing the big picture, Delivering at Pace, Working Together, Changing & Improving.
• Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 14/09 .

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 28/09 and 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 DCS, RIS & GPTWV 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 + CTC
• London Office: BPSS + CTC

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window) .

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window) .

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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) (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)

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