About the job

Job summary

If you’re interested in making a difference to people’s lives, the Treasury can offer you an exciting opportunity to influence decision making that affects the whole of the UK. Working at the heart of government, we collaborate across government to promote responsible public spending and drive strong and sustainable economic growth.  

Our work ranges from protecting customers through the regulation of the financial sector, helping to reduce carbon emissions and creating a greener economy, to promoting British trade around the world and supporting people across the country on jobs, growth and more.  

HM Treasury is proud of a diverse and inclusive work environment, committed to fairness and the promotion of equality of opportunity for all. We know that having a range of experiences, ways of working and thinking makes us stronger and better at developing policy that reflects the needs of every community. We embrace different views and experiences and value the new perspective that people from a variety of circumstances bring to the work we do. We welcome applications from candidates who have not previously worked for the Civil Service, mid- and late-career changers with transferrable skills, people from all backgrounds and circumstances regardless of disability, gender, age ethnicity, LGBT+ identity and socio-economic status.  

We are part of the Darlington Economic Campus, a pioneering new cross-government hub which brings people together to play an active role in the most important issues of the day whilst working closer to the communities we serve. The campus provides the opportunity for people from all over the UK to help shape the future of the country, and our flexible working practices ensure you can collaborate effectively with our partners. It’s central government, made more accessible to you! 

Job description

Strategy, Planning and Budget 

Strategy, Planning and Budget operates at the heart of the Treasury to develop the Department’s overall strategy and business plan, assess performance and risk, and help deliver its objectives with a large, flexible project team who work on ministerial priorities across the whole range of the department’s policy responsibilities. We also co-ordinate the Chancellor’s annual Budget, the Finance Bill and the Treasury’s tax strategy, as well as coordinate the Treasury’s responses to the COVID-19 Public Inquiry and provide support to ministers and officials who are Inquiry witnesses. SPB also promotes excellent policymaking across the department and houses the Darlington Leadership Team, which works to ensure the successful delivery of the Darlington Economic Campus (DEC).   

The Budget and Finance Bill team is responsible for planning, leading, coordinating, and delivering, the annual Budget (and other fiscal events) and associated Finance Bills, alongside HMT’s work on tax and legislative strategy. We are a central team responsible for advising the Chancellor and other Ministers on: overall Budget strategy; the key choices and trade-offs needed to achieve Budget priorities including options to raise revenue; and working with colleagues across the Treasury to shape overall fiscal and growth strategy.

We spearhead work in the department on strategic tax policy working closely with other tax groups. This includes looking at future tax strategy and the sustainability of the tax system in the medium term.

We plan and deliver all aspects of fiscal events, including project and risk management, and we coordinate and manage the Finance Bill.

There are around 20 people in the team in three main units of work – Budget presentation and policy, the scorecard and policy costings, and tax strategy and legislation.

About the Job

This role provides an outstanding opportunity to work closely with the Chancellor, junior ministers, Special Advisers, other central teams in the Treasury, and the Executive Management Board in setting the overall strategy for the Budget and other fiscal events and driving delivery of those events. The role is heavily loaded in the run up to a fiscal event and inevitably involves some anti-social working hours in that period. SPB is committed to promoting work-life balance and actively manages flexible working practices to balance hours over the course of the year.

• Leading a collaborative process to deliver the Budget and other fiscal events, including the policy content, associated documentation, risk management process and presentation of the events, and ensuring these processes are continually improved.
• Leading, motivating, and developing a team of around 20, setting direction and supporting the team to deliver the Budget and finance bill processes in an inclusive way.
• Working collaboratively with a broad range of partners, across the Treasury, in HMRC (in including their analytical function) and the Office for Budget Responsibility, acting as the central point of contact for SCS peers on Budget matters, keep Budget delivery on track, and providing robust and constructive challenge as part of the Budget policy making process.
• Playing a full role in developing and implementing the department’s overall fiscal strategy, working with tax & welfare DDs, and the central spending and fiscal teams, through membership of the Fiscal Strategy and Fiscal Risk Groups, and leading work with tax groups into ways to improve the sustainability of the tax system.
• Providing cross-group collaborative leadership on strategic tax policy, working to the Executive Management Board and Ministers, developing the Treasury’s long-term strategic framework for tax policy.
• Ensuring that the Finance Bill and other legislation is taken through parliament smoothly, ensuring that parliamentary handling plans are effective, and risks are well managed.
• Acting as part of the wider SPB Group Management team to ensure that the Group remains an excellent place to work and becomes a more diverse and inclusive environment and playing an active part in both SPB’s and HMT’s wider corporate leadership during a time of significant organisational change.

The role reports to the Director, Strategy, Planning and Budget.

Candidate Drop-In Session 
 
We will be running a candidate drop-in session for this role to give you greater insight about the role as well as the chance to learn more about HM Treasury and the recruitment process. If you would like to join us, would like to join us, then please reach out to Hitesh Darjee for further information - Hitesh.Darjee@hmtreasury.gov.uk

This session will be held on Tuesday 26th March at 14:00 PM.  

Person specification

Please review the Candidate FAQ document that is attached to the advert for guidance on how to complete your application.

Required Skills, Experience and Behaviours:

For your application, please send us a CV and a personal statement setting out how you meet the following skills, behaviours and experience. This should be no longer than 750 words, and include no more than 250 words on each criteria below;

• The credibility to influence at all levels, including with senior Ministers, and to work collaboratively to resolve difficult issues. [Communicating and influencing]
• Exceptional interpersonal and management skills, with the ability to provide leadership across a large, diverse team. [Leadership]
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to work effectively and deliver across a range of tasks and under pressure. [Delivering at pace]

Staff engagement panel exercise

If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to take part in a staff engagement panel exercise. This assessment will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather it is designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, HM Treasury contributes £20,250 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Recruitment Timeline 

• Closing date: Tuesday 2nd April 2024
• Shortlisting: w/c 8th April 2024
• Staff engagement: w/c 15th April 2024
• Interviews: w/c 29th April 2024

This timeline is indicative and may be subject to change. We will inform you if there is a substantial change to the recruitment timeline. 

If your contact details change at any time during the selection process, please ensure you update your Civil Service Jobs Profile. 

Please note that only applications submitted through Civil Service Jobs will be accepted.

Location-Based Reserve Lists 

You will be placed on a reserve list if your application is successful, but we cannot offer you a post immediately. Where more than one location has been advertised, candidates will be approached for roles in merit order according to the first preferred location stated on your application form. 

Please note that a place on the reserve list does not guarantee an offer. We would still encourage you to apply for other HM Treasury opportunities that you are interested in. If you are offered a role in your first preferred location and you decline the offer or you are unable to take up the post within a reasonable timeframe, you will be removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances. 

Eligibility Statement  

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role in the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government. Checks will be performed as part of pre-employment checks in line with this. Please refer to the Candidate FAQ document attached to the advert for more information. 

Individuals appointed to the Treasury Group will be subject to National Security Vetting. To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out applicants will normally need to have lived in the UK for at least 3 out of the past 5 years. A lack of UK residency in itself is not always a bar to security clearance but the Department will need to consider eligibility on a case by case basis using all information that can be obtained following a successful application. 

Everyone working with government assets must complete Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks.  

For many roles, security clearance is also required. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements of the role before they can be appointed. The level of security clearance required for this role is Security Check (SC)

Please read the Vetting Charter for information on what to expect during the vetting process and what will be expected from you.  

Many areas of your life may be explored during your vetting journey, and it is important that every individual, regardless of their background and experiences, should feel comfortable going through this personal process, whilst having confidence that it is fair, proportionate, and inclusive.  

These short videos address common concerns and preconceptions which applicants may have about national security vetting.  

If you have questions relating to security clearances, please contact HMTSecurityVetting@hmtreasury.gov.uk

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

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security 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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.