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.  

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

Enterprise and Growth Unit

The Enterprise and Growth Unit (EGU) promotes sustainable economic growth and higher productivity for the UK. We provide analysis and advice on enterprise, innovation, private sector investment and a cost-effective transition to a low-carbon economy. The Enterprise and Growth Unit has a varied and exciting agenda and we work closely with a wide variety of other teams across the Treasury.  

We also work alongside other departments and government organisations to ensure that we are thinking creatively, spending wisely, and acting boldly to deliver these goals. These organisations are:

• the Department for Business and Trade,
• the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero,
• the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs,
• the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology,
• the Department for Transport,
• the Department for Culture, Media & Sport,
• the Competition and Markets Authority,
• HM Land Registry, and
• UK Export Finance

The Growth, Productivity, and Infrastructure team is a friendly team of around 20 policy advisers and economists across the London and Darlington sites that sits at the core of the Treasury’s economics ministry function. We:

• Develop strategy for and coordinate growth policy across HMT, including fiscal events
• Lead for HMT on key growth-focussed policy areas including competition, migration and infrastructure.

The Growth Economics Branch plays a core role in HMT’s economics ministry function, directing economic analysis to inform policy development on productivity across government. Raising UK economic growth through stronger productivity is a key objective of the current government and the topic is expected to receive significant ministerial attention over the year ahead. Within the team, the Growth Economics branch is a group of 4 economists leading HMT’s analysis on the drivers of productivity and the economic rationale for growth-focused policies, using a combination of internal analysis and proactive engagement with business and academia.

This role is an exciting opportunity to take on a high-profile economist role in the Enterprise and Growth Unit at a crucial time. As economic adviser in the branch, you are expected to work closely with other teams across HMT to lead HMT’s analysis on productivity including analysing the trends and drivers of productivity growth, the effect of growth enhancing policy measures and developing HMT’s narrative on productivity growth.

Key Accountabilities for this role include:

1. Owning and keeping up to date HMT’s core growth narrative which sets out the department’s understanding of UK growth performance and relevant policy levers
2. Conduct productivity analysis, identifying key projects, and working on 4-8 week analytical projects on issues related to growth that involve empirical work and/or reviewing economic literature.
3. Inform work on the development of supply-side policy. This will involve maintaining good relationships across teams and working closely with them to make sure productivity evidence is well-represented in advice.
4. Build connections with academics and external expertise to help the department keep informed of the latest productivity thinking.
5. Line manage 2 SEOs, project managing their work alongside the branch head, and overseeing their development.

Candidate Drop-In Session 
 
The hiring manager 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 ask any questions you may have. If you would like to join us, then use the appropriate link below to join the call at the right time.  

Thursday 25th July 4pm – 5pm

If you would like to speak to the hiring manager informally prior to the closing date for applications to find out more about the job, please contact Hassan Akhtar (Hassan.akhtar@hmtreasury.gov.uk).

Person specification

We are looking for the below behaviours and technical skills, and we will ask you to demonstrate these in your application form. Please review the Candidate FAQ document that is attached to the advert for guidance on how to complete your application form.   

1. Communicating and influencing: Ability to communicate analysis at working and senior level in order to influence policy outcomes. [Behaviour]
2. Developing self and others: focus on continuous learning and development for self, others, and the organisation as a whole. [Behaviour]
3. Working together: form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds to deliver productive outcomes. [Behaviour]
4. Technical skill: a strong background in economics and analysis with an ability to lead analytical work that is high quality, timely and influential. This includes informing policy development and communicating and explaining complex economic issues clearly to non-experts. [Technical skill]

 The lead criterion is: Communicating and influencing: Ability to communicate analysis at working and senior level in order to influence policy outcomes. [Behaviour]

If we receive large volumes of applications, we will conduct an initial sift on the lead criterion only.

Required Qualifications: 

Degree in economics or related field, or degree-level experience working in economic policy making (please set out what your experience is).

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £52,960, HM Treasury contributes £14,828 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, Experience and Technical skills.

Recruitment Timeline 

Closing date: 31st July 2024

Shortlisting: w/c 29th July 2024

Interviews:  w/c 12th August 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.

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. 

Everyone working with government assets must complete Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks. Additionally, individuals appointed to the Treasury group will be subject to National Security Vetting. The level of security vetting required for this role is Counter Terrorist Check (CTC).  

To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out, applicants will need to have lived in the UK for at least 3 out of the past 5 years. In exceptional circumstances, a lack of residency would not be a bar to security clearance however the Department will need to consider eligibility on a case by case basis once the advert closing date has passed. 

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 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)

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.