About the job

Job summary

About HM Treasury

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

About the Group

Do you want to advise ministers on promoting and protecting the UK’s economy and its competitiveness internationally in a fast-changing environment?  If so, read on! 

International Group provides opportunities to work on areas including - spending control on international development, trade policy, climate change, health, cooperation on Ukraine, economic security, financial sanctions and tackling illicit finance.  We also manage economic relationships with Europe, US, China and other advanced economies and emerging markets.  

We build relationships with external and international partners and represent the UK in a range of international groupings and institutions, including the G7, the G20, the International Monetary Fund and at some of the Multilateral Development Banks. We also analyse international comparisons and the wider global economic context, including for fiscal events.  Although international travel is an important part of some roles, it is not required for every role in the group and will be specified if required.   

About the Team

HM Treasury implements financial sanctions in the UK, and Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) fulfils this role on its behalf. It leads on the implementation of UN and UK financial sanctions and domestic terrorist asset freezing, providing a high-quality service to the industry and guidance to help them follow the law. OFSI works closely with law enforcement, intelligence agencies and policy colleagues across Government and beyond to help ensure that financial sanctions are accurately understood, implemented and enforced.

OFSI is a diverse and dynamic team of over 100 people, from a variety of backgrounds and professions. We offer an outstanding environment to broaden your experience and develop new skills, whilst working on some of the highest profile international issues the UK faces. We strongly support a good work-life balance and flexible working is actively encouraged.

You can read more about OFSI on our gov.uk pages: https://www.gov.uk/ofsi

About the Job

HM Treasury has the power to issue licences to allow activity to happen which would otherwise be prohibited by financial sanctions. Our licensing cases cover a wide range of industries, participants and policy considerations. Licences issued by OFSI come with conditions that often require information to be reported to OFSI within a specific time frame.  A failure to comply with these reporting requirements or to comply with the other terms of the licence (e.g. exceeding a cap on payments) may be an offence and will be investigated by OFSI as a potential breach of financial sanctions. A criminal prosecution or monetary penalty could be the result. The licence may also be revoked, suspended, or terminated or reissued with further restrictions being included in it.   

We liaise with applicants and work with colleagues across Government to progress individual cases, identify trends, assess risks, and handle legal challenges. To carry out our reviews of licensing reporting returns we need to analyse complex detailed information including relevant legally enforceable contracts, details of payments etc and liaise with colleagues across OFSI and the Government to identify potential breaches of licence reporting conditions, identify trends, assess risks and monitor non-compliance.   

We are recruiting for four roles in the Compliance Monitoring team, within the Enforcement unit in the Treasury’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. The core function of the team will be to review and complete assessment of licensing reporting documentation in a timely manner, identifying potential incidences of non-compliance and working with enforcement colleagues to decide whether to open an investigation and determining whether a breach has occurred.   

This role will head up the team with a broader remit to proactively investigate licence holders that have not provided reporting returns in accordance with the conditions of the licence. The post holder will also have responsibility for putting in place new practices and systems to transform our licensing reporting ‘end to end’ processes for logging, verifying reporting; quality assuring our assessment and making sure all potential breach cases are properly managed, progressed and closed in line with our processes and procedures.   

This new OFSI management role will provide opportunities for the post-holder to be creative and innovative as we look to make  changes to bolster our compliance monitoring processes and practices.  

Key responsibilities will include: 

• Lead a team that provides high standards of service with reporting returns reviewed on a timely basis and assessments consistently produced to a high professional standard; prioritising work that needs to be done against the capacity and capability of the team, and ensuring the team remains focused on those priorities. 
• Be a positive and proactive role model for promoting change and improvement.  
• Lead on the development of a new licensing reporting compliance monitoring framework, ensuring lessons learned are shared and working through the implications of improvements needed.  
• Quality assure the team’s review of licensing reporting data to ensure licence reporting conditions have been complied with and reported correctly. 
• Gather intelligence/insight and data to build up a picture of licensing reporting noncompliance and work with colleagues to analyse the effectiveness of OFSI engagement to inform current and future compliance engagement strategies. 
• Identify and manage risk with responsibility for feeding into wider OFSI governance.  
• Operate as an effective and valuable member of the OFSI management team.  

OFSI colleagues can be involved in a wide range of activities and can get to meet many different people and organisations. Owing to the nature of these posts, successful candidates will undergo Security Check (SC) security clearance before starting in post.  

You have the option of being based in our London, Darlington or Norwich offices when you start with us. You’ll be asked to specify which of these office locations you would like to be based at when you submit your application.  

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 Alivia Kratke, alivia.kratke@hmtreasury.gov.uk. 

Person specification

We are looking for the below skills, experience and behaviours 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. Managing a Quality Service. Ability to work with customers to understand their needs and expectations. Creating clear plans and setting priorities which meet the needs of both customers and OFSI. Keeping colleagues and stakeholders fully informed of plans, possibilities, and progress. 
2. Making Effective Decisions. An ability to analyse and use a range of relevant, credible information from internal and external sources to support decisions, considering all options, including their potential benefits and risks.
3. Changing and Improving.  An ability to seek out opportunities to create effective change and suggest innovative ideas for improvement. Review ways of working, including seeking and providing feedback.

The lead criterion is: Changing and Improving.

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

Candidate Guidance Support Session 
 
We will be running an overview of Success Profiles and the STAR approach; top tips for the application and interview process and an opportunity to ask general questions around our recruitment practices. If you would like to join us, then use the link below to join the call at the right time.  

Friday 26th January at 12:00: Click here to join the meeting

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £52,960, HM Treasury contributes £14,299 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: 11th February

Shortlisting: w/c 12th February

Interviews: w/c 26th February

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.  

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.