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

Public Services Group

The Public Services Group is at the heart of the Treasury’s work to secure strong and sustainable public finances. We manage public spending of more than £250 billion across key public services and departments, including health, education, the police, the criminal justice system, local government, housing, defence and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

We do this by working with other government departments, ministers, and other Treasury teams to ensure that spending plans support high quality public services and provide value for money for the taxpayer.

Our roles offer a range of opportunities to work with senior leaders in other government departments and on the frontline of public services and ensure the effective delivery of public services.

The Group is committed to being an excellent place to work, with a relentless focus on good management, learning and development and continuous improvement in everything we do.

Housing, Planning and Cities (HPC)

We are a friendly team of about 20 people. We are responsible for over £10 billion of public spending each year, covering a huge range of government priorities including homelessness, housing, planning reform, local economic growth and the ‘levelling up’ of communities across the UK. Our work is at the centre of government, and therefore is an exciting place to learn, develop and build an understanding of how government policy making works. We work closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to ensure public services are as effective as possible and provide good value to the taxpayer.

We value different experience and encourage people from a wide range of backgrounds and with different ideas to join the team. We are dedicated to diversity, belonging, personal development and work-life balance, and also support flexible working patterns. Come and join us! 

This is an exciting role that gives an experienced economist the opportunity to undertake insightful analysis to shape high priority policy discussion, as well as breadth to design new policies and manage large, very high-profile capital programmes.

You will provide analytical leadership across housing spending programmes, regulations, and design of new policies, ensuring that they deliver value for money as well as addressing the wider housing affordability pressures. Alongside this, you will lead exciting cross-cutting work to improve the delivery of evaluations across Housing and Local Growth spending programmes, and consolidating existing evidence base to inform future Spending Review. You will also have spending control responsibility, managing large capital programmes delivering important objectives for the public, including Building Safety and migrant resettlement schemes.

To excel in this role, you will need to be a trained economist – comfortable with interpreting and challenging analytical products (including econometric) as well as planning and conducting your own analysis on key priority areas. You will also need to be interested in, and capable of, rigorous strategic policy thinking – understanding and proactively making connections across broad range of related policies. Prior experience of housing and local growth economics, as well as previous policy and spending would be an advantage but is not essential.

Key responsibilities include:

• Play a leading role in developing a coherent overarching strategy for housing and local growth interventions, shaping DLUHC’s priorities at the Spending Review. Work closely with DLUHC analytical and strategy teams, as well as wider HMT teams to join up and scrutinise the evidence base and use this to inform priorities for the Spending Review.
• Drive progress on evaluations across housing and local growth programmes. Working with DLUHC and Homes England evaluation teams, maintain high standard of progress on evaluations of existing projects and programmes, as well as ensuring robust monitoring at all levels. Ensure effective processes are in place to apply learnings to future policy design, including at fiscal events.
• As joint secretariat for the cross-HMT Housing and Tax Policy Steering Group, deliver cross-HMT consensus on ‘the big housing questions’ and facilitate discussions to progress HMT view on high profile cross-cutting policy themes such as home ownership, net zero and growth. This necessitates building and utilising an extensive external network to shape policy thinking, including with academics (London School of Economics, UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence etc), housing experts, industry bodies and independent research organisations.
• Provide effective spending oversight of high-profile and wide-ranging programmes across Building Safety and migrant resettlement. These programmes receive ongoing media scrutiny, as well as significant interest from senior ministers including the Chief Secretary, Chancellor, and Prime Minister. You will autonomously steer and provide fiscal advice across various building safety policies (cladding remediation, regulation and enforcement, Grenfell site, levy and tax) which will necessitate close and collaborative working with HMT, DLUHC and No10 colleagues. Similarly, on resettlement, working across DLUHC and Home Office, lead HPC’s response in developing a sustainable plan for migrant accommodation.
• You will provide excellent line management and mentoring for two range Ds, ensuring your branch has the capability to provide quality, evidence-based advice. More broadly, you will help maintain HPC’s reputation as a great place to work by role modelling collaborative and supportive qualities as well as leading corporate workstreams within the team and wider group to continue to improve the way we work.

Candidate Drop-In Session 
 
We will be running candidate drop-in sessions 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, then use the appropriate link below to join the call at the right time. 

19 January 2024, 09:30 – click here to join the meeting

22 January 2024, 17:00 – click here to join the meeting

Alternatively, if you would like to speak to speak with current post-holder informally prior to the closing date for applications to find out more about the job, please contact Enrik Noka (enrik.noka@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.  

• Ability to understand the broader strategic context and keep on top of a wide range of issues when making decisions in your area (Seeing the Big Picture)
• Ability to lead strategic work in a complex policy environment, drawing on a wide range of evidence and balancing a variety of HMG objectives while maximizing value for money of HMG action (Making Effective Decisions)
• Ability to explain, verbally and in writing, complex analytical issues to both specialist and non-specialist audiences and utilise analyse to shape policy (Communicating and Influencing)
• Understanding of economic tools and techniques, and ability to apply this knowledge to deliver high quality robust analysis and advice for senior officials and ministers (Technical)

The lead criterion is: Seeing the Big Picture

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

Required Qualification

A degree at 2.1 (or above) or a higher degree in Economics and be able to demonstrate relevant current experience in your career as a professional economist.

Required Membership

You will need to be an existing member of the Government Economic Service (GES) or willing to undertake membership within 12 months of appointment.

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. 

26 January 2024 12:00 – Click here to join meeting

At interview stage, you will be assessed on the below criteria:

Strengths
Technical
Behaviours:

• Seeing the big picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Interview Task/Presentation

Prior to your interview, we will contact you about a task/presentation that the interview panel would like you to complete as part of the assessment. The exact details will be communicated to you nearer the time. 

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, Experience and Technical skills.

Recruitment Timeline 

Closing date: 30 January 2024

Shortlisting: 02 February 2024

Interviews:  w/c 5th and 12th February 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.  

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.