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

About the Group

The Ministerial and Communications Group sits at the heart of the Treasury. If you are interested in the inner workings of government, meeting ministers, senior officials and liaising with the press then this could be the place for you! We are a friendly and inclusive Group working on some of the most exciting issues of the day, bringing together work from across the rest of the department and engaging closely with partners across Whitehall and beyond.

We provide support to ministers, through ministerial offices. We act as Treasury's external face, through the Press Office and Communications team. We are responsible for managing the department, through our support for the Permanent Secretary, the Second Permanent Secretaries, the Treasury Board, and the Executive Management Board (EMB), and our ownership of Treasury governance structures. The Group is led by the Permanent Secretary.

About the Team 

The Public Appointments & Corporate Governance Team is a new team within the MinComm Group that will bring together individuals and tasks currently in different parts of HM Treasury.

It will be led by an E2 (this role), and consist of two branches:

• The Corporate Governance branch, which is an established team consisting of a Head of Governance, two governance officers and a conflicts officer. Together they play a critical role in enabling the strategic oversight of the department, overseeing all aspects of the department’s governance processes, including acting as the secretariat to the Executive Management Board and Treasury Board and their sub-committees, and owning the relationship with departmental non-executive directors
• The Public Appointments branch is a new team, which will draw together roles and responsibilities currently sitting across the Treasury. It will consist of three other individuals, one of whom is already in post. The new team will provide a centre of expertise on public appointments within HMT and guide the process for all of the appointments HMT is responsible for, which includes some of the most high profile roles with huge national significance, such as the Governor of the Bank of England.

About the Job 

This is an exciting role at the heart of the Treasury. Working with the new Chief of Staff to the Permanent Secretary, the postholder will play a key role in ensuring the senior echelons of the department are focusing on the key strategic issues – discussing the right issues at the right time.

HM Treasury is responsible for some of the most important public appointments across government, including the Governor and Deputy Governors of the Bank of England. It is essential that these campaigns are run effectively to ensure that the best possible candidates are secured. This is a critical role, which will oversee all aspects of this process.

This role will also play a key part in the leadership of the Ministerial & Communications Group. They will be an active member of the Group Management Team and will particularly be expected to provide corporate leadership to those based in Darlington, where they will be the most senior member of the group.

The key accountabilities of the post are:

1. Creating and providing inclusive and effective leadership and management to the Public Appointments and Corporate Governance Team, as well as supportive line management of four DGs’ private offices. Together this will mean line management or countersigning management of fifteen people of varying grades. These are distinct teams, and strong leadership will be required to build a unified and supporting team culture
2. Leading all aspects of the public and direct appointments process to ensure that all appointments are completed effectively and in line with best practice, also leading on engagement with the Cabinet Office and the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Working closely with ministers, special advisers and No.10 to secure the best candidates in the necessary timeframes.
3. Being responsible for the Corporate Governance team – working with the Executive Management Board to ensure that the department’s governance is effective and that the relevant boards and committees are operating in a joined up and strategic manner, discussing pertinent issues at the right times.
4. Playing a key part in the overall leadership of the expanded Perm team. Working with the new DD Chief of Staff and Private Secretary to the Permanent Secretary, this individual will develop the culture and ethos of the Perm team, ensuring an inclusive and encouraging atmosphere where everyone feels motivated and able to deliver.
5. Contributing to the Ministerial and Communications group’s corporate agenda, including building a supportive and inclusive team culture for those based in Darlington.

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, then use the appropriate link below to join the call at the right time. 

Thursday 7th  December 11am

Click here to join the meeting

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 Jonathan Crisp )

Person specification

About your Application

Your application will consist of a CV and a 1,000-word personal statement.

 Your CV should consist of your career history, including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will not be scored, but instead will be used to provide further context on your personal statement, and support conversations at interview.

 Your personal statement should demonstrate evidence of how you meet the criteria listed below:

1.  A proven ability to lead and motivate a large and diverse team and oversee the delivery of a high-quality service to senior stakeholders. 
2. The ability to independently make sound judgements and decisions about a wide range of issues, and communicate these to seniors. 
3. Excellent communication and influencing skills, and an ability to use these to deliver your objectives even during difficult times. 
4. Experience of navigating governance processes in a large organisation and an understanding of their importance. 

Candidate Guidance Support Session 
 
We will be running an overview of Success Profiles, 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. 

Tuesday 12th December 5pm

Click here to join the meeting

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £64,160, HM Treasury contributes £17,323 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 and Experience.

Recruitment Timeline 

Closing date: 17th December 2023

Shortlisting: w/c 18th December 2023

Interviews:  w/c 1st January 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 Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) 

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.