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

About the Group

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).  

About the Team

The Budget and Finance Bill Team is a fun and supportive team which sits at the centre of the Treasury and is responsible for delivering the department’s policy objectives through Budgets and Statements. The team works with privates offices, special advisers, policy teams, HMRC, comms specialists and more to bring together a coherent package of tax, welfare and spending policy announcements and present these to the outside world in the most effective way.

The team operates in a dynamic and fast paced environment, especially in the run up to fiscal events, and has visibility of policy development happening across the whole department. You will regularly be exposed to and working on issues prone to hit the newspaper headlines, which makes our work relatable and interesting. 
The team works flexibly to provide variety and support people’s personal development goals. We give team members lots of support and on the job training to help you develop the knowledge and skills you need to do well. Diversity is very important to us, as is team wellbeing, and we have experience with and support flexible working arrangements.

The role is in the Policy and Presentation branch of the team, which is responsible for the overall coordination, delivery and presentation of Budgets and Statements, including owning the overarching project plan, coordinating policy development and Ministerial decision making, and leading on key presentational product and processes such as the main budget document, supplementary documents and a comprehensive briefing pack. 

This role reports into the Head of Budget Presentation and Project Management (London based) alongside a Higher Executive Officer, who will also be based in Darlington. The hiring manager and team have experience managing across sites and there is a strong community of staff from the Strategy Planning and Budget Group based in Darlington. 

Key accountabilities

You will be responsible for running high profile cross-department processes to ensure effective and impactful presentation of Budgets and Statements, including identifying and advising the Chancellor on presentational risks, and ensuring Ministers and the Department are prepared to confidently explain the policy decisions taken and the government’s strategic narrative for the event. You do not need any specific qualifications or experience to take on this role, just evidence of the right behaviours, values and motivation to succeed.

Whilst your responsibilities will vary depending on the nature of the event, key accountabilities for this role include:

1. Leading a cross-HMT process to identify and mitigate presentational risks associated with budget policy packages, by organising challenge panels with officials, comms experts and Special Advisers, and advising the Chancellor on key overarching and policy specific risks.
2. Coordinating the development of a comprehensive briefing pack covering every policy announced at the Budget or Statement to ensure Ministers, officials and press officers from across government can explain the budget package confidently to stakeholders.
3. Working with the comms team to collate and influence stakeholder handling plans on in the run up to and directly after Budgets and Statements.
4. Coordinating and authoring elements of the main budget document, which summarises all the policy announcements in a budget or statement and the government’s strategic narrative.
5. Account management of an allocated policy workstream (such as all measures in a budget relating to public services, or welfare and labour markets), including tracking policy development and ensuring timely input into budget products and processes.

Long hours can sometimes be required in the period immediately before a Budget or Statement, and you will need to be able to travel to London for short periods of time around a fiscal event. However, SPB is committed to helping staff maintain a good work-life balance and actively manages flexible working practices to balance hours over the course of the year.

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. 

Monday 17 June: 12:00 – 12:45 - Join via MS Teams at this link

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:

Louis Phelps; louis.phelps@hmtreasury.gov.uk

Person specification

About your application

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. Ability to plan, prioritise and deliver on a broad portfolio of work at pace and to a high quality, in an often busy and uncertain working environment. (Delivering at Pace)
2. Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships, and influence and collaborate with stakeholders to deliver results. (Working together)
3. Ability to track and understand the bigger strategic picture and iterate workplans in response to changes in the wider context. (Seeing the big picture)

The lead criterion is: ability to plan, prioritise and deliver on a broad portfolio of work at pace and to a high quality, in an often busy and uncertain working environment. (Delivering at Pace)

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

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,500, HM Treasury contributes £11,060 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: Sunday 30 June 2024

Shortlisting: w/c 1 June 2024

Interviews: w/c 8 June 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. 

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) / Security Check (SC) / Developed Vetting (DV).  

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. 

[FOR DEVELOPED VETTING] To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out, applicants typically need to have lived in the UK for the past 10 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.