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 

Public Services Group

The Public Services Group is at the heart of Treasury’s work to secure sustainable public finances and drive economic growth. We manage public spending of more than £250bn. across key public services and departments, including health, education, 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, help the economy to grow 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. 

About the Team

The Devolution team is a friendly team of around 20 people, with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. We are currently based in London, Darlington and Scotland. The team is responsible for overseeing the Treasury’s strategic approach to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, sitting across the Treasury’s finance and economics ministry functions. We work closely with colleagues in the devolved administrations, across Whitehall, and the whole department to:

• Manage the funding arrangements for the devolved administrations and Territorial Offices
• Promote Treasury’s interests within the UK Government’s constitutional and Union policy
• Advise on economic and fiscal policy interventions by the UK Government in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Increase Treasury’s devolution capability.

About the Job

We are looking for a Policy Advisor (HEO) to join us to work on devolved administration funding. It’s an exciting time to join the team! In taking a leading role to set the level of funding the devolved administrations receive from HM Treasury, with a likely focus on the Scottish Government, your work will be critical to the effective functioning of devolution and support millions across the UK.

This is a cross-cutting and dynamic role that offers the opportunity to gain exposure to policy issues across HM Treasury, develop an understanding of how we manage public spending and collaborate with teams across HM Treasury, other Government departments and the devolved administrations. Whether we are considering how to take account of tax and welfare devolution when setting the Scottish Government's funding or advising on the implications of policy proposals in England for each of the devolved administrations, the work we do plays a key role in government policy.

You don't need to be a policy professional or have any specific qualifications to succeed in the role, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds. We are looking for a candidate who is confident in handling data, working with Microsoft Excel and is able to draw evidenced conclusions from the data that we work with. The successful candidate will also be able to bring enthusiasm and motivation to the role, helping to build a positive team dynamic.

Key accountabilities for the role will likely focus on matters relating to Scottish Government funding but will be tailored to the experience and interests of the successful applicant and needs of the team. These accountabilities could include:

1. Leading on the calculation of adjustments to Scottish Government and Welsh Government funding (Block Grant Adjustments) at fiscal events to reflect the devolution of tax and welfare powers to the Scottish Government.
2. Operating the Scottish Government’s fiscal framework, engaging effectively with the Scottish Government, acting as a key point of contact where queries arise.
3. Processing inputs from across the UK Government and the Office for Budget Responsibility to forecast Scottish Government spending at fiscal events.
4. Leading on in-year financial management of funding for the devolved administrations, including inputting into the established Mains and Supplementary Estimates processes
5. Advising HM Treasury ministers on devolved administration funding and spending issues as they arise
6. Assessing devolved administration reserve claims and borrowing requests
7. Answering Parliamentary Questions and correspondence on devolved administration funding issues.

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 4th January 2024 10:00 - 10:45 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 Reece Decastro (reece.decastro@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. Making Effective Decisions: Ability to draw out key messages from complex information and make recommendations to others.
2. Communicating and Influencing: Ability to understand technical concepts and communicate complex information to non-expert audiences
3. Delivering at Pace: Ability to manage competing priorities and meet immediate deadlines while progressing longer-term pieces of work.

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 5th January 2024 12:30 - 13:15 Click here to join the meeting

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £31,710, HM Treasury contributes £8,561 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: Wednesday 10th January 2024

Shortlisting: From 11th January 2024

Interviews:  w/c 22nd and/or 29th 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.