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

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.  

Health and Social Care Team

We are responsible for Treasury’s oversight of over £170 billion of annual government spending in health and adult social care – accounting for almost a quarter of all public spending! We work collaboratively with the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) and its Arm’s Length Bodies, No10 and the Cabinet Office, and external partners including NHS leaders and Local Authorities.

Not only do we set budgets and monitor performance, we also look to deliver real value to the public and drive forward a long-term vision to make health and care services productive and sustainable into the future.

Given the importance of health and social care to the Government, MPs and the public, this is a high-profile team that offers demanding work. We are constantly in the thick of it and at the core of key Treasury spending decisions and issues. The team comprises people from a diverse range of backgrounds, including from both within and outside government. We are friendly, buzzy and completely committed to diversity, inclusion and personal development. 

About the Job

We are recruiting for a Policy Adviser to join the Health Resilience and Growth branch of the Health and Social Care Team. The branch is responsible for oversight of policy and spend relating to the Life Sciences sector, including health R&D, medicines, vaccines, as well as the UK Health Security Agency, health resilience and pandemic preparedness, and HM Treasury’s involvement in the COVID-19 public inquiry.

The post-holder will be responsible for leading HM Treasury’s work on health resilience and pandemic preparedness policy and spending. This includes work to: strengthen the health and care system’s preparedness for future pandemics and health emergencies; leverage industrial policies to encourage investment in the Life Sciences sector in areas that are vital to responding to health emergencies, such as vaccines manufacturing; influencing policy and spending decisions in relation to national security issues, such as the implementation of the Biological Security Strategy.    

The core responsibilities of the post-holder will include:

1. Advising Ministers and senior officials – providing high-quality advice and briefing to Treasury Ministers on key issues relating to government spending on health resilience and pandemic preparedness.
2. Analysing evidence – scrutinising policy proposals and business cases to reach evidence-based conclusions and ensure value for money in government spending.
3. Developing core spending control skills – building a knowledge base of the relevant budgets, trends, and context for additional funding requests, and supporting work on fiscal events such as Budgets and Spending Reviews.
4. Building and maintaining relationships – developing positive relationships with a range of partners across HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office, Department for Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency, Office for Life Sciences, and more.
5. Developing policy expertise – understanding the political and policy environment, deepening expertise in specific policy areas, and applying that to everyday work.
6. Working effectively on cross-cutting policy – understanding different perspectives and working through competing priorities to develop effective policy solutions and work collaboratively across teams.
7. Contributing to the successful running of the team and Group – including responding to Parliamentary Questions and correspondence, supporting the team and wider Treasury’s ambitious corporate agenda, and helping to build a positive, collaborative and inclusive working environment in the Health Resilience and Growth branch and Health and Social Care Team.

Candidate Drop-In Session - Microsoft Teams
 
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 11th April  at 10:00: 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 Dale Pedder (Dale.Pedder@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. Ability to evaluate different and sometimes competing evidence sources to come to a conclusion and advise senior officials and/or ministers (Making Effective Decisions)
2. Developing clear and compelling messages and delivering them effectively to get agreement to change from a wide range of partners, using evidence to challenge, negotiate and resolve differences (Communicating and Influencing).
3. Ability to juggle multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced environment while delivering longer term objectives (Delivering at Pace) 

The lead criterion is: Making Effective Decisions. 

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

Candidate Guidance Support Session - Microsoft Teams
 
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.  

Thursday 28th March at 13:30: 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: 14th April 

Shortlisting: w/c 15th April 

Interviews: w/c 29th April 

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.

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.