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 Enterprise and Growth Unit (EGU) promotes sustainable economic growth and higher productivity for the UK. We provide analysis and advice on enterprise, innovation, private sector investment and a cost-effective transition to a low-carbon economy. The Enterprise and Growth Unit has a varied and exciting agenda and we work closely with a wide variety of other teams across the Treasury.   

We also work alongside other departments and government organisations to ensure that we are thinking creatively, spending wisely, and acting boldly to deliver these goals. These organisations are: 

• the Department for Business and Trade,
• the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero,
• the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs,
• the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology,
• the Department for Transport,
• the Department for Culture, Media & Sport,
• the Competition and Markets Authority,
• HM Land Registry, and
• UK Export Finance

About the Team

The Growth, Productivity and Infrastructure Team is a friendly team of around 20 policy advisers and economists which sits at the heart of the Treasury’s economics ministry function. 

• We take a strategic overview of growth policy, coordinating across HMT, especially at Budget and Spring Statement.
• We act as a source of new insights, including through proactive engagement with business and academia.
• We lead for HMT on key growth-focused policy areas including the government’s infrastructure strategy, how to facilitate infrastructure delivery, employment policy and migration policy.
• Lastly, we have a deep and up-to-date understanding of the evidence base on productivity, which we use to advise on policy, and produce analytical projects on the UK’s growth constraints.

About the Job

This is a challenging, exciting role, that would require you to work on migration policy within the Treasury – an area of considerable political and public interest. You will support the Range E (Grade 7) in leading the Treasury’s work in this area with oversight from the Range E2 (Grade 6), head of the Growth Strategy and Migration branch. You will have frequent contact with Senior Civil Servants, Private Office and Cabinet Office.

The role offers a superb opportunity to develop both policy and analytical skills on a sophisticated and wide-ranging policy area. It also offers the opportunity to develop a wide network of relationships across Whitehall. Through working with the Home Office, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Business and Trade, and other departments and colleagues across Treasury, you will have a core role in shaping the development of government policy and the design of the immigration system.

You will demonstrate excellent collaboration skills - engaging with a diverse range of external partners from academia, industry and other spheres to draw on different perspectives and evidence.

Key responsibilities include:

1. Lead, along with the Range E, design and delivery of migration reforms for fiscal events and other announcements, working closely with the Home Office and other Departments, and ensuring that the immigration system supports growth and productivity and that ministerial decisions are underpinned by robust evidence.
2. Advise ministers on the economic impacts of policy options to enable them to make informed decisions, working with data and other evidence, and collaborating with economists in the Treasury’s Economics Group.
3. Build strong, positive relationships with the Home Office, Department for Business and Trade and other government departments, and with teams across the Treasury, and develop and manage relationships with external partners, including independent bodies such as the Migration Advisory Committee and industry bodies.
4. Conduct research and develop expertise on migration policy and the Immigration Rules to provide evidence-based information and analysis to senior civil servants and ministers.
5. Prepare ministerial briefings on aspects of migration policy to assist ministers in dealing with the media and Parliament, acting as a key point of contact on migration policy, for other Treasury teams.
6. Contribute to the strategy and culture of the wider Growth, Productivity and Infrastructure Team and the Enterprise and Growth Unit as a whole, to foster a positive, inclusive and development-focused place to work.

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.  

Monday 15th January at 13:00: 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 the hiring manager, Peter Lyon (peter.lyon@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 analyse a range of both quantitative and qualitative information, demonstrating an understanding of how to weight evidence, challenge information, use analytical tools and techniques, and draw all this together to optimally influence future policy direction (Making effective decisions)
2. Ability to build trust and strong interpersonal relationships, using that in delivering difficult messages or influencing people who have different roles and perspectives (Communicating and influencing)
3. Ability to keep on top of a wide range of issues, thinking strategically, balancing short-term issues with progress against longer-term priorities, as well as consistently delivering high-quality analysis and policy advice to ministers (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.  

Friday 5th January at 12:30: 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: 22 January 2024

Shortlisting: Week commencing 22 January 2024

Interviews:  Week commencing 5 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 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.