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

International Group 

Do you want to advise ministers on promoting and protecting the UK’s economy and its competitiveness internationally in a fast-changing environment?  If so, read on!

International Group provides opportunities to work on areas including - spending control on international development, trade policy, climate change, health, cooperation on Ukraine, economic security, financial sanctions and tackling illicit finance.  We also manage economic relationships with Europe, US, China and other advanced economies and emerging markets.

We build relationships with external and international partners and represent the UK in a range of international groupings and institutions, including the G7, the G20, the International Monetary Fund and at some of the Multilateral Development Banks. We also analyse international comparisons and the wider global economic context, including for fiscal events.  Although international travel is an important part of some roles, it is not required for every role in the group and will be specified if required.    

About the Team 

The European Policy team (EP) leads HMT’s policy advice and analysis on the UK’s multi-faceted economic and financial relationship with the EU. We bring together the Treasury’s strategy across the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and other agreements with the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA)/European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, including the Windsor Framework governing arrangements in Northern Ireland. We work across the International Group, the Treasury and other Government departments to ensure the Chancellor and other Treasury Ministers receive robust strategic advice, analysis and briefing on our evolving relationship with the EU and other European trading partners.

We are a team of around 20, based in London and Darlington, with a mix of specialists, economists and finance professionals. Our team is an engaging and encouraging place to work, from the opportunity to work on varied and exciting European policy issues and develop trade expertise to a lively social life. We balance long-term policy and strategy development with reactive demands when we service ministerial meetings or committees. We support flexible working and encourage applications from all backgrounds

About the Job 

The UK’s trading and economic relationship with the EU and European countries remains some of the UK’s most important international relationships, and the agreements facilitating this, including the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the Windsor Framework, are central to the UK’s economic prosperity.

You will provide critical strategic and policy oversight to the development of HM Treasury’s (HMT) strategic position on a wide range of policy issues covering the UK’s relationship with the European Union. You will be focused on economic strategy relating to UK-EU Market Access, which covers a wide variety of Goods and Services policy areas. This post sits in the branch responsible for the UK’s trade and economic relationship with the EU, with our wider responsibilities including Open and Fair Competition (otherwise known as the Level Playing Field) and economic analysis of UK-EU trade.

Specific responsibilities are likely to depend on ministerial responsibilities and ongoing developments in the UK-EU economic relationship, as well as the evolution of the wider team, but key accountabilities include: 

• Lead for HMT on work to identify medium-term economic priorities for the UK-EU relationship, including for the TCA Review. Responsibilities will include:
  • leading on internal project management, where you will develop and maintain a project plan for this work, advise on progress against the wider timetable for this work- including identification of ways to work more effectively or where reprioritisation of effort might be required- and lead on internal Governance- including in person and written briefings for Senior Officials and Ministers;
  • advising and guiding the work of HMT Account Managers (within the direct team) across a wide range of HMT-led and non-HMT-led policy areas that impact on the UK-EU relationship (for example, from Services to Security to Energy);
  • engaging credibly and collaboratively with colleagues across the department (from within International Group to Customs to Financial Services to Growth) and with government colleagues, both independently and in support of the HMT Account Managers, on policy issues that impact on the UK-EU relationship;
  • holding central relationships with Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and others across government (notably UK Mission to EU (UKMIs) and Department for Business and Trade (DBT)) to shape Government activities, in support of the Range E;
  • developing advice for Senior Officials and Ministers outlining recommended medium-term economic priorities for the UK-EU relationship.
• Lead on strategic oversight of UK-EU Goods trade for HMT, with the primary aim of influencing policy development on governmental priority areas to ensure the approach pursued is beneficial to the UK-EU economic relationship. This requires building and maintaining strong across HMT and across government relationships with policy and analytical colleagues across the breadth of Goods trade policy areas (i.e. both HMT-led and non-HMT-led: customs, VAT, regulation, rules of origin, product recognition, and agrifood), as well as on specific known or emerging Goods policy issues (such as on EU Files which might impact UK-EU Goods trade), which can then be leveraged in support of agreed whole of HMT, and HMT Ministerial, priorities
• Act as the HMT Account Manager for Goods and Agrifood for work to identify medium term economic priorities for the UK-EU relationship (as outlined above). This involves acting as the central HMT point of contact on Goods and Agrifood (both within HMT and as regards join-up with FCDO and other government departments, notably DBT and Defra), working with the European Policy economic analysis team to identify policy/analysis questions to build the economic evidence base to support future policy prioritisation decisions, engaging with colleagues across government on these as appropriate, and advising HMT Seniors, and fundamentally HMT Ministers, on the economic merits of policy options within the Goods and Agrifood portfolios, and in doing so supporting the development of an HMT view on policy prioritisation across all policy areas.
• Secretariat the UK-EU Trade in Goods Specialised Committee, working closely with colleagues across government i.e. (FCDO; UKMI’s; DBT) to establish UK priorities for the Committee and to ensure effective coordination of the Committee. This also requires close engagement with EU Commission counterparts to ensure alignment.

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 Charlotte Farrow charlotte.farrow@hmtreasury.gov.uk or Timothy Chorley Timothy.Chorley@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 develop and communicate a policy strategy that reflects the department’s strategic priorities and the diverse needs of stakeholders within and beyond your immediate team. (Seeing the Big Picture)
2. Strong interpersonal communication and leadership skills to establish and use effective working relationships to influence across Whitehall and deliver objectives through partnerships, including with teams outside the Treasury. (Working Together)
3. Ability to work independently and be proactive, planning and advancing long-term projects while managing short term demands to deliver high quality outcomes to deadlines and under pressure. (Delivering at Pace)
4. Ability to develop innovative solutions that balance economic, policy and legal interests and on that basis be confident in advocating the right outcome in an uncertain policy environment. (Making Effective Decisions)

The lead criterion is: Seeing the Big Picture

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 £10,665 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: 09 June 2024

Shortlisting: week commencing 10 June 2024

Interviews:  week commencing 24 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.

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 Security Check (SC) .  

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 security 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.