HM Treasury Careers – Senior Policy Adviser

About the job

Public Services Group

The Public Services Group is at the heart of the Treasury’s work to secure strong and sustainable public finances. We manage public spending of more than £250 billion across key public services and departments, including health, education, the police, 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 and provide value for money for the taxpayer.

Our roles offer a range of opportunities to work with senior leaders in other government departments, as well as helping to ensure the effective delivery of public services that so many people rely on.

Health and Social Care team

The Health and Social Care spending team are responsible for Treasury’s oversight of over £180 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.

Justice, Home Affairs and Equalities team

We are responsible for the oversight of the Government’s spending on the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Law Officer’s departments, National Crime Agency and on Parliament – as well as the Government’s equalities responsibilities. The Justice Spending branch of the team manages HM Treasury’s relationship with bodies including the Ministry of Justice and the Law Officers departments, overseeing more than £10bn a year of annual government spending. We’re a friendly, collaborative and inclusive team, committed to personal development and achieving a healthy work-life balance.

Senior Policy Adviser – Covid-19 Branch (Health and Social Care team)

This is an exciting opportunity to work in a branch delivering priorities spanning the Treasury’s finance and economics ministry functions. We give advice to HMT ministers on the public health levers for mitigating the health and economic impacts of Covid-19. We also lead on the spending legacy of high-profile, multi-billion pound Covid-19 public health programmes, and on policy for preparing for future pandemics.

The post-holder will have both policy and spending responsibilities. You will lead advice to ministers on several major Covid-19-related public health programmes and related agencies (testing, medicines, UK Health Security Agency and PPE) and on policy priorities relating to Covid-19 (e.g. contingency preparations for potential future waves). There will be opportunities to work closely with senior officials, ministerial exposure (particularly the Chief Secretary), as well as opportunity to own external stakeholder relationships.

We are looking for a self-starter who can get up to speed on new issues quickly, prioritise effectively, build positive relationships, grasp and communicate technical issues with clarity and work with a wide range of partners to deliver constructive outcomes. Knowledge and previous experience of the public spending framework is desirable but not essential.

The Key Accountabilities Can Be Flexed Depending On The Individual (and Due To The Dynamic Nature Of The Pandemic These May Need To Flex According To Business Need), But Are Likely To Include

• Delivering control of spending within Covid-19 public health programmes and agencies (e.g. antivirals programme, testing programmes, UK Health Security Agency, PPE programme). You will ensure that programmes deliver within current budgets and take part in set-piece negotiations to set future budgets at fiscal events
• Setting direction for policy decisions on and within Covid-19 public health programmes. You will build an excellent understanding of the budgets and policy in these areas and ensure that programmes deliver value for money, and that HMT priorities and interests are reflected in cross-government decision-making
• Leading on cross-cutting policy priorities in the Covid-19 space e.g. contingency planning for public health interventions in the event of significant near-term outbreaks, as well as proactively identifying new priorities
• Owning relationships with a wide range of internal and external partners, including finance and policy officials
• Excellent line management and development of 1-2 Range D policy advisers, leading them to deliver outstanding policy advice while building their general policy skills and subject-specific expertise

If you would like to find out more about the role, please contact the line manager, Jo Johnson, [email protected] (on leave from 30 September-7 October)

Senior Policy Adviser – Justice Branch (Justice, Home Affairs and Equalities team)

This is an exciting, high profile and challenging role as a Senior Policy Adviser/Range E in the Justice spending team at the heart of HM Treasury. You’ll be giving advice to Treasury ministers on spending across the Justice department and the Law Officers Departments, and engaging with senior stakeholders across those departments, No10 and the Cabinet office. You’ll need to be able to grasp and communicate complex policy issues, work effectively with partners who may have different interests to you, and do so at pace.

Specific Responsibilities Will Include

• Overseeing implementation of the Ministry of Justice’s 2021 Spending Review settlement – You will play a core role in scrutinizing the delivery of high profile priorities including court recovery, court and probation reform, reoffending programmes, and investment in electronic tagging and victims services. You will need to develop a detailed understanding of these policy and budget areas and form effective working relationships with key finance, policy, and programme colleagues in MoJ, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, and HM Prisons and Probation Service. You will also be a key part of delivering any upcoming fiscal events.
• Leading HMT’s engagement with the Law Officers Departments and UK Supreme Court – You will be responsible for overseeing the Crown Prosecution Service, Serious Fraud Office, Attorney General’s Office, and UK Supreme Court. You will exercise spending control over their £800m+ combined budgets at and between fiscal events, scrutinize delivery of high-profile priorities such as the CPS’ commitments on prosecutions, and manage relationships with senior colleagues in these organizations.
• Working on cross-cutting criminal justice system demand and policy issues – This will involve tracking the impact of police recruitment and increased demand on the CPS, courts, probation, and electronic monitoring services while responding to emergent challenges such as the criminal barristers’ strike. You will also be proactive in working across Whitehall, seeking out opportunities to improve the way the criminal justice system works, and setting direction in your policy area.
• Providing advice on new policy ideas or ad hoc spending issues as they arise.
• Managing a Range D – You will provide excellent line management and mentoring, ensuring your branch has the capability and knowledge to provide quality, evidence-based advice.

If you would like to find out more about the role please contact the line manager, Ed Brown ([email protected])