Senior Policy Consultant

Job summary

Future Civil Service

Future Civil Service Group (FCS) is the strategic and functional centre for the Government People Function and human resources (HR) in the Civil Service.

Led by Jerome Glass, Director General Future Civil Service, and Jane Harbottle, Director General for Pensions and Operational Services, we enable and improve the delivery of recruitment, training, workplace policy, HR strategy and management excellence to over half a million civil servants.

From recruitment to retirement, FCS is at the forefront of working with ministers and departments to ensure the Civil Service is equipped to deliver for UK citizens. Some of our work includes:

• Leading on cross-government HR strategy, organisation design and workforce planning.
• Procuring and delivering training and development schemes for the Civil Service.
• Delivering recruitment services, guidance and expertise to departments.
• Coordinating and advising departments on pay, pensions and employee policy.
• Setting standards and guidance for line managers and senior civil servants.
• Coordinating the implementation of the Shared Services Strategy for Government.
• Enhancing employee experience to promote an engaged workforce and culture of performance excellence.

Civil Service People Plan 2024-27

A shared aim of all civil servants working in the Government People Function is to support the delivery of the Civil Service People Plan 2024-2027.

The People Plan outlines five People Priorities for the Civil Service, alongside 45 commitments to address our most pressing and immediate people challenges. Departmental plans and strategies also align with and contribute towards the People Plan.

Centre of Recruitment Expertise (CoRE)

CoRE is a small team of 7 recruitment policy and strategy experts (3 team leaders and 4 senior policy consultants) who look after some of the biggest strategic recruitment issues in the Civil Service, working with colleagues across the system and wider industry to deliver the highest quality advice and solutions for Ministers and Senior Leaders in the Civil Service.

We are a high performing team with Civil Service and private sector experience where everyone feels welcome and has the opportunity to demonstrate their full potential, celebrating successes and supporting one another as a team.

Job description

This is a high-profile opportunity to operate at the heart of government transformation, directly supporting ministerial and strategic priorities to simplify and improve recruitment across government.

In this position, you will establish yourself as a reliable consultant and subject matter expert, responsible for setting best practice standards for senior leadership and HR departments.

Some of the challenges we need your help to solve include:

We are making the Civil Service an employer of choice, especially the Senior Civil Service. You’ll identify and remove barriers and systemic obstacles to attracting the best talent, and create a candidate-focused standard for recruitment. This needs to be evidence-led and strategic.

We are driving improvements to recruitment across the Civil Service through our leading Recruitment Test and Learn programme. You will collaborate with stakeholders to promote and develop innovation activity and evaluate impacts.

We are delivering significant change to recruitment culture by replacing Success Profiles. You’ll develop guidance and good practice that supports candidates and the Civil Service to successfully adopt a more flexible and robust approach to selection.

We engage with a diverse range of stakeholders across government and industry, and you will coordinate this activity to establish good working relationships and strengthen our role as a centre of expertise.

We are the primary source for cross-government recruitment policy advice and solutions, and you will draft clear briefings for Ministerial speeches and responses to parliamentary correspondence in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Person specification

Essential

Associate Membership CIPD or comparable HR experience

A track record of managing multiple HR projects concurrently to meet competing deadlines by applying project planning and prioritisation techniques.

A proven ability to adapt to changing priorities and use initiative to achieve objectives, even in the absence of established guidance and frameworks.

Proven experience developing and maintaining trusted working relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders by collaborating effectively across boundaries to achieve shared goals.

Excellent use of written and verbal skills to persuade and influence a range of stakeholders by drafting clear, concise and impactful policies and briefings.

Proven ability using data and evidence to identify barriers within HR and recruitment processes and develop solutions that support strategic goals and regulatory controls.

Additional information:

Cabinet Office policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. Requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,760, Cabinet Office contributes £12,677 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

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