Policy Advisor - Growth Strategy

Job summary

Working at HM Treasury puts you at the heart of government, making a difference to the UK economy and ultimately to people’s lives right across the UK.

Jobs at the Treasury are fast-paced, fun and can offer unparalleled perspective – not least the opportunity to advise Ministers on the decisions which directly determine the UK’s prosperity. Deep in our DNA is a commitment to empowering our people: maximising individual and collective impact, with interesting work no matter your role or seniority.

Day-to-day you could be supporting Ministers to decide the right level of a specific tax or line of government spending; helping maintain the stability of financial markets; analysing the long-term trends impacting the future of the economy; or enabling this work as part of our vital corporate functions.

We are a high-performing department and proud to have outstanding staff from a wide range of backgrounds. We are also a friendly, inclusive and sociable workplace that prides itself on fostering great team spirit. Our two largest offices are 1 Horse Guards Road in London, opposite St James’ Park, and the Darlington Economic Campus, which also contains eight other departments. We work seamlessly across all our sites, including Norwich, Birmingham and Leeds, as one Treasury.

We are both a 1,000-year-old institution and dynamic, forward-looking economics and finance ministry, with a strong direction set by our organisational strategy, the Future Treasury Vision. The 21st century offers huge opportunities and poses new challenges for the UK. Working at the Treasury is your chance to help the country chart the right course.

Job description

This is a fast paced, dynamic and stretching role at the heart of the Government’s growth strategy. Economic growth is the Government’s key priority, and the Growth Strategy Unit (GSU) plays a central role in shaping the Government’s growth agenda and delivering on key growth moments and fiscal events.

This role would suit someone who enjoys working at pace, brings curiosity and fresh thinking to complex problems, and is comfortable moving between strategy, delivery and coordination as priorities shift.

The role will provide opportunities to work closely with colleagues across HMT and other departments, engage with external experts, and contribute to a high-profile and fast-moving agenda. The postholder will have regular contact with senior officials and Ministers, and will be expected to work flexibly across the full range of GSU’s work responding to changing priorities as they arise.

The postholder will:

Growth Strategy

• Contribute to advice on the Government’s growth strategy and priority growth areas, working with senior colleagues to develop and test policy ideas.
• Work with colleagues across HMT and Whitehall to design and advocate for innovative, novel and impactful policy solutions in distinct growth priority areas.
• Conduct independent research on growth policies and keep up to date on the evolving policy debates.

Priority Projects

• Lead and support priority projects that advance the Government’s growth objectives, establishing clear plans, milestones and governance, identifying risks and dependencies, and working with colleagues across HMT and Whitehall to deliver ambitious outcomes.
• Develop high-quality analysis, advice, briefings and recommendations to support decisions by senior officials and Ministers, drawing on evidence, stakeholder insight and delivery considerations.

External Engagement

• Develop and support engagement with external experts on growth strategy and policy, including think tanks, academics and business, building and maintaining relationships to bring fresh thinking into the team’s work.
• Develop opportunities for external engagement, including organising roundtables, meetings and events, and preparing senior officials and Ministers to get the most out of these interactions.

Coordination

• Play a proactive role in delivering fiscal events and other significant growth moments, including coordinating inputs, tracking actions and producing briefing materials.
• Provide flexible support to colleagues as needed, including on briefings and correspondence.

The balance of work will vary over time and the postholder should expect to move flexibly between strategic policy advice, project delivery, and external engagement and coordination, depending on the changing priorities of the team.

If you would like to speak to the hiring manager informally prior to the closing date, please contact Amy Vatcher ([email removed]).

Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

Person specification

Application Stage

Application Form

Applications should consist of a CV including your employment history, and a 250-word statement demonstrating evidence of each of the below shortlisting criteria. Your CV and employment history won’t be scored. It’s used to give context to your application and support discussions at interview.

The panel will review applications and invite those that best demonstrate evidence of the shortlisting criteria below for interview. Please keep this in mind when writing your application.

Please note that only applications submitted through Civil Service Jobs will be accepted.

1. Seeing the Big Picture: Ability to understand how your work fits into wider organisational and/or Government priorities and use this insight to shape decisions and advise others.

2. Communicating and Influencing: Ability to communicate effectively with senior leaders and break down complicated information.

3. Making Effective Decisions: Ability to look at complicated information, weigh up different options and clearly explain your recommendation.

4. Delivering at Pace: Ability to plan and prioritise work, manage your time well and keep projects on track so that high-quality outputs are delivered to deadline.

The lead criterion is: Seeing the Big Picture

If we receive a high volume of applications, we’ll first sift using the lead criterion only. Those meeting the minimum score will then be assessed against all remaining criteria.

Interview Stage

If you are successful at the application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed against the following criteria:

• Strengths
• Behaviours:
  • Seeing the Big Picture
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Making Effective Decisions
  • Delivering at Pace

Presentation

Prior to your interview, we will contact you about a task / presentation that the panel would like you to deliver as part of the assessment. Further details will be communicated to you nearer the time.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,600, HM Treasury contributes £12,920 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).

• Generous Annual Leave - 25 days (rising to 30 after 5 years), plus public holidays and the King’s birthday.
• Outstanding