Head of Legal and Illegal Migration policy

If youre interested in making a difference to peoples 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.

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. Its central government, made more accessible to you!

We are looking for a senior policy leader to head HM Treasurys work on legal and illegal migration policy, covering both economic migration and asylum policy.

You will lead a team of three and coordinate HM Treasurys wider views on Home Office migration policy, ensuring that immigration policy supports labour market needs, economic growth and value for money.

A key part of the role is working closely with HMT Economics Group and other departments to understand the macroeconomic impacts of migration policy, including reductions in net migration, and advising ministers on policy options.

In addition, you will oversee HMTs engagement on the Home Offices asylum accommodation programme and on international work on reducing irregular migration.

The role requires strong strategic judgement, the ability to handle politically sensitive issues, and the capacity to bring together complex policy, operational and fiscal considerations into clear advice for ministers and senior officials.

Key Accountabilities:

• Provide direction and leadership to HM Treasurys work on legal and illegal migration policy, with a focus on ensuring legal migration policy supports growth, and that asylum policy is affordable, deliverable and represents value for money.
• Labour market, skills and economic migration: lead HMT policy on the interaction between migration, skills and the governments Industrial Strategy and HMT input to/analysis of HO policy on legal migration.
• Macroeconomic impacts: work closely with HMT Economics to assess the macroeconomic impacts of migration policy and provide advice to ministers on implications and options.
• Asylum accommodation: oversee HMT engagement on the Home Offices asylum accommodation programme, scrutinising costs, delivery risks and value for money.
• Irregular migration: lead HMT input to Home Office work on asylum processing arrangements ensuring robust assessment of effectiveness, costs and economic impacts.
• Cross government leadership and coordination: act as the central coordinator of HMT views on migration policy, building strong senior relationships across the Home Office, FCDO, DBT, DWP and other partners - and finding ways to resolve competing interests across government in a way that delivers the governments goals.
• Leadership and senior contribution: lead and develop a team of three and contribute as a senior member of the Justice, Home Affairs and Equalities team, supporting wider group priorities.

Candidate Drop-In Session

The hiring manager will be running a candidate drop-in session to give you greater insight about the role and HM Treasury, and ask any questions you might have. If you would like to join us, use the link below to join the call at the right time.

Thursday 11 June 11:00 11:45 Join the candidate drop-in session here.

If you would like to speak to the hiring manager informally prior to the closing date, please contact [email protected]

Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

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 wont be scored. Its 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. Experience: Demonstrable experience of working on migration or labour market policy, and/or applying relevant economic analysis or modelling to quickly build a strong understanding of new policy areas.
2. Making Effective Decisions: Ability to look at complicated information, weigh up different options and clearly explain your recommendation
3. Communicating and Influencing: Ability to communicate effectively with senior leaders and break down complicated information
4. Working Together: Ability to build good relationships with colleagues from different teams and use these connections to drive goals forward

The lead criterion is: Demonstrable experience of working on migration or labour market policy, and/or applying relevant economic analysis or modelling to quickly build a strong understanding of new policy areas.

If we receive a high volume of applications, well 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:

• Experience
• Behaviours: Leadership, Making Effective Decisions, Seeing the Big Picture