Policy Advisers - English Devolution

About the GroupPublic Services GroupThe Public Services Group is at the heart of Treasurys work to secure sustainable public finances and drive economic growth. We manage public spending of more than 250bn. across key public services and departments, including health, education, 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, help the economy to grow and provide value for money for the taxpayer. Our roles offer a range of opportunities to work with senior leaders in other government departments and on the frontline of public services and ensure the effective delivery of public services. The Group is committed to being an excellent place to work, with a relentless focus on good management, learning and development and continuous improvement in everything we do. About the Team The Local Government and Reform team is responsible for managing HM Treasurys interests in local government policy and funding. We work closely with colleagues in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and other departments, to shape the governments approach to local economic growth and local government.This includes ensuring that councils have the resources they need to deliver key services and implement government priorities, including reform of adult and childrens social care. We also seek to ensure that financial powers and policy responsibilities are devolved to the most appropriate level of government. HM Treasury has an interest in these issues from both a spending perspective (ensuring expenditure is affordable and delivered to budget) and an economic perspective (evaluating whether policies offer value-for-money and will deliver the benefits envisaged). The team is split into two units: English Devolution and Economic Clusters Unit and the Local Government Finance Unit.The English Devolution and Economic Clusters Unit comprises a Range E2 (Grade 6); two Range Es (Grade 7); and four Higher Executive Office/Senior Executive Officers, of which the post holders will be two. The team is friendly and inclusive, with members in both the London and Darlington offices. We welcome people from different backgrounds and experiences and support flexible work patterns.About the JobThese roles are at the heart of the governments growth mission, working closely with MHCLG, across Whitehall and with local areas to support regional growth. This is a genuinely unique opportunity to shape the next stage of the devolution agenda, which is a key government priority.These roles focus on enabling economic growth and strong public services through local leadership. The successful candidates will have the opportunity to shape their portfolios, based on the key accountabilities listed below.Key accountabilities:Lead the Treasurys work on Integrated Settlements, which are reforming the way Strategic Authorities receive funding from central Government. This will require close working with MHCLG and Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) to inform the scope and implementation of the policy. The first integrated settlements will be implemented in 2025-26 for some MCAs, and the post holder will play a key role in ensuring the success of the policy and harnessing lessons learned to inform future rollout.Lead the Treasurys work on English devolution for the Spending Review: The post holder will lead for the Treasury on the English devolution elements of MHCLGs Spending Review settlement and ongoing English devolution spending and implementation issues.Lead the Treasurys work on the English Devolution Bill: The post holder will work closely with MHCLG on the upcoming English Devolution Bill, informed by English Devolution White Paper.Support on broader policy development: Working collaboratively with teams across Treasury, central and local government to develop policy on English devolution including how Treasury can support work on place-based public service reform and providing input on the role of local leaders in policy work across the department.Stakeholder engagement: The post holder will need to build excellent relationships within MHCLG, the Treasury and local government. The successful candidate will need to engage with senior officials, ministers, industry leaders, and external experts on English devolution to inform the Treasurys position. The post holder will also support external engagement for senior officials and ministers with high quality briefing.Provide Treasury Ministers with high quality advice: This can be a busy branch, especially at fiscal events. You will develop and analyse policy and spending options, drawing together spending and financial issues, economic policy and local governance questions, to work at pace to advise HMT Ministers on a wide range of local governance issues.The post holder will work closely with neighbouring branches coordinating the Treasurys overall approach to regional growth and supporting sustainable local government finances. We encourage all members of the team to build relationships with people across the local government sector so that our advice is informed by a diversity of perspectives and the best possible evidence base.Candidate Drop-In Session Microsoft Teams The hiring manager will be running a candidate drop-in session for this role to give you greater insight about the role as well as the chance to learn more about HM Treasury and ask any questions you may have. If you would like to join us, then use the link below to join the call at the right time. Tuesday 7th January 2025 @ 15:00 Join the meeting nowIf 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 [email protected]