Senior Policy Adviser (Growth Delivery Unit)

Working at HM Treasury puts you at the heart of government, making a difference to the UK economy and ultimately to peoples 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 UKs 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.

The Growth Delivery Unit (GDU) drives delivery of the Chancellors priorities and supports his leadership of the governments number one priority: growth - the governments ambition to grow the UK economy. We do that by combining policy, analytical, project management and data science skills to monitor the progress of policies and projects from announcement to actually delivering real-world outcomes; identify when and why progress is being blocked; and intervene to overcome those barriers. We are a friendly team with a can-do attitude. We offer lots of development support to help you thrive. Diversity and team wellbeing are very important to us. Our work is relatable and interesting because it is focused on priority issues which are often in the news and have tangible impacts.

Growth is the governments number one priority, putting the Growth Delivery Unit front and centre of efforts to deliver it. This high-profile role will drive the Chancellors growth priorities, working closely with ministers, special advisers and senior officials in a fast-paced environment. Going beyond conventional policy work, the post-holder will use novel delivery approaches to track outcomes, unblock barriers and develop practical interventions. They will work innovatively across a multidisciplinary team - combining policy, project management and analytical insight with data science and bespoke AI - and with partners across government and externally. The role requires strategic thinking, excellent judgement, creativity and leadership.

The post-holder will lead the sub-team monitoring these priorities, identifying risks and solving delivery problems. This role is evolving under the new Chancellor and team, and so the role holder should be willing and excited for their responsibilities to change and expand as the job develops. At the outset, the post holder will be responsible for:

1. Leading one of GDUs priority projects to unblock delivery of a ministerial growth priority or a major coordination workstream for set piece HMT fiscal events. Acting as the teams subject-matter expert and first point of contact for the project. Developing short and medium-term project plan to deliver outcomes. This could include interrogating delivery plans and working with colleagues across government to develop innovative and practical solutions to challenges, organising ministerial and SpAd bilats, and working closely with spending teams and seniors across the department.
2. Developing an understanding of the wider context in which the priority is being delivered, including political and strategic drivers, to support effective communication to seniors and ministers; identify strategically important issues; spot risks and blockers to delivery progress; and propose solutions.
3. Building and managing relationships across HM Treasury, government, and externally where necessary, to come up with effective and creative solutions to problems and barriers to delivery.
4. Effectively communicating delivery updates and proposed solutions to senior officials, special advisors, and ministers, in writing and verbally. Work with the analysis and data science branch to communicate via innovative presentational products such as project dashboards when appropriate. Coordinate with the other Grade 7 and cross-government to organise ministerial bilats and utilise governance fora where necessary.
5. Line managing an SEO policy adviser. Providing quality branch leadership alongside the G6 and other G7, maintaining a clear focus on development, inclusion and wellbeing.

Candidate Drop-In Session

The hiring manager will be running several candidate drop-in sessions 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 8 October, 11:00-11:30: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/357138772847170?p=AaQ2a43uacNdtbJoLa Meeting ID: 357 138 772 847 170 ; Passcode: b8eW7DA6
• Monday 12 October, 15:00-15:30:https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/383067057080801?p=H6fJ3BPSQAj5CxUZDI Meeting ID: 383 067 057 080 801 ; Passcode: Eb3f2N8i

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. Delivering at Pace - Ability to structure, plan, flex and prioritise a broad workload to deliver consistently high-quality work in a busy and uncertain environment.
2. Seeing the Big Picture - Making strategic judgements that balance delivery, fiscal, economic and political considerations, to inform decision-making when developing advice
3. Working Together - Ability to build, maintain and influence large networks, and work collaboratively with others to get participation in processes, source information, spot problems, and problem solve.

The lead criterion is: Delivering at Pace

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:

• Strengths
• Behaviours:
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Delivering at Pace
  • Seeing the Big Picture
  • Working Together