Senior Policy Adviser - Housing Spending and Policy
HM Treasury
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 15th September 2024
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About the job
Job summary
HM Treasury
If you’re interested in making a difference to people’s 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. It’s central government, made more accessible to you!
Job description
About the Group
The Public Services Group is at the heart of Treasury’s 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 Housing, Planning and Cities team is a friendly team of about 20 people. We are responsible for over £10 billion of public spending each year, covering a huge range of government priorities including homelessness, housing, planning reform and local economic growth across the UK.
Our work is at the centre of government, and is an exciting place to learn, develop and build an understanding of how government policy making works. We work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) to ensure public services are as effective as possible, and provide good value to the taxpayer.
We value different experience, and encourage people from a wide range of backgrounds and with different ideas to join the team. We are dedicated to diversity, belonging, personal development and work-life balance, and also support flexible working patterns.
About the Job
The government is focusing on housebuilding and driving economic growth through the planning system, meaning this role sits at the heart of the governments and HM Treasury’s (HMT) objectives. The role is varied and high profile, with strong interest from senior ministers, including the Chief Secretary, Chancellor and Prime Minister, alongside responsibilities for negotiating with MHCLG at the Spending Review and beyond.
The role will evolve over the coming months to reflect government priorities, however we anticipate that you will primarily lead on Homelessness and Homeownership policy, and reforms to the private rental sector.
Key Accountabilities for this role include:
- Lead HMT’s strategic thinking on the Government’s approach to homelessness for Spending Review: Shaping the government’s long term strategy on homelessness and rough sleeping, working with MHCLG to understand the evidence base on drivers of homelessness and impacts of current interventions, and working across HMT to drive a coherent and coordinated cross-government strategy.
- Work across HMT to coordinate efforts to support homeownership, working with colleagues in tax and financial services, including on potential reforms of the mortgage market. This involves developing excellent policy knowledge of the sector, as well as close and collaborative working with officials to influence policy design and ensure public funding delivers value for money. You will be the key contact for these policy areas within HMT.
- Build excellent relationships and work in partnership with MHCLG, Department for Work Pensions, and across HMT to oversee the design and delivery of key cross-cutting priorities, including on the private rental sector and quality standards. Everything that the branch delivers is in collaboration with other teams, founded on strong working relationships. You will work with teams across HMT and senior leads across government to understand policy options to accomplish the government’s goals on housing and economic growth.
- Play an active leadership role across the housing team and wider department, for example through making a strong corporate contribution in an area of your choice; and management of one Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and possibility of matrix management of other HEO and Senior Executive Officers in the team, maintaining a positive working environment and supporting with personal development.
If 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 james.steer@hmtreasury.gov.uk
Person specification
We are looking for the below skills, experience and behaviours and we will ask you to demonstrate these in your application form. Please review the Candidate FAQ document that is attached to the advert for guidance on how to complete your application form.
- Ability to consider a wide range of complex financial and non-financial information, assess risk and draw conclusions to provide high quality advice on investment proposals (Making Effective Decisions).
- Ability to interpret and communicate complex financial information clearly to wide range of stakeholders, in order to support effective and best value decision making (Communicating and Influencing).
- Ability to actively build and maintain strong working relationships to achieve shared objectives, and challenging assumptions while being willing to compromise if beneficial to progress (Working Together).
The lead criterion is: Making effective decisions.
If we receive large volumes of applications, we will conduct an initial sift on the lead criterion only.
Candidate Guidance Support Session
We will be running an overview of Success Profiles and the STAR approach including top tips for the application and interview process and an opportunity to ask general questions around our recruitment practices. Please note that this session is not role specific, so we will be unable to answer specific questions about roles we are advertising. If you would like to join us, please use the link below to join the call at the right time.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Changing and Improving
- Seeing the Big Picture
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
Benefits
- 25 days’ annual leave (rising to 30 after 5 years), plus 8 public holidays and the King's birthday (unless you have a legacy arrangement as an existing Civil Servant)
- Flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours)
- Generous parental and adoption leave package.
- A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and average employer contributions of 28%
- Onsite restaurant and coffee bar. The London office also offers a gym, showers and prayer room
- Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving
- Access to a retail discounts and cashback site
- A Rental Deposit Advance Scheme to help meet the total costs of deposits for privately rented homes
- A range of active staff networks, based around interests and diversity
Flexible Working Arrangements
HM Treasury views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they can enjoy a long-lasting career with us. All employees have the right to apply for flexible working and there are a range of options available including; part-time, compressed hours and job sharing. Additionally, we operate flexitime systems, allowing employees the flexibility to adjust their working patterns throughout the week which is subject to operational needs and line management approval.
At HM Treasury we have an incredibly broad remit; our work touches every citizen of the country. So, it’s important our employees come from the widest possible range of backgrounds, bringing us the widest possible range of perspectives and ways of thinking. We are committed to ensuring that all staff can realise their potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance.
HM Treasury operates an office based working approach across all Treasury sites - Darlington, London, and Norwich, and along with the rest of the Civil Service, has an expectation of a minimum of 60% attendance in the office, along with working remotely. This blended working approach allows you to work collaboratively, meet stakeholders face to face, support others and promotes a healthy work life balance (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review. All our offices have been recently modernised and designed to collaborate and connect with colleagues as well as desk and quiet space to allow a range of ways to work.
The office working expectation is linked to the location of the role. If you apply to a post in a single location, then you will not be able to meet this expectation at any of our other sites or move your role to another location.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Recruitment Timeline
Closing date: 15 September 2024
Shortlisting: week commencing 16 September 2024
Interviews: week commencing 23 and 30 September 2024
This timeline is indicative and may be subject to change. We will inform you if there is a substantial change to the recruitment timeline.
If your contact details change at any time during the selection process, please ensure you update your Civil Service Jobs Profile.
Please note that only applications submitted through Civil Service Jobs will be accepted.
Eligibility Statement
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role in the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government. Checks will be performed as part of pre-employment checks in line with this. Please refer to the Candidate FAQ document attached to the advert for more information.
Everyone working with government assets must complete Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks. Additionally, individuals appointed to the Treasury group will be subject to National Security Vetting. The level of security vetting required for this role is Counter Terrorist Check (CTC)
To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out, applicants will need to have lived in the UK for at least 3 out of the past 5 years. In exceptional circumstances, a lack of residency would not be a bar to security clearance however the Department will need to consider eligibility on a case by case basis once the advert closing date has passed.
Please read the Vetting Charter for information on what to expect during the vetting process and what will be expected from you. Many areas of your life may be explored during your vetting journey, and it is important that every individual, regardless of their background and experiences, should feel comfortable going through this personal process, whilst having confidence that it is fair, proportionate, and inclusive.
These short videos address common concerns and preconceptions which applicants may have about national security vetting. If you have questions relating to security clearances, please contact HMTSecurityVetting@hmtreasury.gov.uk
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : james.steer@hmtreasury.gov.uk
- Email : james.steer@hmtreasury.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : hrrecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.uk
Further information
