Senior Policy Adviser
HM Treasury
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 3rd November 2024
Details
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Contract type
Business area
Type of role
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Job summary
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 Financial Services Group advises the government on how to promote a stable and efficient financial services sector, to deliver excellent outcomes for consumers and business, enhance the UK’s position as a global hub for financial services and support economic growth across the country.
The financial services sector is important to the UK economy – providing significant numbers of jobs and making a large contribution to the UK’s economic output. It also provides essential services to individuals – for example, helping them to purchase goods with ease, buy their first home, and plan for their retirement. During the COVID pandemic, it played a critical role in supporting individuals and businesses – for example, in providing payment holidays for individuals and businesses affected by the pandemic and working with the government to deliver Bounce Back Loans.
We ensure that financial services businesses such as banks, investment firms, financial advisors and insurers are well-regulated. Ensuring firms treat customers fairly, customers have access to a range of financial services as a result of competition in the market, and there are appropriate remedies in place when things go wrong.
We work on a significant international agenda which includes promoting openness and trading links between the UK and countries all around the world, including through Free Trade Agreements and other international dialogues and negotiations. To do this we work closely with colleagues in offices overseas from the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office and the Department for International Trade.
Working with stakeholders is key in Financial Services – for example, we work closely with the independent regulators to help them fulfil their roles, consult consumer groups on issues affecting them, and work with the sector on wider issues like the net-zero agenda.
About the team
The Prudential and Sustainability Team has a varied and high profile remit. We develop policy on prudential banking and sustainable finance. We are made up of two units. One unit leads on prudential issues (which this role will be based in). The other unit focuses on sustainability issues.
The team has taken forward significant amounts of legislation in the last few years and advised the Chancellor on high profile announcements on reforms brought in following the financial crisis. We are also delivering significant work to amend legislation which was inherited from the UK’s membership of the EU. This is to ensure legislation operates effectively for the financial services sector.
About the job
This is a stretching role in a friendly and high performing team. The post holder will have significant autonomy to deliver important legislation and build a wide stakeholder network.
The team is responsible for policy contained in the Capital Requirements Regulation and Securitisation Regulations. Following the 2008 financial crisis, these regulations aimed to protect households and investors by ensuring that banks hold enough capital to protect against the risk of loss and by introducing new safeguards for securitisation products being bought and sold in the market.
The post holder will be expected to adapt to changes in the regulatory and policy environment for banking prudential regulation and securitisation regulation, but key responsibilities will include:
- Preparing legislation to transfer bank capital and liquidity regulation to regulator rulebooks and ensuring the delivery of advice and briefing to ministers throughout the legislative process.
- Advising seniors and ministers on how the UK financial regulators (the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority) are implementing new rules on capital requirements for banks and securitisation.
- Setting the direction for, and delivering, policy development regarding overseas regimes related to capital regulation.
- Leading policy development related to securitisation, including advising seniors and ministers on legislative requirements to support regulator rulemaking.
- Leading significant engagement with the Prudential Regulation Authority, Financial Conduct Authority, industry and teams across the Treasury, building strong relationships to support policy making.
- Line management of one SEO.
- Advising ministers and seniors on ad hoc policy issues related to banking prudential regulation and securitisation. This could include, for example, issues related to remuneration rules that banks must adhere to.
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.
The drop-in session will be held at 12pm on Friday 25 October.
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 Jeanie Watson at jeanie.watson@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.
- Communicating and influencing: ability to communicate with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust, and to explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand.
- Delivering at pace: ability to ensure delivery of timely quality outcomes, through providing the right resources to do the job, reviewing and adjusting performance expectations and rewarding success.
- Seeing the big picture: ability to ensure plans and activities in your area of work reflect wider strategic priorities and communicate effectively with senior leaders to influence future strategies.
- Experience: financial services regulation or the legislative process
The lead criterion is: Communicating and influencing
If we receive large volumes of applications, we will conduct an initial sift on the lead criterion only.
Candidate Guidance Support Session – Microsoft Teams
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.
Thursday 17th October at 12:30
At interview stage, you will be assessed on the below criteria:
- Experience
- Strengths
- Behaviours: Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Seeing the Big Picture
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
- Managing a Quality Service
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Seeing the Big Picture
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: 3/11/2024
Shortlisting: w/c 04/11/2024
Interviews: w/c 11/11/2024 and w/c 18/11/2024
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 Security Check (SC).
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.
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 : Jeanie Watson
- Email : jeanie.watson@hmtreasury.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : hrrecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.uk
Further information
