Joint Head – Strategy, Planning and Change
HM Treasury
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 13th October 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
Strategy, Planning and Budget
Strategy, Planning and Budget operates at the heart of the Treasury to develop the Department’s overall strategy and business plan, assess performance and risk, and help deliver its objectives with a large, flexible project team who work on ministerial priorities across the whole range of the department’s policy responsibilities. We also co-ordinate the Chancellor’s annual Budget, the Finance Bill and the Treasury’s tax strategy, as well as coordinate the Treasury’s responses to the COVID-19 Public Inquiry and provide support to ministers and officials who are Inquiry witnesses. SPB also promotes excellent policymaking across the department and houses the Darlington Leadership Team, which works to ensure the successful delivery of the Darlington Economic Campus (DEC).
About the Team
Strategy, Planning & Change (SPC) is a small team of 5 officials which supports the Treasury’s Executive Management Board (EMB) and Ministers on departmental strategy, performance, resourcing and risk. We designed and developed the Treasury’s current vision and strategy, coordinated preparations for the 2024 General Election, oversee the department’s Performance & Delivery Framework, and play a leading role in shaping how the department ensures its resources and operations are optimised to deliver for Ministers and the public.
We are passionate about helping our people thrive and building an encouraging and friendly team. We champion diversity and many team members work flexible working patterns.
The team is home to staff based in both our Darlington and London offices, and works together to provide a supportive and inclusive home in each location.
We are also part of the Strategy, Planning & Projects (SPP) team, alongside c45 policy advisers who move around the Treasury to work on its highest priority policy areas.
About the Job
This is an influential and high-profile role. Suitable for someone who is looking to compliment excellent policy and delivery skills by gaining first-hand insight into improving and leading a fast-paced organisation with an excellent international reputation.
Ours is a hard-working team, focused on shaping and helping to deliver HMT's future. We define delivery objectives with Ministers, assign resource, assess risk, and advise accordingly. We help the senior leadership team and other colleagues face challenges and take opportunities to improve. We take ownership of tackling issues, think creatively and offer challenge. We are pragmatic and delivery-focused.
You’ll need to be proactive, committed and creative. You will take ownership of your results and development, and those of your team, and contribute to an environment that enables and encourages consistently high performance. You’ll be a strong communicator, confident working closely with senior colleagues, enjoy attention to detail, and show passion for improving how the organisation thinks and develops policy.
The team works flexibly. We share our responsibilities and accountabilities across and between our people, and our role may evolve! We also have some opportunity to adjust portfolios around your strengths, experience, and interests.
You’ll jointly lead the team to:
- Support the Executive Board in shaping, refreshing and communicating its vision and strategy for the department, currently “One Treasury”. This will set out how we'll deliver the Government's policy agenda, and craft a clear vision for the Treasury's culture and ways of working over the coming years. You'll engage people and teams to shape our future, and lead an effective outreach and communications strategy;
- Lead thinking on how the Treasury should best deploy its people to meet Ministers’ priorities through the annual business planning round, and help make in-year decisions to determine where resources should best be deployed. We also support our Finance colleagues on HMT's Spending Review bid/settlement;
- Lead the Treasury's risk and performance monitoring, and improve our thinking on long-term risks and future challenges – and how we might apply strategy and foresight tools.
- Develop the Treasury's objectives with Ministers, including how we contribute to the new government's five missions.
- Lead the organisation's response to major events – such as briefing new Ministers on the Treasury and its priorities, and helping the department draw on its people optimally in crises. You’ll take ownership of our new cross-Treasury crisis/surge resourcing capability.
- Promote innovation and creativity in policy thinking, a key building block in how we are improving Treasury policymaking. You’ll lead a thriving network of colleagues to promote challenge, improve how we draw on outside perspectives and expertise, and innovate with data.
- Provide resilience across the full range of team responsibilities, working flexibly with the other joint head – and cover for each other as needed.
- Provide inspiring leadership across the branch, team, and Group. You'll build a strong sense of team, leading an enthusiastic, encouraging and hard-working unit of at least 2 Range Es and 1 SEO, which you will matrix manage. And, as a senior member of the Group, you'll work hard to ensure SPB continues to be an excellent place to work.
You don’t need any specific qualifications, though we encourage applicants who have experience of one or more of: strategy, organisational leadership, risk management, and programme management. Please share details in your application.
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.
15:30 – 16:15 Monday 7th October Join the meeting now
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 Richard Salt (richard.salt@hmtreasury.gov.uk – available w/c 7 October). You can also speak to the current post-holder, Ashleigh Brigden (ashleigh.brigden@hmtreasury.gov.uk – available throughout the application window)
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.
- Significant experience in a role focused on organisational strategy and performance, applied to front-line business/departmental policy priorities (or equivalent). [Experience].
- Ability to lead the development of coherent advice and strategies, bringing personal thought leadership to bear, taking into account political and organisational considerations, and making decisions confidently in the face of contending views and sensitivities. [Behaviour: Making Effective Decisions]
- First rate ability to drive delivery of high-quality and timely work, leading by example and personal delivery, and actively managing performance and delivery throughout your team. [Behaviour: Delivering at Pace]
- Ability to influence and work confidently with Board-level colleagues, and lead cross-team work with integrity, clarity, and passion [Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing]
The lead criterion is: Experience
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 3rd October at 12:30: Join the meeting now
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Seeing the Big Picture
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
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: 13th October 2024
- Shortlisting: W/C 14th October 2024
- Interviews: W/C 28th October 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.
Location-Based Reserve Lists
You will be placed on a reserve list if your application is successful, but we cannot offer you a post immediately. Where more than one location has been advertised, candidates will be approached for roles in merit order according to the first preferred location stated on your application form.
Please note that a place on the reserve list does not guarantee an offer. We would still encourage you to apply for other HM Treasury opportunities that you are interested in. If you are offered a role in your first preferred location and you decline the offer or you are unable to take up the post within a reasonable timeframe, you will be removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances.
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.
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 : Richard Salt
- Email : richard.salt@hmtreasury.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : hrrecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.uk
Further information
