Deputy Director for Strategy and Strategic Finance
Department of Health and Social Care
Apply before 11:55 pm on Wednesday 5th February 2025
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About the job
Job summary
The Deputy Director for Strategy and Strategic Finance (SISF) provides strategic direction and leadership across the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and helps to bring coherence across the health and social care system.
The successful candidate will report to the Director for Ministers, Accountability and Strategy and make decisions on matters inclusive of resources, budgets, corporate matters, and policy.
You will also oversee the development and delivery of Secretary of State and departmental priorities, relationships with stakeholders (including NHS England, HM Treasury and No. 10), and major spending settlements for health.
Job description
Key Responsibilities
As Deputy Director for Strategy and Strategic Finance your key responsibilities will include:
- Directly manage two individuals and be responsible and accountable for two functions: the departmental Strategy Unit (12 staff) and Strategic Finance (9 staff) based across Westminster and Leeds, overseeing these teams in developing innovative policy ideas and challenging conventional thinking.
- Provide visible, inclusive and effective leadership across the directorate and wider department, facilitate innovation and encourage experts to work to their strengths.
- Lead on the formulation of advice, policy, and strategy and ensure that DHSC’s strategy is future-proofed by offering best-practice thought leadership. Monitor delivery to stay abreast of the Department's strategic and financial position and establish self as a knowledgeable and trustworthy expert to provide expertise to assure the Secretary of State and key stakeholders regarding these matters.
- Interpret Ministerial and senior leadership input into deliverables, act as an expert advisor on strategy and strategic finance issues and take personal responsibility for providing critical and frank advice.
- Support the Director General for Finance, Mission SRO and Secretary of State to set strategic parameters, enabling them to make decisions on the strategic direction of the Health Mission and alignment of the Department’s funding resources.
- Be responsible for developing the strategy of the Health Mission, and link with wider DHSC strategy on matters such as the development of a new 10 Year Plan for Health and reform to adult social care.
- Ensure the Department is contributing to the Government’s other four missions, especially the growth mission.
- Oversee a programme of work across the department to prepare for the Spending Reviews and Autumn Budgets and negotiate the future funding settlements for the largest DEL department in government.
- Influence and build effective relationships with a range of strategic stakeholders across the Department, external across the health and care system, and with other government departments.
- Manage relationships with NHS England strategic finance and strategy functions, Special Advisers, Ministers, HM Treasury, No. 10 Downing Street, Think Tanks, and research bodies.
- Oversee delivery of deep dive projects and delivering advice for the Secretary of State on his priority areas.
- Deliver high quality support to the Secretary of State on parliamentary briefing, for OPQs and Select Committee appearances.
- Develop and roll out a new strategy capability offer for the Department, including the ‘basecamp’ training offer, to build wider capability around strategic thinking in the department.
- Coordinate and deliver aspects of cross-cutting strategic analysis for the Department, including through managing the Department’s Strategy Board and regular Executive Committee strategy sessions.
Person specification
It is important through your CV and Statement of Suitability that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the following essential criteria:
- Evidence of strong people and project management skills, with leadership capabilities to support and develop high performing, talented and motivated diverse teams.
- Demonstrate first-hand knowledge of the working of central government and the ability to build and deliver strategy across a department and Whitehall.
- Experience of applying judgement across different settings, particularly in negotiating financial settlements, and possess extensive experience in policy, analysis, strategy, and finance.
- Exhibit thought leadership with a broad and strong knowledge of the Department of Health and Social Care’s policy agenda and NHS finances.
- Have proven experience of collaborating and building highly effective stakeholder relationships with a broad spectrum of senior internal and external stakeholders.
Demonstrate strong political awareness and confidence in interacting with Senior Ministers or similar Senior Executives to understand their needs and deliver their agendas.
Qualifications:
- Holds a relevant specialist qualification - such as finance or economics.
Qualifications
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Making Effective Decisions
Benefits
Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the Department and wider Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service values and supports all its employees.
We have strong and pro-active staff networks, special leave policies for hospital appointments, reasonable adjustments put in place for those who need them, and diversity talent programmes to help everyone irrespective of background, to achieve their potential.
Pension
Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package.
A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire. Visit Civil Service Pension Scheme for more details.
Generous Annual Leave and Bank Holiday Allowance
25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays.
This will be complimented by one further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the King’s Birthday.
Staff Wellbeing
Flexible working including part-time or time- term working and access to Flexible Working Schemes allowing you to vary your working day as long as you work your total hours.
Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers.
Childcare benefits (policy for new employees as of 5 April 2018): The government has introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. Working parents can open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2000 a year for each child or £4000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay for registered childcare. Existing employees may be able to continue to claim childcare vouchers, so please check how the policy would work for you here.
Onsite facilities Opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteens (where applicable).
Things you need to know
Selection process details
To apply for this post please submit the following documents no later than 23:55 on Wednesday 5th February 2025.
- A CV (which is for information purposes only) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
- A Statement of Suitability (no more than 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.
Applications will be sifted against your statement of suitability. Please note that your CV is for information purposes only and will not be scored.
Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel has limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.
As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'. The information you provide when submitting your application will help us monitor our progress towards the Civil Service becoming the most inclusive employer by 2025.
Please note that we are unable to provide feedback to those candidates who are not shortlisted for an interview. Written feedback will be made available (on request) to those candidates who attend the interview.
If you are unable to apply online, please contact scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.
Selection Process
A panel chaired by Paul Macnaught - Director for Ministers, Accountability and Strategy, DHSC, will assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the ‘Person Specification’ section. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.
Paul will be supported by a selection panel made up of other senior stakeholders for the role, full details of this panel will be shared with shortlisted candidates.
Alongside other departments, DHSC is committed to making the Civil Service more inclusive and recognises the value of diverse interview. panels. Helping candidates, particularly those from diverse backgrounds, to feel comfortable and at ease during the interview process, to reduce bias and increase the objectiveness of decisions. In line with the Civil Service’s Inclusive Board initiative we aim to ensure that, as well as being gender diverse, DHSC’s interview panels for Senior Civil Service will include at least one panellist who is from an ethnic minority background and/or who has a physical or non-physical disability (which may not be visible).
Shortlist
You will receive an acknowledgement of your application through the online process.
The panel will select a shortlist of candidates whose applications best demonstrate suitability for the role, by considering the evidence provided against the essential criteria set out in the ‘Person Specification’.
Candidates applying under the Disability Confident Scheme and A Great Place to Work for Veterans Scheme who meet the minimum selection criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview.
The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, all candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter, and we will advise on any delays.
Shortlisted candidates who attend an interview will also be offered verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel.
Assessment
If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to take part in a series of Assessments which may include a Technical Assessment and a Staff Engagement Exercise. These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.
Discussion with the Hiring Manager
Shortlisted candidates may have the opportunity to speak to the vacancy holder, Paul Macnaught - Director for Ministers, Accountability and Strategy, DHSC prior to the final interview. This is an informal discussion to allow candidates to learn more about the role, and is not part of the assessment process.
Interview
You will be asked to attend a panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.
If candidates are required to prepare a presentation for their interview, they will be given at least one week’s notice of the subject.
You will be asked a series of questions at interview around the following behaviours and the essential criteria earlier in this pack.
Behaviours:
- Seeing the Bigger Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Making Effective Decisions
Feedback
Feedback is only available to shortlisted candidates. Please contact scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk at Government Recruitment Service to request feedback on your application or interview.
A reserve list will be held for up to 12 months, which we may use to fill future suitable vacancies for candidates who are considered appointable following interview.
Expected Timeline
We will try to offer as much flexibility as we can, but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments or interviews. You are therefore asked to note the below timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process, in order to meet the dates given. Please note that these dates may be subject to change.
The anticipated timetable is as follows:
Advert Closing Date: 23:55 Wednesday 5th February 2025
Short List Meeting: Week commencing 17th February 2025
Assessments: 3rd or 4th March 2025
Final Interviews: Thursday 13th March 2025
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.
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 : SCS Candidate
- Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance you should contact; scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response, you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk and more information can be found at www.civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk
