Policy Adviser

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 425473

**Salary**:

- £43,090 - £46,500
- A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

**Job grade**:

- Senior Executive Officer

**Contract type**:

- Permanent

**Business area**:

- HMT - Public Spending

**Type of role**:

- Policy

**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Part-time

**Number of jobs available**:

- 1

**Contents**:

- Location
- About the job
- Benefits
- Things you need to know

**Location**:

- This post is based in Darlington (Feethams House).

**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**:
**Public Spending Group**

The Public Spending Group is a high-profile and rewarding place to work. We help the Chancellor decide what to spend £1.2trillion a year on and ensure government delivers value for money for the taxpayer. We are responsible for reporting to Parliament and the public on how taxpayers’ money is spent. We drive forward improved outcomes and efficiency in public services and make sure value for money is at the centre of decision-making through better evaluation, data and analysis.

We advise on overall government policy on public sector pay and pensions, the biggest single driver of public spending. We collaborate with and directly support departments to deliver the Government Finance Function strategy, building finance, debt and risk capability across government and developing the management information, tools and frameworks to better understand and ensure value for money.

**Workforce Pay and Pensions**

The team sits at the heart of Public Spending group, working closely with teams across Whitehall to set, deliver and maintain Government’s overarching policy positions on public sector pay and pensions. The team is also responsible for leadership of the implementation of the McCloud remedy. WPP is of crucial importance to managing public spending and delivering high quality public services. Spending in this area is one of the largest areas of public expenditure, around £182bn a year. The team’s remit therefore covers around one in every four pounds the Government spends.

There is a strong emphasis on handling and engagement as our work attracts significant media and parliamentary pick up. The team includes policy officials and analysts, and we work very closely with department specific spending teams in Public Services group. You will also need to build positive relationships with senior officials in other departments, lawyers and actuaries as well as the Trade Union Congress.

**About the Role**

Public service pensions form a significant share of public spending, with liabilities of £1.3tn and over £60bn spent on pensions and lump sums annually. They are also a major part of public sector remuneration, providing members with a guaranteed, price-protected income in retirement that is fully backed by the Exchequer.

Public service pensions are therefore highly salient to Ministers, stakeholders such as unions, and the government departments responsible for workforces like the NHS or teachers. As the team responsible for coordinating public service pension policy across government, we need to work with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including workforce departments, Treasury Legal Advisers, the Government Actuary’s Department and the Office for Budget Responsibility. In this role, you will need to develop a good understanding of the technical aspects of pension policy, anticipate the precedents and legal risks created by policy proposals, and clearly set out these issues in writing and in person to an experienced set of stakeholders.

**Key Accountabilities for this role include**:

- Establish yourself as a centre of expertise in a complex and technical policy area, building an understanding of the public service pensions system and how it interacts with public spending, fiscal flows and wider pub