Head of Skills

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

- 327684**Salary**:

- £64,160 - £70,525-
- A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%**Job grade**:

- Grade 6- E2**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- HMT - Public Services - Public Services 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 he**Type of role**:

- Policy**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Part-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- This post can be based in London (1 Horse Guards Road) or 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.
- and late-career changers with transferrable skills, people from all backgrounds and circumstances regardless of disability, gender, age ethnicity, LGBT+ identity and socio-economic status.

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**:
**Education and Skills Team**

The Education and Skills team is a high profile, friendly and supportive team with oversight of a range of areas - ranging from children’s social care and childcare through to schools, further education, and higher education.

Our core role as a spending team is to advise Treasury ministers on education spending proposals, help the Department for Education to live within their budget, and work with DfE and other parts of the Treasury to ensure that we have an education and skills system which meets the needs of the future economy.

We are a team of 17 people who put a strong emphasis on an inclusive and open culture that makes use of everyone’s talents We are especially proud of our track record in helping our team members to develop and make the most of the opportunities available whilst being in the team.

Are you interested in skills policy, and how it can be used to contribute towards economic growth and the labour market? The Head of Skills is uniquely placed to lead on this agenda for the Treasury. This role leads on a broad set of high-profile policy issues at the heart of the Government’s skills reform agenda. The skills branch covers higher education (HE), further education (FE), adult skills, and apprenticeships spending and policy, and spans the Treasury’s economics and finance ministry functions. You lead a branch of 8 officials who have direct responsibility for managing and improving the value for money of spending in this area, and lead work within HMT on high priorities such as higher education funding reform.

This post is a high-profile, exciting and fast-paced role, with a high level of interest from and regular interaction with the Chancellor, Number 10, and senior officials across Government. The role also forms one of three members of the senior management of the Education and Skills Team. We are recruiting at a great time to join the spending arm of HM Treasury, with the Spending Review (SR) approaching.

Among other responsibilities, you would be expected to:

- lead on the Treasury’s position for all Skills policy and spending, including at the upcoming SR;
- oversee high quality advice and briefing to the Chancellor and other Treasury Ministers;
- build excellent working relationships with Special Advisers, senior officials and external stakeholders in HMT, DfE and wider Whitehall to partner in and influence policy development; and
- directly line manage four Range Es, lead the skills branch of 8 officials, and contribute towards the overall leadership of the Education and Skills Team.

The key responsibilities of the post-holder will be to:

- Lead on over £30bn of skills spending on post-16 education: you will oversee scrutiny of and challenge spending on FE, HE, adult skills and apprenticeships policy, responsible for over £30bn of D