Policy Adviser - Green Book and Major Projects Unit

Are you interested in making a difference to people’s lives? If so, HM Treasury can offer you an exciting opportunity to influence decision making that affects the whole of the UK!

General Expenditure Policy (GEP) sits at the heart of HM Treasury's Public Spending Group! We are a friendly and inclusive team, responsible for reporting to the Chancellor and Chief Secretary on spending control, covering around £1,200bn of public expenditure. We manage risks and ensure Ministers have advice on future public spending strategy and on options for funding new priorities, as well as working with other government departments to supervise the real-world impact of spending, to ensure that outcomes for citizens are placed at the core of decision making.

About the Job

We are looking for a Policy Adviser to join us within the Green Book and Major Projects (GBMP) Unit in GEP. This is an exciting and stretching role where we are offering you the opportunity to work across Whitehall and beyond to build capability in investment appraisal and support better decision-making in government through training and engagement at all levels.

Key accountabilities

1. Support work to continuously improve HM Treasury’s assurance and scrutiny of government projects. You will support work to update this guidance as necessary to ensure this remains fit for purpose. You will support spending teams to scrutinise spending proposals and undertake approvals appropriately and will help develop new tools and templates for practitioners.
2. Provide support on the assessment of cases, to improve decision-making across government, working closely with HM Treasury Spending Teams. This involves acting as a ‘centre of expertise’ in scrutinising spending proposals and undertaking approvals. It also involves supervising the progress of Major Projects as they participate in the Treasury Approval Process and synthesising findings in simplified reports / dashboards for senior collaborators.
3. Support the application of Green Book guidance across the public sector. You will lead, coordinate and deliver a programme of events on the Green Book and five case model to practitioners across central and local government and the public sector, to build proficiency in investment appraisal and improve decision making.
4. Help improve the governance and accountability of Major Projects. This includes working closely with the IPA to foster initiatives to improve the transparency of spending decisions, such as through the publication of cases, and work with departments to support the streamlining of assurance and approval processes across Whitehall.
5. Act as a GEP account manager. This means working with the relevant HM Treasury spending teams responsible for a specific department. You will need to ensure GEP’s position is fully represented in advice to ministers on major departmental spending decisions, including that in-year spending risks are handled optimally and that recommendations represent value for money 

About you

Our successful candidate will enjoy communicating clearly and concisely to a range of audiences; building constructive and collaborative relationships across different organisations; and proactively driving forward changes to improve existing processes. If this sounds like you, get in touch!

About us

HM Treasury is proud of a diverse and inclusive work environment, committed to fairness and the promotion of equality of opportunity for all. We know that having a range of experiences, ways of working and thinking makes us a stronger organisation, better at developing policy that is reflective of the communities we serve. We embrace different views and experiences and value the fresh perspective that people from a variety of circumstances bring to the work we do. We welcome applications from candidates who have not previously worked for the Civil Service, mid- and late-career changers with transferrable skills, people from all backgrounds and circumstances regardless of disability, ethnicity, LGBT+ identity and socio-economic status. 

Some of the Benefits our people love! 

• 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). Additionally, we operate flexitime systems, allowing employees to take up to an additional 2 days off each month  Flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours) 
• Generous parental and adoption leave packages 
• Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions of 27% 
• Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme and season ticket advances  
• A range of active staff networks, based around interests (e.g. analysts, music society, sports and social club) and diversity (e.g. women in the Treasury, ethnic minority network, LGBT* network, faith and belief network) 

For more information about the role and how to apply, please follow the apply link. 

If you need any reasonable adjustments to take part in the selection process, please tell us about this in your online application form, or speak to the recruitment team at hrrecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.uk