Senior Policy Adviser – Performance Reporting

Do you have strong policy and analytical skills and can identify customer needs and opportunities for join-up with other initiatives, including the latest technological approaches (such as AI & machine learning)? If so, we would love to hear from you !

About the Team

The General Expenditure Policy team 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 work with Strategy Planning and Budget Group, the Fiscal Strategy Group, spending teams and No. 10 to manage risks and ensure Ministers have advice on future public spending strategy and on options for funding new priorities, both at fiscal events and as they arise throughout the year.

This role sits in the Planning & Performance Unit and is committed to delivering real-world outcomes for citizens. We work within HM Treasury, as well as with No10 and Cabinet Office, to tackle to build a system to monitor the delivery of government programmes, ensuring they are delivering the intended outcome. Our analysis supports significant government processes including Spending Reviews, the ongoing Productivity Programme, No10 Delivery Board, and Permanent Secretary Performance Management.

About the Job

The Planning and Performance Unit of the team is responsible for reforms to the government’s planning and performance framework. The successful candidate will lead the branch responsible for the reporting elements of this framework.

This is a high-profile role on an area of key importance to the upcoming Spending Review. You will be working at the centre of government with a large amount of senior engagement with other parts of the centre (particularly No.10 and Cabinet Office), departments across Whitehall and outside of government, to deliver a key strategic priority for HMT and government as a whole.

Key accountabilities:

• Managing two direct reports, and matrix management of others where required, and playing a leadership role across the wider team and Public Spending Group. You will actively lead and distribute the branch’s lively portfolio of work across it.
• Lead the team’s approach and influence cross-Whitehall policy development on collecting and visualising government performance data.
• Delivering the steady-state operation of the performance system, working across government to commission and process regular reporting from departments.
• Carrying out ongoing analysis of departmental performance to identify challenges and support senior engagement and decision making, and in time bringing this together with finance performance data to give a comprehensive view of performance across the board.
• Engaging with key stakeholders, including Ministers, spending teams in HMT, No.10, Cabinet Office, IPA, relevant teams around Whitehall and externals.

About You

We mostly use Microsoft Power BI for performance reports and visualisation, so previous experience of this or similar tools is highly desirable, but not required. Willingness and ability to learn to use new tools is essential.

You will be able to analyse and assess evidence and data to develop policy recommendations; develop clear and compelling messages, delivering them effectively to get agreement to change from a wide range of partners, using evidence to challenge and resolve differences and be able to work independently, planning and driving forward longer-term projects, while also delivering high quality urgent work

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