Senior Speechwriter

Contract type: Permanent

Working Pattern: This post is available on a Full Time, Part Time and Job Share basis. (Flexible working hours can be accommodated).

Location: London, Darlington

Salary: London £55,960 - £62,190 / National: £52,960 - £59,190

Are you looking for a challenging but rewarding role, contributing to some of the most pressing issues facing government today? If so, we'd love to hear from you!

HM Treasury's Ministerial Speechwriting team deliver around 250 speeches a year on some of the most important issues facing the country. We write speeches on topics ranging from public spending to tax to financial services for audiences in parliament, government and business. We also draft and develop speeches on Treasury policy, directly supporting our ministers to deliver some of the most important aspects of their work.

About the Job

We are looking for a talented speechwriter to join the team which crafts the words that our Junior Ministers speak.

You will be producing a range of speeches and written products – ranging from after-dinner remarks designed to inform and entertain and set-piece speeches to advance policy agendas with highly informed audiences, to short and punchy video scripts and Parliamentary speeches carrying some of the most high-profile and important government legislation.

Your responsibilities will include:

1. Researching, coordinating and writing speeches for the Chief Secretary, Financial Secretary, Economic Secretary, Exchequer Secretary and House of Lords Treasury minister. The postholder will work directly with ministers, as part of their private office teams, as well as with special advisers and the department to continually develop the Government’s economic messaging.
2. Meeting policy officials throughout the department to develop the messages for speeches and to keep up to date with the latest developments in a given policy area – where necessary, commissioning material from policy teams.
3. Working with ministers and communications colleagues to produce articles and opinion pieces for national and global publication.
4. Working with officials across HM Treasury and HMRC to raise awareness of how to write or support a good speech.
5. Making a contribution to the working environment within HM Treasury by participating in networks, projects and internal workstreams.

About you

Our successful candidate will be able to take sophisticated policy or analysis and explain it creatively, simply and credibly. You'll be confident enough to earn the trust of Ministers, all of whom have different voices and processes. You'll also be skilled at working both collaboratively and independently. You'll be strategic, with a curiosity about how a slate of ministerial speeches add up to more than the sum of their parts, and lastly; organised, experienced at handling what can be a complex, unpredictable full workload. If this sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you!

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.

Some of the Benefits our people love! 

• 25 days annual leave (rising to 30 days 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 you to take up to an additional 2 days off each month.
• Flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, compressed hours). 
• Generous parental leave and adoption leave packages. 
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and average employer contributions of 27%
• Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme and season ticket advances.
• A Rental Deposit Advance Scheme to help meet the total costs of deposits for privately rented homes.
• Access to HM Treasury’s benefits portal allowing you access to a range of discount codes for online shopping.
• A range of active staff networks, based around interests (e.g. analysts, music society, sports and social club) and diversity
• Access to a range of allowances if eligibility applies. These include profession related allowances.  

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