Joint Head – Strategy, Planning and Change

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!

About the Team
Strategy, Planning & Change (SPC) is a small team of 5 officials which supports the Treasury’s Executive Management Board (EMB) and Ministers on departmental strategy, performance, resourcing and risk. We designed and developed the Treasury’s current vision and strategy, coordinated preparations for the 2024 General Election, oversee the department’s Performance & Delivery Framework, and play a leading role in shaping how the department ensures its resources and operations are optimised to deliver for Ministers and the public.
We are passionate about helping our people thrive and building an encouraging and friendly team. We champion diversity and many team members work flexible working patterns.

The team is home to staff based in both our Darlington and London offices, and works together to provide a supportive and inclusive home in each location.
We are also part of the Strategy, Planning & Projects (SPP) team, alongside c45 policy advisers who move around the Treasury to work on its highest priority policy areas.

About the Job
You’ll jointly lead the team to:
1.      Support the Executive Board in shaping, refreshing and communicating its vision and strategy for the department, currently “One Treasury”. This will set out how we'll deliver the Government's policy agenda, and craft a clear vision for the Treasury's culture and ways of working over the coming years. You'll engage people and teams to shape our future, and lead an effective outreach and communications strategy.
2.      Lead thinking on how the Treasury should best deploy its people to meet Ministers’ priorities through the annual business planning round, and help make in-year decisions to determine where resources should best be deployed. We also support our Finance colleagues on HMT's Spending Review bid/settlement.
3.      Lead the Treasury's risk and performance monitoring and improve our thinking on long-term risks and future challenges – and how we might apply strategy and foresight tools.
4.      Develop the Treasury's objectives with Ministers, including how we contribute to the new government's five missions.
5.      Lead the organisation's response to major events – such as briefing new Ministers on the Treasury and its priorities, and helping the department draw on its people optimally in crises. You’ll take ownership of our new cross-Treasury crisis/surge resourcing capability.
6.      Promote innovation and creativity in policy thinking, a key building block in how we are improving Treasury policymaking. You’ll lead a thriving network of colleagues to promote challenge, improve how we draw on outside perspectives and expertise, and innovate with data.
7.      Provide resilience across the full range of team responsibilities, working flexibly with the other joint head – and cover for each other as needed.
8.      Provide inspiring leadership across the branch, team, and Group. You'll build a strong sense of team, leading an enthusiastic, encouraging and hard-working unit of at least 2 Range Es and 1 SEO, which you will matrix manage. And, as a senior member of the Group, you'll work hard to ensure SPB continues to be an excellent place to work.

About You
This is an influential and high-profile role. Suitable for someone who is looking to compliment excellent policy and delivery skills by gaining first-hand insight into improving and leading a fast-paced organisation with an excellent international reputation.

You’ll need to be proactive, committed and creative. You will take ownership of your results and development, and those of your team, and contribute to an environment that enables and encourages consistently high performance. You’ll be a strong communicator, confident working closely with senior colleagues, enjoy attention to detail, and show passion for improving how the organisation thinks and develops policy.

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 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 28%
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