Policy Advisers – Pensions and Savings Team

About HM Treasury

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.  

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 stronger and better at developing policy that reflects the needs of every community. We embrace different views and experiences and value the new 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, 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! 

About the Group

Personal Tax, Welfare and Pensions

We work to build a tax and welfare system that supports the government’s goals of fiscal sustainability, economic growth, and fairness. We look after high-profile areas including personal taxes, labour markets, welfare, tax administration, pensions, tax avoidance, and savings. We also coordinate spending controls for HM Revenue & Customs, Department for Work and Pensions. The Group is responsible for over £400bn in tax receipts and £300bn in welfare spending, impacting the lives of millions of citizens across the UK.

Our work means that we are often at the centre of ministers’ decision making, and we play a significant part in the Budget and the Spending Review. We work closely with HMRC, DWP and Number 10, and with a wide variety of external stakeholders.

PTWP is a friendly, diverse, and inclusive Group, with a wide range of backgrounds and specialisms. We have an active ‘Wellbeing Plan’ focussed on learning and belonging. 

About the Team

The Pensions and Savings team (PST) is responsible for policy that supports people to build savings and pensions throughout their working life and for the State Pension and benefits like Winter Fuel Payments and Pension Credit paid to people once they reach State Pension age.

The team is responsible for significant annual tax reliefs (totalling nearly £70bn) and AME expenditure (exceeding £130bn). To deliver our policies, we work closely with other teams within HM Treasury and also with other departments, particularly DWP and HMRC. These are exciting policies that have a tangible impact on everyone. The size and influence of these policies means that they are always of interest to ministers.

We are a small, friendly and busy team. We play an active role in making sure that PTWP has an inclusive, positive working environment. We are committed to ensuring a good work-life balance and currently have people with a variety of working patterns, including part-time roles.

About the Job

We are looking for two Policy Advisers in PST, one to join us in the defined contribution (DC) pensions branch, and one in the State Pension and pensioner benefit branch. It’s an exciting time to join! Both policy areas are high profile with implications for every person living in the UK.

In the last year, the DC pensions branch has led on major reforms to the way we tax pension contributions, including raising the Annual Allowance and abolishing the Lifetime Allowance. We have also been a major part of the Mansion House reforms announced earlier this summer, which aim to improve the ways in which pension funds invest, both for improved saver outcomes and also the wider economy.

The State Pension is one of the largest items of public expenditure, around £120bn a year, and is projected to grow rapidly over the coming years. Our recent work has included: publication of the 2023 State Pension age Review, correcting historic State Pension underpayments, advising ministers on DWP’s annual uprating review, and developing one-off payments to help people with cost of living challenges.

We are looking for someone to take on these cross-cutting and dynamic roles which provide opportunities to gain exposure to policy issues across HM Treasury and develop core policymaking skills.

Key accountabilities for the DC pensions tax role will evolve over time, but are likely to include:

• Advising HM Treasury ministers on policy changes related to taxation of pension contributions, including pensions tax relief thresholds and pensions tax relief administration. The post holder will advise ministers on policies to deliver a fair and affordable pensions tax system, and coordinate analysis that supports recommendations.
• Advising HM Treasury ministers on the future of automatic enrolment policy, taking into account DWP ambitions, cost of living issues for affected people and the fiscal and economic impacts.
• Advising HM Treasury ministers on issues to do with Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), including tax issues following early closure of some SIPPs.
• Communicating government policy on the taxation of pension contributions through drafting responses to queries received by HM Treasury, working closely with other policy teams.
• Working closely with colleagues across HM Treasury, and strengthening the policy partnership with HMRC by building strong personal relationships with HMRC colleagues, encompassing all stages of the policy process.

Key responsibilities for the State Pension and pensioner benefit branch include:

• Strategic reform of the State Pension system – reform is a long-term challenge, particularly in the context of an ageing population. We craft ways to control spending to improve the sustainability of the public finances whilst being fair to current and future pensioners and taxpayers. The major levers – State Pension age and uprating policy – are powerful but politically sensitive. Developing policies needs deft handling, balancing short, medium and long term arguments.
• Advising ministers ahead of, and between, fiscal events on short and medium-term reform options that support their policy goals. Pensioner benefits are considered at fiscal events and issues also arise outside that cycle. Working alongside other HMT teams, particularly National Insurance policy colleagues, to ensure policies meet a range of government objectives is vital.
• Driving value for money – while not a dominant part of the role, you will get good exposure to “core” public spending, including Treasury approval processes, seeking efficiency savings and working out how to best to support DWP in their delivery.
• Working closely with DWP and others – you will work closely with colleagues in DWP to develop detailed policy proposals, offering your own ideas and helping shape theirs, and ensuring that changes can be implemented on time and to budget. You will also develop a network of partners across Treasury, reflecting the broad reach of the policy area and its long-term fiscal implications.
• Working with the wider pensions team to build a well-rounded pensions’ strategy – in addition to the State Pension, the Government forgoes about £60bn a year in tax revenue to support people to build their own pension. Alongside private pension and other welfare spending colleagues, you will ensure that ministers receive rounded advice.

You do not need to be a policy professional or have any specific qualifications to succeed in the role. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and previous knowledge of pensions or policy making is not necessary. We are looking for a candidate who can collaborate effectively to deliver against shared objectives, analyse information to draw evidenced conclusions and position their work in a wider context. We’re also looking for someone who will bring enthusiasm and motivation to the role, helping to build a positive team dynamic.

Please express a preference for a role if you have one, to help inform the panel’s decision about which candidate is best suited to which role.

Candidate Drop-In Session 
 
We will be running a candidate drop-in session for this role to give you greater insight about the role as well as the chance to learn more about HM Treasury and the recruitment process. If you would like to join us, then use the appropriate link below to join the call at the right time. 

Tuesday 31st October 2023 10:00 – 10:30 Click here to join the meeting

If you would like to speak to the hiring manager informally prior to the closing date for applications to find out more about the job, please contact Greg Salt (Gregory.Salt@HMTreasury.gov.uk) to discuss the DC pensions tax role, Lucy Felton (Lucy.Felton@HMTreasury.gov.uk) to discuss the State Pension and pensioner benefit role, or either to find out more about the two roles.

We are looking for the below behaviours and we will ask you to demonstrate these in your application form. Please review the Candidate FAQ document that is attached to the advert for guidance on how to complete your application form.

1. Working Together: Ability to build professional relationships with a range of stakeholders to deliver shared objectives, even when you have differing points of view.
2. Making Effective Decisions: Ability to use relevant, credible information from both quantitative and qualitative sources to support decisions.
3. Seeing the Big Picture: Ability to align work contribute to wider organisational priorities while remaining alert to emerging issues that might impact your work area.
4. Communicating and Influencing: Ability to communicate complex information clearly and with purpose to influence the work of others.

The lead criterion is: Working Together

If we receive large volumes of applications, we will conduct an initial sift on the lead criterion only.

Candidate Guidance Support Session

We will be running an overview of Success Profiles and the STAR approach; top tips for the application and interview process and an opportunity to ask general questions around our recruitment practices. If you would like to join us, then use the link below to join the call at the right time.

Monday 30th October 2023 17:00 – 17:30 Click here to join the meeting

Thursday 9th November 2023 12:30 – 13:00 Click here to join the meeting

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing

• 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)

• Flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours)

• Generous parental and adoption leave package

• Onsite restaurant and coffee bar. The London office also offers a gym, showers and prayer room

• Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving

• Access to a retail discounts and cashback site

• A Rental Deposit Advance Scheme to help meet the total costs of deposits for privately rented homes

• 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).

Flexible working arrangements:   HM Treasury views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they are able to enjoy a long-lasting career with us. All employees have the right to apply for flexible working and there are a range of options available including; working from home, compressed hours and job sharing.

HM Treasury operates an office based working approach across all Treasury sites – Darlington, London, and Norwich, with the expectation of achieving 50% attendance in the office as a minimum requirement, along with the flexibility of working remotely. This blended working approach allows you to work collaboratively, meet stakeholders face to face, support others and promotes a healthy work life balance (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review. All our offices have been recently modernised and designed to collaborate and connect with colleagues as well as desk and quiet space to allow a range of ways to work.

Job contact :

• Name : Greg Salt and Lucy Felton, Pensions and Savings Team
• Email : lucy.felton@hmtreasury.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hrrecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.uk