Head of Group Management

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Darlington (Feethams House)

About the job

Job summary

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. 

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! 

Job description

About the Group

Strategy, Planning and Budget (SPB)

Strategy, Planning and Budget operates at the heart of the Treasury to develop the Department’s overall strategy and business plan, assess performance and risk, and help deliver its objectives with a large, flexible project team who work on ministerial priorities across the whole range of the department’s policy responsibilities. We also co-ordinate the Chancellor’s annual Budget, the Finance Bill and the Treasury’s tax strategy, as well as coordinate the Treasury’s responses to the COVID-19 Public Inquiry and provide support to ministers and officials who are Inquiry witnesses. SPB also promotes excellent policymaking across the department and houses the Darlington Leadership Team, which works to ensure the successful delivery of the Darlington Economic Campus (DEC).

About the Team

The SPB Group Management Services (GMS) currently comprises four PAs and a GMS Manager. The primary function of the GMS is to ensure that the group is provided with excellent administrative and business support, and that the Group Management Team (GMT) (made up of two Directors, and seven Deputy Directors) receive first class PA/business support.

We are currently recruiting two exciting roles to the GMS team:

1. GMS Manager (existing role currently vacant – see separate role profile)
2. Head of Group Management (a new role with a strategic focus to support Directors and GMT).

The Head of Group Management is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to stretch themselves in a high-profile, fast-paced environment right at the heart of the Treasury. The role will be manged by an E2 policy official with second signatory oversight from a Deputy Director.

About the Job

The SPB Head of Group Management contributes to the operational function of SPB which works on some of the most exciting policy challenges facing our country.

With SPB growing significantly in recent years we are creating a new Range E, Head of Group Management, to help shape and deliver the group’s business planning, corporate and resourcing and workforce functions. The role holder will directly manage the GMS Manager (currently also being recruited – see separate role profile), who oversees a team of four PAs responsible for delivering a range of professional support services to the Directors, Group Management Team (GMT) and wider SPB group.

The successful candidate will be highly organised with strong corporate planning, people management and senior-stakeholder skills. We are looking for someone who brings energy and wants to make a positive impact supporting us to execute our priorities to the highest possible standard. 

Key responsibilities include:

1. Leading SPB group management services (GMS) with overall responsibility for the service received by GMT and the wider group. Includes providing excellent line management to the new GMS Manager and second signatory oversight for 4 PAs.
2. Leading SPB’s approach and input to HMT’s own Spending Review and business planning process, to ensure SPB’s budget and headcount aligns with its plans and activities, and with ministers’ needs and the Treasury’s organisational objectives (including the continued success of the Darlington Economic Campus). Lead in developing a position on the group’s non-pay budget needs, to ensure the business planning allocations reflect group needs.
3. Ensure that the GMT is supported to make decisions in order for Directors and the group to deliver while remaining within its delegated budget and headcount target, and associated trajectories, throughout the year, working with Finance and Corporate Centre colleagues on the monitoring of in-year budgets, including training, travel and subsistence, to ensure that the group’s budget is deployed effectively and in line with best financial management practice.
4. Leading a thorough assessment, as part of business planning and with support from the GMS Manager, of the Group Management Services support needed by SPB over the next 3-4 years and how it can best be provided. This will include establishing a new service level agreement in consultation with the GMT and clarifying individual roles and objectives.
5. Attending GMT as a full member of the group leadership team. In addition, developing and maintaining the forward look agenda for weekly GMT meetings and programme of work, so that the GMT makes informed decisions at appropriate times during the reporting year and has effective oversight over group operational and strategic delivery activities, such as quarterly risk and performance reporting.
6. Supporting the GMT to deliver on their corporate objectives, by acting as the main point of contact in SPB for corporate initiatives, tracking the GMT’s corporate responsibilities, and supporting the GMT to promote and facilitate engagement across SPB and at all grades, in Group and HMT corporate leadership and management work, by leading the ‘Corporate Hub’ – workstreams include: People and Capability; Culture and Wellbeing; Planning, Delivery and Risk; and Diversity, Inclusion and Reward.
7. Providing oversight of all centrally run recruitment campaigns, including the graduate development programme, fast stream, apprentice bids, cross departmental campaigns, and SPB bulk recruitment; oversight of workforce planning, including surplus staff and returners, to manage group resource within overall headcount targets and budget. 
8. Actively participating in wider Treasury groups and networks, contributing your experience in a positive and constructive way to the development of new/improved systems and processes across the Treasury.

We strongly encourage potential candidates who are interested in the role to speak to the hiring manager informally prior to the closing date for applications to find out more about the job. Please contact [email protected]

Person specification

We are looking for the below skills, experience and 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. Leadership – Leadership of a diverse administrative team and working through others to meet the overall goals for a group (or business/organisational unit e.g. operations, finance)
2. Communicating and Influencing – Ability to manage a range of senior stakeholders and influence effectively to support a senior team to deliver its objectives
3. Making effective decisions – Ability to use evidence and exercise judgement to make strategic recommendations to senior stakeholders in a complex working environment.

The lead criterion is: Leadership

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

Thursday 5th September at 12:30: Join the meeting now

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £52,960, HM Treasury contributes £14,299 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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. 
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and average employer contributions of 28% 
• 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 and diversity

Flexible Working Arrangements

HM Treasury views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they can 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; part-time, compressed hours and job sharing. Additionally, we operate flexitime systems, allowing employees the flexibility to adjust their working patterns throughout the week which is subject to operational needs and line management approval. 

At HM Treasury we have an incredibly broad remit; our work touches every citizen of the country. So, it’s important our employees come from the widest possible range of backgrounds, bringing us the widest possible range of perspectives and ways of thinking. We are committed to ensuring that all staff can realise their potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance. 

HM Treasury operates an office based working approach across all Treasury sites – Darlington, London, and Norwich, and along with the rest of the Civil Service, has an expectation of a minimum of 60% attendance in the office, along with 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.

The office working expectation is linked to the location of the role. If you apply to a post in a single location, then you will not be able to meet this expectation at any of our other sites or move your role to another location. 

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Jacob Rix
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]

Further information

Complaints Process: Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment based on fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact HMT by email at: [email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.

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