Policy Adviser - NHS Pay

Public Services Group

The Public Services Group is at the heart of Treasury’s work to secure sustainable public finances and drive economic growth. We manage public spending of more than £250bn. across key public services and departments, including health, education, the criminal justice system, local government, housing, defence and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

We do this by working with other government departments, ministers, and other Treasury teams to ensure that spending plans support high quality public services, help the economy to grow and provide value for money for the taxpayer.

Our roles offer a range of opportunities to work with senior leaders in other government departments and on the frontline of public services and ensure the effective delivery of public services.

The Group is committed to being an excellent place to work, with a relentless focus on good management, learning and development and continuous improvement in everything we do.

Health and Care Spending Team

We are responsible for Treasury’s oversight of over £190 billion of government spending in health and adult social care – accounting for over a quarter of all day-to-day public spending! We work collaboratively with the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) and its Arm’s Length Bodies (including the NHS), No10 and the Cabinet Office, and external partners including NHS leaders and Local Authorities. Not only do we set budgets and monitor performance, we also look to deliver real value to the public and drive forward a long-term vision to make health and care services productive and sustainable into the future.

Policy Advisor - NHS Pay and Pensions

This role is an exciting and challenging post with significant exposure to seniors and special advisors across Whitehall, along with HMT ministers. The role sits within the NHS workforce and patient safety team, reporting to the Head of NHS Strategy, Policy and Delivery.

This is a stretching portfolio with significant senior stakeholder engagement, as well as the opportunity to brief and advise Ministers on a range of high-profile and complex policy issues. It is a cross-cutting and dynamic role that offers the opportunity to gain exposure to policy issues across HM Treasury, develop an understanding of how we manage public spending and collaborate with teams across HM Treasury and other Government departments. NHS pay costs over £70 billion annually, making up around 45% of NHS budgets. Alongside this, we work closely with the Department for Health and Social Care in considering NHS workforce needs.

You will play an integral role in the team responsible for setting the Treasury’s overall approach and strategy for NHS pay, including leading the pay round process. You would be joining the team at an incredibly interesting time, given ongoing industrial action and the wider economic context. You will also be responsible for NHS workforce approvals, including pay cases, severance cases and Mains and Supplementary Estimates for pensions, and measures at fiscal events.

You don't need to be a policy professional or have any specific qualifications to succeed in the role, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds. We are looking for a candidate who is confident in handling data, working with Microsoft Excel and who is able to draw evidenced conclusions from the data that we work with. The successful candidate will also be able to bring enthusiasm and motivation to the role, helping to build a positive team dynamic.

Role

Key accountabilities for the role will likely focus on matters relating to NHS workforce funding but will be tailored to the experience and interests of the successful applicant and needs of the team. These accountabilities could include:

• Ensuring the Treasury strategy for NHS aligns with the broader public sector pay strategy. This involves leading the input to NHS pay rounds, which set pay for the 1.4m NHS workers, forging strong relationships with colleagues in the Treasury, DHSC and No10. You will lead on all health aspects of the evidence to the pay review bodies, providing advice to Ministers and feeding into the broader strategy and advice. You will also be responsible for monitoring and advising on the response to industrial action and working with DHSC and No10 to mitigate its impact on the NHS. As part of this, you will have ownership for the estimations for pay and industrial action costs in changing circumstances.
• Support on NHS pension policy – you will work closely with DHSC and others across Government, including the Government Actuary’s Department, and feed into broader Treasury public sector pension strategy. You will analyse data and develop expertise on the impact of pension changes on the NHS workforce – including on recruitment and retention - to provide evidence-based briefing and advice when needed.
• Work flexibly on other priority policy areas as needed – there is scope to lead on other priority NHS policy issues and opportunities within both the branch and broader team.
  
  

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.

14:30 Friday 19 July – teams link

11:30 Tuesday 23 July – teams link

If you would like to find out more informally prior to the closing date for applications, please contact the recruiting line manager Ellie Snooks (ellie.snooks@hmtreasury.gov.uk).