Deputy Transport Spending Principal
* Salary: National: £43,090 - £48,310. (If the successful candidate is a current Civil Servant joining on level transfer, HM Treasury will honour their current substantive salary if higher.)
* Contract Type: Permanent
* Working Pattern: This post is available on a full time, part time or job share basis, and flexible working hours can be accommodated.
* Location: Darlington (Feethams House)
Join us as a Deputy Transport Spending Principal and play a pivotal role in working across HM Treasury and with Department for Transport (DfT)to help implement the recent Spending Review settlement, and to prepare for and help deliver the next Spending Review due to take place next year.
About the Team
The Transport Spending team is a friendly, energetic, and supportive team! We are responsible for managing the Treasury’s interests in transport policy. We do this both as a finance ministry, managing costs and making sure our spending on transport delivers good value for taxpayers; and as the UK’s economics ministry, ensuring that our infrastructure investments contribute to a strong and growing economy. We are outward-looking to the Department for Transport (DfT), which has one of the biggest capital budgets in Government. We have a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, welcoming those with varied background experience. We are fully committed to developing our team members and helping them grow.
About the Job
The role sits in the Spending and Strategy Branch of the Transport Spending Team, which is comprised of a branch head (Grade 6), two senior advisors (Grade 7) and one policy advisor (SEO) (this post). Key responsibilities include handling DfT’s overall budget (c. £30bn on annual spending), leading the wider the spending team through fiscal events and Spending Reviews, and holding DfT to account for implementing policies to reduce carbon emissions from transport that represent best value for the taxpayer.
The Treasury cares about transport spending from an economic and financial perspective – how will it contribute to economic growth and productivity? Is this spending affordable and being spent well? The branch acts as the voice of the taxpayer in assessing the value for money and affordability of DfT’s spending.
This is an exciting time to join the team – you will play a pivotal role in working across HM Treasury and with DfT to help implement the recent Spending Review settlement, and to prepare for and help deliver the next Spending Review due to take place next year. You will build networks across HMT as well as develop positive relationships with DfT to find common positions and broker agreements.
Key accountabilities of the post include:
1. Leading the monitoring of DfT’s in-year budget position. We have just set DfT’s budget for the next three years on Resource and five years on Capital at the recent Spending Review. You will now support the implementation of this budget through leading the monitoring of DfT’s in-year budget position. This involves analysing DfT’s spending data on a monthly basis, identifying and helping to respond to emerging spending risks, and advising senior officials and ministers on in-year spending issues. The role leads on the bi-annual Estimates process, working closely with other HM Treasury teams and DfT’s strategic finance team.
2. Supporting the wider branch to develop HMT’s approach and strategy on transport spending, including at Spending Reviews and fiscal events. As part of the team’s central spending and strategy branch, you will support the Spending Principal to develop a team wide position on how to prioritise transport spending. At Spending Reviews and fiscal events, this will involve reviewing and scrutinising DfT’s bids and helping to guide the rest of the spending team through challenging negotiations.
3. Coordinating input from across the team to prepare succinct and clear briefings and advice for ministers and senior officials. This will require communicating complex issues clearly in writing and verbally, tailoring your communication style to suit the intended audience.
4. Lead on discrete policy areas. Alongside the core spending element, you will have responsibility for HMT’s oversight of policy and spending for DfT’s Motoring Agencies (i.e. DVSA, DVLA). This will include advising ministers on strategic policy issues, scrutinising business cases, and building strong relationships with key stakeholders in DfT and the agencies. You will also have opportunities to lead on wider cross cutting transport policy issues.
5. Leading HM Treasury’s relationship with the Office of Rail and Road (a non-ministerial department). You will independently own and maintain strong relationships with senior finance officials in the ORR, leading advice for HM Treasury ministers to help set and monitor their budgets.
About You
We're looking for people who can use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice. You will need to have the ability to build and maintain strong relationships across a range of stakeholders, and we want you to be able to prioritise and reassess workloads to address both short-term issues and long-term objectives.
Some of the Benefits our people love!
* 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). Additionally, we operate flexitime systems, allowing employees to take up to an additional 2 days off each month
* Flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours)
* Generous parental and adoption leave packages
* Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions of 28%
* Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme and season ticket advances
* A range of active staff networks, based around interests (e.g. analysts, music society, sports and social club) and diversity
For more information about the role and how to apply, please follow the apply link.