Policy Officer jobs in United Kingdom

Do you have experience of working in the financial services sector and are seeking a new and exciting role working on a range of issues that are important for this sector? If so, we’d love to hear from you!

The Financial Services (FS) Group advises the government on how to promote a stable and efficient financial services sector, to deliver excellent outcomes for consumers and business, enhance the UK’s position as a global hub for financial services and support economic growth across the country.

Three teams within the Financial Services group looking for a policy adviser are:

• Insurance and Pensions Markets - The Insurance and Pensions Markets team leads on HM Treasury’s work to ensure competitive, functioning and well-regulated markets that are delivering for consumers and are helping deliver growth.
• Personal Finances and Funds - The Personal Finances and Funds team brings together the strategic oversight of the asset management and consumer credit sectors in the UK, with responsibility for the protection of consumers to whom they provide services.
• Banking & Credit - The Banking & Credit team leads the Treasury’s policy work on retail banking, mortgages, business lending, building societies and financial mutuals.

Key accountabilities for the Insurance and Pensions Markets role include:

• Emerging issues – lead our response to acute or ongoing challenges in insurance markets. This includes developing our response, often at pace, and presenting options to ministers. Recent work has included leading a cross-Government taskforce with DfT to address the Government’s manifesto commitment on motor insurance costs.
• Growth and innovation - Work across the team to help develop our approach to growth and innovation in insurance. This includes working closely with Financial Services Group colleagues and regulators leading on delivery of the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, responding to the significant Parliamentary and Ministerial focus on this agenda, and building deep understanding of how changes in technology (e.g. AI) are affecting insurance markets.

Key accountabilities for the Insurance and Pensions Markets Defined Contribution Pensions role include:

• Serving as part of the cross-departmental team ensuring the passage of the Pensions Schemes Bill through Parliament – the post-holder will work closely with DWP to ensure that the Pensions Schemes Bill passes through Parliament successfully, including briefing ministers ahead of crucial stages in the Commons and the Lords, both written briefing (for inclusion in master briefing packs) and orally. The work involves protecting HMT’s core interests throughout the legislative process.
• Analysis of the relationship between reforms to DC pension schemes and investment – the post-holder will work on the Government’s agenda to boost investment by workplace DC pension schemes in the economy, including developing new initiatives, in conjunction with the Economic Growth Unit (EGU), and relevant government agencies and departments, and boost understanding of the types of assets in which DC schemes prefer to invest in and barriers to their investment in a wider range of assets.

Key accountabilities for the Personal Finances and Funds, Asset Management Unit role include:

• Delivering the Investment Management Taskforce, a flagship ministerial forum for engagement with industry leaders. You will coordinate its operations, prepare ministers ahead of meetings, and help drive a forward-looking programme of work on issues such as technological innovation and the growth of private markets.
• Leading policy development across key areas of the wholesale asset management sector, including cross-cutting issues such as tokenisation, AI in fund management, regulatory reform for Money Market Funds, and implementation of the new UK Stewardship Code.

You will have excellent oral and written communication skills; use a range of credible evidence to develop accurate policy decisions and advice; be able to work autonomously to deliver high-quality work across short-and long-term objectives in the face of a dynamic and changing work environment and understand the wider context of your work, remaining alert to emerging issues and trends and aligning with wider departmental priorities.

• 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 28.97%
• 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.

If you need any reasonable adjustments to take part in the selection process, please tell us about this in your online application form, or speak to the recruitment team at hrrecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.uk.