Deputy Director, Financial Services Strategy

We are looking to recruit a Deputy Director, Financial Services Strategy. The Financial Services Strategy (FSS) team is a diverse, collaborative and inclusive team of 19 people. It sits in the centre of the Financial Services Group and is responsible for ensuring a coordinated approach to the department's overarching financial services strategy. The team provides a central hub to develop and drive overarching strategy and co-ordination on a range of sector wide initiatives. This includes leading the group's input into key events in the financial services and economic calendar such as Mansion House and Budget. We are also responsible for the group’s governance structures and programme management processes to monitor the delivery of financial services priorities.

The team also has responsibility for the Treasury’s regulatory strategy for financial services. This includes the relationship and key accountability mechanisms between the government and the financial services regulators. The Financial Services Strategy team lead on the government’s financial services legislative programme. This includes delivering the legislative programme to replace the very large body of assimilated EU law relating to financial services with rules and regulations designed specifically for the UK. It involves determining and delivering the future legislation necessary to support the Treasury’s strategic priorities for the future of financial services.

The work is fast-paced and wide-ranging. The team works very closely with Treasury Ministers and senior leaders, setting strategic direction for the group and supporting the implementation of the government’s objectives across the financial services sector.

The Deputy Director of FSS is expected to take an active leadership role in Financial Services Group (around 170 people), alongside your DD and Director colleagues in the Group Management Team. Our Group is a supportive and exciting place to work, one which takes diversity and inclusion and staff wellbeing very seriously, championing these through its Great Group programme.

About the Job

Key responsibilities of the role include:

1. Playing an active role in the leadership of the Financial Services Group through membership of the Group Management Team. Leading the FSS team of around 19 FTE, setting a strong strategy for government’s priorities in financial services policy, helping the team deliver its policy objectives, and fostering a high-performing and supportive team.
2. Building relationships of trust with Ministers, supporting them to meet their goals with evidence-led advice and providing appropriate challenge.
3. Building outstanding and influential relationships with senior leaders at the financial services regulators, in industry and across Whitehall, to further HMT’s objectives on financial services.
4. Balancing competing objectives and priorities in making strategic recommendations to Ministers, undertaking horizon-scanning to spot upcoming opportunities and risks that the group should prepare for.
5. Developing and delivering strategies for ensuring the effective functioning of the Financial Services Group, ensuring a joined-up approach to strategy, policy and delivery across the group.

About You

The successful candidate will have the ability to lead and motivate a team within a demanding, changeable and highly political environment. You will have a track record of working across a large, complex and often technical areas of policy to identify key issues and opportunities. You’ll work across team and organisational boundaries to develop strong partnerships that enable you to deliver a joined-up and strategic approach to financial services policy. Further you will translate strategic priorities into clear, outcome-focused objectives and workplans, responding quickly and effectively to changing circumstances and cutting through ambiguity to set clear direction for the team and wider group. Lastly, build excellent and influential relationships and a track record of public policy-making and working closely with regulators, in financial services or a similarly technical and highly-regulated area.

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 a stronger organisation, better at developing policy that is reflective of the communities we serve. We embrace different views and experiences and value the fresh 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, ethnicity, LGBT+ identity and socio-economic status.

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 27%

·      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 (e.g. women in the Treasury, ethnic minority network, LGBT* network, faith and belief network)

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.