Senior Policy Adviser - Justice Spending - The Guardian : Job Details

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to develop policy ahead of the 2025 Spending Review, negotiating the settlement and oversee its implementation? If so, we'd love to hear from you!

About the Team

We oversee the Government’s spending on the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Law Officer’s departments, National Crime Agency and on Parliament – as well as the Government’s equalities responsibilities. The Justice Spending team manages HM Treasury’s relationship with the Ministry of Justice and Law Officers departments, overseeing more than £13bn of annual government spending. We’re a friendly, collaborative and inclusive team, committed to personal development and achieving a healthy work-life balance. This is a captivating time to join us in a dynamic, fast paced, and exciting role at the centre of Government!

About the Job

In this role, you will:

• Support ministers to negotiate the Ministry of Justice and Law Officers 2025 Spending Review and then oversee its implementation across prisons, probation, courts and legal aid
• Lead our engagement with HM Courts and Tribunal Service, Law Officers Departments and UK Supreme Court
• Work on cross-cutting criminal justice system demand and policy
• Provide advice on new policy ideas or ad hoc spending issues as they arise
• Lead the development of SEO/HEO policy advisers
• Support wider management of group as part of the Justice, Home Affairs and Equalities (JHE) management team – JHE has a strong team culture and there will be opportunities to take part in the wider running of the group, and to contribute to its corporate objectives.

This is an exciting and wide-ranging grade 7 post working on Justice policy.

The Ministry of Justice and the Law Officers Department spend over £13bn a year across prosecution, courts, prisons, probation, and legal aid. These policy areas attract significant ministerial, No 10, public and media interest. 

You would join as we develop policy ahead of the 2025 Spending Review. You would negotiate the settlement for both Department’s and then oversee its implementation. You would help prepare for Autumn Budget 2025 and subsequent fiscal events. 

We want someone who can get up to speed on new issues quickly, prioritise effectively, build positive relationships, grasp and communicate technical issues with clarity and work with a wide range of partners to deliver constructive outcomes. Knowledge and previous experience of the public spending framework is desirable but not crucial.

You’ll join a friendly Grade 6 led team of 7 people. The team works collaboratively and extensively with officials across the Treasury, the Cabinet Office, No10, and the Ministry of Justice, Law Officer Departments, Home Office and others interested Government departments. 

About You

The successful candidate will have the ability to see the wider picture, identifying political considerations as well as fiscal and technical constraints and advising ministers on a way forward. You will have strong stakeholder management skills, with an ability to build and maintain effective relationships across organisational boundaries. You’ll be able to deliver top quality output within pre-set and often tight deadlines as well as developing and implementing longer term strategies. Lastly you will have the ability to analyse complex, incomplete and conflicting information to confidently deliver well-evidenced and considered decisions and policy recommendations.

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 28.97%
• 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 .uk