Director General (Economics and Chief Economic Adviser) - HM Treasury - SCS3
Government Digital & Data -
Location
This post can be based in London (1 Horse Guards Road) or Darlington (Feethams House).
About the job
Job summary
If you’re interested in making a difference to people’s lives, the Treasury can offer you an exciting opportunity to influence decision making that affects the whole of the UK. Working at the heart of government, we collaborate across government to promote responsible public spending and drive strong and sustainable economic growth.
Our work ranges from protecting customers through the regulation of the financial sector, helping to reduce carbon emissions and creating a greener economy, to promoting British trade around the world and supporting people across the country on jobs, growth and more.
We are part of the Darlington Economic Campus, a pioneering new cross-government hub which brings people together to play an active role in the most important issues of the day whilst working closer to the communities we serve. The campus provides the opportunity for people from all over the UK to help shape the future of the country, and our flexible working practices ensure you can collaborate effectively with our partners. It’s central government, made more accessible to you!
Job description
The Director General Economics and Chief Economic Adviser (‘the DG’) is the principal Treasury adviser to the Chancellor on macroeconomic and fiscal policy.
The DG is a member of the Treasury’s Executive Management Board (EMB) and part of the collective leadership of the Treasury, a department of c.2,000 staff, as well as the head of the Government Economic Service (GES), providing leadership to economists across government.
The DG is responsible for two Groups, each with one Director:
- The Economics Group, which is responsible for providing high quality economic analysis and policy advice to support the government’s primary mission of delivering enhanced economic growth. The Group delivers that through ongoing surveillance of the UK economy; economic analysis and policy advice to underpin macroeconomic and microeconomic policy making; and promoting professionalism for economics and social research in government.
- The Fiscal Group, which is responsible for ensuring the sustainability of the public finances over the short-, medium- and long-term, through Budgets and Spending Reviews. The Group is also responsible for government financing and management of the government’s balance sheet.
Key responsibilities:
The post-holder will:
- act as principal adviser to the Chancellor, Prime Minister and Treasury Ministers on the macroeconomy, fiscal policy and growth, as well as the macroeconomic and microeconomic implications of wider policy issues;
- lead the Treasury’s relationships with the monetary and markets side of the Bank of England (including attendance at the Monetary Policy Committee and acting as Accounting Officer for the Reserves), the Office for Budget Responsibility, the Debt Management Office and its relations with the markets, and international institutions including the IMF, the OECD (as they relate to the UK economy) and chair the G20 Framework Working group;
- provide strong leadership to two Treasury Groups, compromising 200 staff, and collectively to the whole department as a member of EMB, alongside their Director General and Permanent Secretary colleagues;
- champion economics in government as head of the Government Economic Service (GES), acting as a credible and authentic leader within the economics field, and provide professional leadership for economists and analysts across HM Treasury, and for the economic analyses they undertake.
The post-holder reports directly to the Permanent Secretary.
Person specification
When in post, the successful candidate will be expected to perform well across the full range of Senior Civil Service behaviours set out in the Success Profile framework and demonstrate commitment to the Civil Service values.
The essential criteria for the purposes of selection are:
- Economic Credibility and professionalism: a strong track record on economic policy, practical experience in the field and thought leadership in macroeconomics;
- Masters-degree level economics: a minimum of a masters level qualification in economics
- Knowledge of financial markets: a clear understanding and practical experience of how financial and bond markets function
- Leadership: outstanding people leadership skills, including a proven record of accomplishment in leading teams and an agenda in a complex environment;
- Stakeholder Engagement and Influencing Skills: strong influencing and interpersonal skills, and the ability to work well with very senior stakeholders within HM Treasury, across government and more widely; and
- Representation Skills: ability to provide constructive challenge to, and positive engagement with, UK and international organisations.
