Deputy Director, Strategy Unit

We are running an information session where prospective applicants can find out more about the role. This will be hosted virtually by Louise Smith, Strategy Director and will take place at:

15:00 on Tuesday 17th November

The session will be an opportunity to hear more about the role, the team and wider directorate and the department.

It will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about the application, and the interview and assessment process.

Please register your interest before 09:00 on Tuesday 17th November by filling out this form and you will be sent an invitation.

Invites will only be sent after this deadline has passed.

This will take place virtually, via Microsoft Teams.

Please note that the session will not be recorded.

The Strategy Unit sits at the centre of the Department and plays a critical role in supporting Ministers, the Permanent Secretary and senior leaders to make better strategic decisions.

We bring together expertise in strategy development, fiscal strategy, foresight, place, cross-cutting policy and strategic problem solving. Our role is to help the Department look ahead, focus on the right priorities and make effective choices about where to direct its effort and resources.

The Unit is evolving in response to the Department's expanded remit and changing strategic needs. We are building a modern strategy function that combines long-term thinking with practical delivery and works closely with policy, delivery, finance and analytical teams across the organisation.

Alongside delivering immediate priorities, the successful candidate will play a central role in defining how strategy is undertaken in the Department for years to come. This includes helping shape the structure, capability and culture of the newly configured Strategy Unit and establishing a successful partnership across the new two-Deputy Director leadership model.

This is a unique opportunity to influence decisions at the highest levels of government while helping build one of the most influential strategy functions in Whitehall.

Whilst exact portfolios are yet to be agreed across the two Strategy Unit Deputy Director roles, we would expect this role to include responsibilities spanning:

Fiscal strategy

● Lead development of the Department's overall fiscal strategy.

● Lead preparation for Spending Reviews and fiscal events, ensuring the department’s proposals are clear, evidenced and prioritised.

● Provide strategic engagement with HM Treasury, No.10 and others Shape departmental strategy

● Lead development and implementation of the Department's strategic framework.

● Support Ministers and senior leaders to translate long-term ambitions into clear priorities, outcomes.

Drive strategic prioritisation and cross-cutting policy and strategy

● Lead major cross-cutting priorities including areas like growth and social cohesion

● Ensure strategic coherence across policy development and decision-making and drive informed choices between competing priorities and finite resources.

● Strategic oversight and effective use of levers such as legislation and regulation

Build the future Strategy Unit

● Help design and embed the Strategy Unit's future operating model under the new two-Deputy Director structure.

● Develop capability, culture and ways of working across the Unit that promotes innovation, collaboration and high performance.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

To apply for this vacancy, you will need to submit the following, via the Civil Service Jobs portal, which will

assessed against the essential criteria for the role:

➔ A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements.

◆ Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained.

◆ The CV should not exceed more than 2 sides of A4 and you should copy and paste your CV into the "Job History" section on Civil Service Jobs on the Civil Service Jobs application form.

➔ A Statement of Suitability explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role.

◆ You must make direct reference to the essential criteria and back-up your statement with evidence rather than relying on assertions.

◆ This should be 2 sides of A4 and no more than a maximum of 1000 words.

For the shortlist, we will select applicants who demonstrate the best fit for the role by considering the evidence provided in your application and how this meets the essential requirements. Following the shortlist there are no further pass/fail assessment stages and all candidates shortlisted will be invited to the final interview stage.

Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Shortlist

The panel will assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the

criteria set out in the ‘essential requirements’ section of this pack. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.

Feedback

Following interview, all shortlisted candidates will receive their outcome along with some short written feedback on performance at interview.

Please note you will only receive feedback if you complete the interview stage.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.