Policy Adviser - Special Situations

Working at HM Treasury puts you at the heart of government, making a difference to the UK economy and ultimately to people’s lives right across the UK.

Jobs at the Treasury are fast-paced, fun and can offer unparalleled perspective – not least the opportunity to advise Ministers on the decisions which directly determine the UK’s prosperity. Deep in our DNA is a commitment to empowering our people: maximising individual and collective impact, with interesting work no matter your role or seniority.

Day-to-day you could be supporting Ministers to decide the right level of a specific tax or line of government spending; helping maintain the stability of financial markets; analysing the long-term trends impacting the future of the economy; or enabling this work as part of our vital corporate functions.

We are a high-performing department and proud to have outstanding staff from a wide range of backgrounds. We are also a friendly, inclusive and sociable workplace that prides itself on fostering great team spirit. Our two largest offices are 1 Horse Guards Road in London, opposite St James’ Park, and the Darlington Economic Campus, which also contains eight other departments. We work seamlessly across all our sites, including Norwich, Birmingham and Leeds, as one Treasury.

We are both a 1,000-year-old institution and dynamic, forward-looking economics and finance ministry, with a strong direction set by our organisational strategy, the Future Treasury Vision. The 21st century offers huge opportunities and poses new challenges for the UK. Working at the Treasury is your chance to help the country chart the right course.

This post sits with in the Special Situations and Steel team and is an excellent opportunity to work on high profile projects which combine government policy with corporate finance issues and commercial negotiations. This is an exciting policy environment with a high-level of political interest, often requiring collaborating across departments.

The work of the team will continue to respond to ministerial priorities and the requirements of urgent situations as they arise, but the successful candidate will undertake the following activities:

• Lead on situations where companies encounter financial difficulties for HM Treasury, using corporate financial information to inform decision making, often at pace. You may be assigned responsibility for company distress cases, or oversee specific workstreams within larger and more complex negotiations. You will provide recommendations to ministers that reflect the best interests of the UK and its taxpayers.
• Build strong relationships and communicate effectively with colleagues across government - including the Department for Business and Trade, No.10, Cabinet Office, UK Government Investments, and other relevant bodies - to represent HM Treasury’s interests in company interventions.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners, including Treasury spending teams, external advisers, and wider government, to develop high-quality advice on commercial matters, including whether government should intervene in companies facing financial difficulties or seeking to disinvest from the UK.
• Supporting the strategic oversight of active casework, ensuring regular updates are provided to the Chancellor, ministers, and senior officials across government. This involves supporting the ongoing development of tools such as the cross-Whitehall company distress casework digital tracker (in partnership with No.10).
• Oversee our active company distress casework pipeline and processes, working effectively across HM Treasury and wider government to develop and explain best practice for considering commercial interventions in financially distressed companies. This includes developing policies, providing training and advice, and signposting colleagues to relevant sources of expertise.
• Working across the Treasury and Whitehall on the long-term approach to areas affected by sectoral or company distress, policies affecting various sectors of the economy, as well as individual companies and their finances. Projects will be driven by senior and ministerial priorities; for example, other team members have contributed to the government’s Industrial Strategy.

We work in a fast-moving part of HMT and sometimes we need to work outside our core responsibilities to support policy development and implementation across a range of growth policy issues. Our branches work closely together and flexibly, so the successful candidate can expect the opportunity to be involved in other policy projects across the team.

Candidate Drop-In Session

The hiring manager will be running a candidate drop-in session to give you greater insight about the role and HM Treasury, and ask any questions you might have. If you would like to join us, use the link below to join the call at the right time.

Thursday 22nd October 11:30-12:00

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3285768875589473?p=1tsHgrELBaq4EEJzHd

If you would like to speak to the hiring manager informally prior to the closing date, please contact Daniel Lawson, Daniel.Lawson@hmtreasury.gov.uk.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

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)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

The reference to Experience above is system generated. For this role, experience is not assessed at any stage. We will ask for some CV details in your application form, but this is for reference only and will not be scored.

Candidate Guidance

Please review the candidate guidance for an overview of the Success Profiles and STAR approach, along with top tips for applications and interviews.

Recruitment Timeline

• Closing date: 8th November 2026
• Shortlisting: w/c 9th November 2026
• Interviews: w/c 23rd November 2026

This timeline is indicative and may be subject to change. We will inform you if there is a substantial change to the recruitment timeline.

If your contact details change at any time during the selection process, please ensure you update your Civil Service Jobs Profile.

Reserve Lists

You will be placed on a reserve list if your application is successful, but we cannot offer you a role immediately. Where more than one location has been advertised, candidates will be posted in merit order by location. You will be asked to provide your location preference on your application form. Please note that a place on the reserve list does not guarantee an offer.

If you are offered a role in your first preferred location and you decline the offer or are unable to take up the post within a reasonable timeframe, you will be removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances.

Those on the reserve list may also be approached for similar roles at a lower grade. If you are offered a role at a lower grade and choose to decline, you can remain on the reserve list.

Internal Fraud Database Check

Candidates cannot apply to roles in the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Successful candidates will be subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database. This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This also applies to those who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the database will be refused employment.

National Security Vetting

Everyone working with government assets must complete Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks. Additionally, successful candidates will be subject to National Security Vetting. The level of security vetting required for this role is Security Check (SC).

To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out, applicants will need to have lived in the UK for at least 3 out of the past 5 years. You will be asked to provide residency information within your application form, and eligibility for national security vetting will be checked once the advert closing date has passed. In certain circumstances, for example if you have been working abroad on a government posting, a lack of residency would not be a bar to security clearance however the Department will need to consider eligibility on a case-by-case basis once the advert closing date has passed.

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