Policy Adviser (multiple vacancies)

Job summary

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.

Job description

This recruitment is intended to fill up to six Senior Executive Officer roles within HM Treasury’s Business and International Tax (BIT), and Personal Tax, Welfare & Pensions (PTWP) Groups.

The exact responsibilities of the role are likely to change depending on business need and the skills/interests of the successful candidate. We expect Treasury officials to work flexibly in line with Government priorities and business need – successful candidates may be asked to take on different responsibilities either on a short- or medium-term basis during their time in post.

The roles are currently expected to be across the following areas, but successful candidates may be offered roles not listed here depending on vacancies that arise during the recruitment process:

1) BIT (Energy and Transport Tax Team): eVED and Fuel Duty:

• Fuel duty: raising over £24bn per year, fuel duty is one of the largest revenue-raisers. It predominantly applies to petrol and diesel used on road, but also for other liquid fuel usage, such as in agriculture. At Budget 2025, the Government announced that the temporary 5p cut would be extended until the end of August 2026, with rates then gradually returning to March 2022 levels by March 2027. In May, the Government announced that, in the context of the Middle East crisis, there would be no increases to Fuel Duty in 2026.

• eVED: As announced at Budget 2025 eVED is a new tax on electric and plug-in hybrid cars that will apply from April 2028. eVED is designed as a long-term replacement for fuel duty, and will raise £4.4bn across the scorecard period. It was announced alongside a significant package of measures to help consumers choose EVs and to support UK automotive manufacturers. The postholder will play a pivotal role in delivering this new tax, one of the biggest tax reforms of this Parliament. Following the announcement of the new tax, the team are advising Ministers on the policy design, and progressing work to legislate for and deliver the tax.

2) BIT (Energy and Transport Tax Team): Oil and Gas taxes:

• The Oil & Gas branch of the Energy and Transport Tax (ETT) team focuses on the taxation of the UK's upstream oil and gas industry (exploration and production of fossil fuels – including in the North Sea). The Permanent Regime consists of Ring Fence Corporation Tax, the Supplementary Charge and the Petroleum Revenue Levy. The temporary Energy Profits Levy (EPL) was introduced in 2022 as a windfall tax and will be replaced by the permanent Oil and Gas Revenue Levy, either in 2030 or earlier if the EPL’s price floor is triggered. The branch is also responsible for Decommissioning Relief Deeds, contracts with oil and gas companies which provide certainty on the level of tax relief they will receive on future decommissioning costs.

• This is a fascinating time to be leading policy work in this area as the government sets its longer-term vision for the role of oil and gas in the UK’s energy mix. Continuing to implement, monitor and advise Ministers on the impact of these changes are key areas of work moving forward.

3) BIT (Energy and Transport Tax Team): Emissions Trading Scheme

The Carbon and Energy tax branch is the team responsible for carbon pricing policy, a key government lever for driving decarbonisation. This is a fast-moving policy area and the exact responsibilities of the role are likely to develop over time, taking account of the post-holder's skills/interests. The successful candidate will take the lead on key elements of UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) policy, working with the UK ETS Authority, which includes other government departments and devolved governments. The postholder will advise HM Treasury Ministers and senior officials on key issues for the areas of the ETS they lead on, including around policy development and focusing on managing HM Treasury priorities alongside UK ETS Authority views.

4) BIT (VAT and Excise Team): Excise taxes

• The Excise branch sits in the wider VAT and Excise team and sits at the cross section between tax and public health policy with responsibility for Alcohol, Gambling, Vaping and Tobacco Duties and the Soft Drinks Industry Levy.

• The post holder will be responsible for Gambling and Vaping Duties and will join the branch at an exciting time. Responsibilities will include overseeing the new Vaping Products Duty which will be implemented on 1 October 2026, and advising ministers and assessing the market response to the recent high profile Gambling Duty reforms announced at Budget 2025. This will involve building relationships and close engagement with HMRC policy partners and analysts, DHSC, DCMS, industry, think tanks and academics.

5) BIT (International Tax and Customs) Tax Transparency:

• We are a friendly and supportive team leading on international tax – a uniquely cross-cutting area at the intersection of law, economics, diplomacy, and politics – requiring international cooperation to address challenges that inherently stretch beyond borders. A key area of the branch’s work is leadership on tax transparency and efforts to address offshore tax risks. We lead for the UK on international negotiations on exchange of information standards and rules at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), burnishing the UK’s credentials as an open and transparent tax jurisdiction, and reflecting the interests of UK businesses and the public. These agreements are then implemented by participating jurisdictions, making it harder for people to avoid or evade their tax liabilities by holding assets offshore.

• We work closely with our HMRC policy partners on negotiations, implementation, and ongoing compliance. We are responsible for communicating the importance of international cooperation in tackling offshore tax evasion to both international partners and domestically to the UK public. We protect the existing system of transparency, collaborate with international partners to handle shared risks, and work with HMRC partners and others to mitigate UK-specific ones. Some international travel will therefore be required.

6) PTWP (Personal tax) – Intermediaries and projects branch

• Personal Tax is one of the most fast paced and high-profile areas of HM Treasury, with sustained ministerial, parliamentary and media interest. The team leads on core elements of the UK tax system, including income tax, National Insurance contributions and inheritance tax, and plays a critical role in shaping policy at fiscal events. You will be advising the Chancellor on core personal tax policy at fiscal events, as well as owning longer term strategic work.

• The precise portfolio is yet to be determined as it depends on live policy issues. The current postholder has worked on a number of important areas, including reform to the taxation of intermediaries (a person, company, or other entity that sits between a worker and the organisation they ultimately work for), changes to the Employee Ownership Trust regime, and the independent review into the Loan Charge. The Personal Tax team takes a flexible approach to resourcing, particularly at fiscal event, reflecting the fast-paced nature of our work, with all members working flexibly across the team to support emerging priorities. This provides significant opportunity to work collaboratively on areas outside of your immediate responsibilities.

The roles will involve work such as:

• Policy development: using the latest evidence and analysis to assess options and make recommendations to senior official and ministers, taking account of the wider picture and collaborating widely across HMT, HMRC and other departments

• Policy delivery: support delivery of policy priorities, collaborating with those administering the taxes, maintaining strong working relationships

• Project management: developing and feeding into work plans, to ensure these are deliverable and on track

• Regularly advising and briefing Ministers in writing and orally, supporting the department responding to public and parliamentary interest

About the Groups

Business and International Tax

The aim of the Business and International Tax (BIT) Group is to provide strategic oversight of business, environmental, transport, property, VAT, excise taxes and customs duties that together raise revenue of over £400 billion a year. The Group works closely with other government departments and is outwards facing towards key stakeholders, including business, industry, interest groups and international counterparts, and there are opportunities to be part of this engagement at all levels.

The work of the Group is vital to fund essential public services, while working with other Treasury Groups to support the government’s wider agenda – including supporting business investment and economic growth, developing and negotiating new customs arrangements following the UK’s departure from the EU; levelling up opportunities across all parts of the United Kingdom; and delivering “Net Zero” carbon emissions by 2050. The Group’s high-profile portfolio make it a highly dynamic, flexible and interesting place to work.

Personal Tax, Welfare and Pensions

We work to build a tax and welfare system that supports the government’s goals of fiscal sustainability, economic growth, and fairness. We look after high-profile areas including personal taxes, labour markets, welfare, tax administration, pensions, tax avoidance, and savings. We also coordinate spending controls for HM Revenue & Customs, Department for Work and Pensions. The Group is responsible for over £400bn in tax receipts and £300bn in welfare spending, impacting the lives of millions of citizens across the UK.

Our work means that we are often at the centre of ministers’ decision making, and we play a significant part in the Budget and the Spending Review. We work closely with HMRC, DWP and Number 10, and with a wide variety of external stakeholders.

PTWP is a friendly, diverse, and inclusive Group, with a wide range of backgrounds and specialisms. We have an active ‘Wellbeing Plan’ focussed on learning and belonging.

About the teams:

The Energy and Transport Tax (ETT) team is a supportive and friendly team whose work is at the heart of balancing HMT’s fiscal, economic and environmental objectives. The team is responsible for taxes collectively raising around £50bn through transport, oil & gas, energy & carbon and environmental taxes, including developing novel and complex policies such as the new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). As a result, the team’s work covers a broad range of high-profile policy areas that get significant amounts of ministerial and public attention, particularly in light of the Government’s Net Zero agenda.

ETT is an outward-facing team whose work involves significant and varied stakeholder engagement, both directly with businesses and with trade associations, business representative groups and environmental and tax policy stakeholders. The team also works very closely with other Government departments, especially DESNZ, DfT, HMRC, Defra, and DBT, as well as with colleagues across HM Treasury, particularly those working on energy & transport spending, infrastructure policy and international policy.

The VAT and Excise (VE) team is a lively, flexible, friendly team at the heart of HM Treasury's tax agenda. The team provides ministers with advice on VAT, insurance premium tax (IPT), and a range of Excise taxes. Together, these raise around £200 billion a year. The team leads significant numbers of measures in fiscal events and generates a large amount of Chancellor and external interest.

There are two units covering domestic and international VAT policy. The Excise unit oversees policy on alcohol duty, tobacco duties, vaping duty, gambling duties and the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, including advising ministers on ongoing policy issues and options for fiscal events.

The International Tax and Customs Team (ITC) is a friendly and supportive team leading on international tax, customs and subsidy issues. Among other issues, the International Tax branch of ITC leads on tax transparency and efforts to address offshore tax risks, including international negotiations on exchange of information standards and rules at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The landmark agreement in this space is the OECD's Common Reporting Standard, through which HMRC currently receives information on around 9 million accounts from over 100 jurisdictions, helping to secure yield of more than £820 million from compliance activity. Most recently, negotiations have resulted in the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework and an initiative on tax transparency for real estate holdings, expanding tax transparency beyond traditional financial assets.

The branch is led by a G6, with four G7s, 3 SEOs (including this role), and one EO. Tax transparency responsibilities are shared with our HMRC policy partners, who we work very closely with alongside other HMT teams. We also work closely with our international partners, both OECD officials and our counterparts from other jurisdictions tax authorities and finance ministries.

The Personal Tax (PT) team is responsible for income tax, National Insurance (NICs), inheritance tax and other aspects of the personal tax system, including longer-term strategy and linking up with other areas of tax and welfare. Total personal tax receipts exceed £300bn so our policies are fundamental in fiscal and economic importance to the Treasury - and of significant interest to the Chancellor and other Ministers.

Over the past few years this has included freezing NICs and income tax thresholds, delivering changes to Employer NICs and reforming the taxation of income from assets. We work with other teams in HM Treasury, HMRC as well as other government departments and Number 10, and engage with a range of external stakeholders.

Previous experience of tax policy making and/or tax delivery is beneficial but not essential.

There will be a candidate drop-in session to give you greater insight about the roles and HM Treasury and to give you an opportunity to ask any questions you might have. There will be a representative from each hiring team present. If you would like to join us, use the link below to join the call at the right time.

Thursday 24th September 2026 at 11:am Click the link to Join

If you would like to speak to any of the hiring managers informally prior to the closing date, please contact Victor Peluola: Victor.Peluola@hmtreasury.gov.uk

Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

Person specification

Application Stage

Application Form

Applications should consist of a CV including your employment history, and a 250-word statement demonstrating evidence of each of the below shortlisting criteria. Your CV and employment history won’t be scored. It’s used to give context to your application and support discussions at interview.

The panel will review applications and invite those that best demonstrate evidence of the shortlisting criteria below for interview. Please keep this in mind when writing your application.

Please note that only applications submitted through Civil Service Jobs will be accepted.

1. Making Effective Decisions [LEAD] - Ability to present clear and well-evidenced recommendations, assessing a range of options, risks, benefits and impacts, drawing on analysis from multiple credible sources to support decision-making.
2. Working Together - Ability to build, maintain and influence relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, including where priorities or objectives differ, to achieve shared outcomes.
3. Delivering at Pace - Ability to manage competing priorities, adapt to changing demands and deliver high-quality outcomes to tight timescales while maintaining focus and resilience.

The lead criterion is: Making Effective Decisions

If we receive a high volume of applications, we’ll first sift using the lead criterion only. Those meeting the minimum score will then be assessed against all remaining criteria.

Civil Service Online Test

There will be an online Civil Service numerical and verbal test included in this assessment process. For further information please refer to: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/preparing-for-the-civil-service-verbal-and-…

If candidates require reasonable adjustments during the application process, or online test process, please allow sufficient time (at least 5 working days prior to the job closing date) to request support, to allow us to support candidates as best as possible. Please note that there is no candidate support from Friday 5pm until Monday 9am.

There will be maintenance for online tests on:

13 September 2026 - midday to 1pm

27 September - 4pm to midnight

This means you will be unable to access the online tests between these times. Your progress will be saved, and you will be able to continue once the tests are available again.

Interview Stage

If you are successful at the application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed against the following criteria:

• Behaviours:
  • Making Effective Decisions
  • Working Together
  • Delivering at Pace
  • Communicating and Influencing

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,600, HM Treasury contributes £12,920 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Generous Annual Leave - 25 days (rising to 30 after 5 years), plus public holidays and the King’s birthday.
• Outstanding Pension Scheme - Defined Benefit pension with employer contributions of 28.97%
• Parental Leave Packages - Including 6 months’ occupational pay for maternity/adoption, shared parental leave options.
• Flexible & Hybrid Working - Options include part-time, job-share, compressed hours, flexitime, and hybrid working (where business needs allow).
• Advance Schemes & Discounts - Rental deposit, cycle-to-work, SmartTech, season ticket loans, and access to HM Treasury’s benefits portal for a wide range of discount codes.

You can review HM Treasury’s full offer here.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

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

• Candidate Drop in: Thursday 24/09/2026
• Closing date: 05/10/2026
• Shortlisting: w/c 19/09/2026 / 26/10/2026
• Interviews: w/c 02/11/2026 / 09/11/2026

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 Counter-Terrorist Check.

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.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Mel Brooksbank
• Email : mel.brooksbank@hmtreasury.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hrrecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.uk

Further information

Complaints Process: Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment based on fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact HMT by email at: