Priority Projects Unit - Senior Policy Advisors (G7)

Job summary

The Priority Projects Unit (PPU) provides high-calibre professional support for the Cabinet Office’s most critical and complex initiatives. Through flexible three-month placements, team members work individually or in small groups to address evolving national priorities, such as national security, civil service reform, and new policy. This model allows the unit to meet urgent departmental needs while offering staff diverse opportunities for professional development.

Successful candidates must demonstrate the ability to manage competing priorities under tight deadlines, analyse evidence to form sound judgments, and communicate effectively with senior stakeholders. While government experience is valued, the PPU provides the necessary support for talented individuals from the private sector to adapt their skills to a central government context.

The unit fosters a vibrant, inclusive culture by requiring all team members to dedicate 10% of their time to corporate team-building initiatives. To support a healthy work-life balance, the PPU welcomes flexible working and job-share arrangements, provided staff can work from a physical office at least three days per week.

Job description

The primary accountability of this role is the successful delivery of time-bound, 3-6 month priority projects across the Cabinet Office. Post-holders are expected to move between diverse policy and delivery areas to address urgent departmental gaps.

As a Senior Policy Advisor within the PPU, you will be required to integrate seamlessly into existing teams or stand up new ones at pace. You will be expected to rapidly onboard and master the intricacies of new policy areas, quickly identifying core objectives to ensure immediate impact upon deployment. You will take full ownership of high-priority workstreams, working independently and with minimal supervision to drive delivery at pace. This requires a high degree of comfort with ambiguity and the proactive initiative to shape work at its most nascent stages, providing structure and direction where objectives may initially be ill-defined.

You will need to demonstrate a range of skills including well-honed policy expertise and strong strategic thinking, alongside the sound, evidence-based judgement required to advise senior leaders and Ministers. You will also be expected to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to build rapport and collaborative relationships across government at pace, with further detail set out in the person specification.

Beyond individual delivery, you will provide essential leadership and stability for junior colleagues, offering support, development guidance and reassurance to your line managees to deliver in the same context. You will proactively lead strands of the corporate work of the PPU, team with 10% of your time dedicated to this.

You will act as an ambassador for the PPU across the Cabinet Office, leading by example and demonstrating professionalism and calm in demanding circumstances. You will help ensure the department retains the high-calibre surge capacity and strategic expertise necessary to meet its most urgent commitments.

Person specification

• Policy Expertise: A strong background in policy development, with the systems thinking required to identify cross-cutting impacts and risks. You will demonstrate the ability to navigate competing interests, broker an ambitious consensus that maintains policy intent, and deliver through - or help establish - effective governance mechanisms. In this role, that will include from working level to senior official / Ministerial. You will ensure that all policy outputs are cohesive, evidence-based, and deliverable.
• Fast-Paced Delivery: A demonstrated ability to take ownership of critical workstrands, hitting tight deadlines and managing competing priorities without compromising on quality of output. Equipped with the drive and organisational skills to deliver complex projects quickly over a short time-frame.
• Agility and Resilience: The ability to remain highly effective while moving frequently between diverse project areas; you will demonstrate the resilience to rapidly pivot as priorities change and the leadership capability to support the people you manage through these regular transitions. You will be comfortable with ambiguity, able to take initiative to shape work at its most nascent stages, and provide structure and direction where objectives may initially be ill-defined.
• Sound Judgement and Decision-Making: The ability to reach high-quality judgements and/or identify an effective course of action, factoring in stakeholder views, available data and analysis, and an awareness of the wider political and strategic context.
• Effective Communication and Interpersonal Skills: A proven ability to communicate complex information clearly and succinctly to a range of audiences. This includes delivering high-quality written outputs - such as formal briefings and submissions to enable senior official or ministerial decision-making - alongside strong interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively with and bring along colleagues, at all levels, to achieve objectives.
• Leadership and People Management: The ability to develop high-performing, inclusive, and multi-disciplinary teams, and to embed a positive and supportive team culture in a fast-paced environment. A demonstrated commitment to delivering corporate contributions.

Additional information:

Cabinet Office policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. Requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Behaviours

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

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

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,204, Cabinet Office contributes £16,571 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

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.

Application process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV (no longer than 2 pages) and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please provide a personal statement of no more than 750 words. Your personal statement should provide specific evidence of how your experience meets the Essential Criteria outlined in the Person Specification. To ensure your application is competitive, please ensure your evidence is concise, evidence-based, and focused on your personal impact across all listed requirements. Your response should demonstrate your policy expertise and ability to navigate competing interests to deliver a clear outcome, your track record of fast-paced delivery against tight deadlines, your resilience when leading teams through ambiguity, clear examples of sound judgement within a strategic context and effective communication skills, as well as your leadership and people management capabilities.

Information is available on the application process (including what Civil Service Success Profiles is) and how to write your personal statement.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Behaviours will only be assessed at the interview stage.

Selection process

Assessment of behaviours and experience at interview.

Behaviours: Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, and Communicating and Influencing.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date: week commencing 1st June and week commencing 8th June

Expected interview date/s: 22nd June and week commencing 29th June

Interview location: Online via Google Meet

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via Cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

Please note that this role requires CTC clearance, which would normally need 3 years’ UK residency in the past 3 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

Feedback

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a 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 : ppurecruitment@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
• Email : ppurecruitment@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service by email at : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk. For further information on the Recruitment Principles and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/.

Attachments

Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External 2025-02-20 Opens in new window (docx, 83kB)Cabinet Office Employee Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 302kB)