Policy Adviser – Defined Contribution Pensions

HM Treasury; Tees Valley; Hybrid; GBP 64,000 - 86,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous Annual Leave

Pension Scheme

Parental Leave

Hybrid Working

Discounts

Job summary

HM Treasury’s Personal Tax, Welfare and Pensions group seeks a collaborative policy professional to lead input to the Pensions Commission, shaping automatic enrolment policy and fiscal impacts.

You will advise Ministers on Commission recommendations and legislative change while coordinating with HMRC and other policy teams to deliver a fair, affordable pensions tax system.

The role offers flexible & hybrid working and a supportive, inclusive team environment.

Qualifications

• No specific policy qualifications required.
• Ability to coordinate input from multiple teams.
• Strong analytical and drafting abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate HMT’s input to the Pensions Commission, advising Ministers on responses and legislative change.
• Advise Ministers on policy changes related to taxation of pension contributions, coordinating analysis with HMRC and other teams.
• Advise on matters relating to DWP arm’s length bodies including spending control and classification.

Skills

Collaboration

Policy analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Written communication

Job description

Are you able to effectively collaborate to deliver against shared objectives, analyse information to draw evidenced conclusions and position your work in a wider context ? If so, we’d love to hear from you !

About the Team

The Pensions and Savings Team is one of five teams in PTWP (Personal Tax, Welfare and Pensions) group. We are responsible for policy that supports people to build savings and pensions throughout their working life and for the state pension and connected benefits paid to people once they retire. The team is responsible for significant annual tax reliefs (totalling over £70bn) and AME (Annually Managed Expenditure) (exceeding £100bn). To deliver our policies, we work closely with other teams within HM Treasury and also with other departments, particularly DWP and HMRC. These are exciting policies that are meaningful across the population. The size and influence of these policies mean that they are always of interest to ministers.

We are a small and friendly team. We play an active role in making sure that PTWP has an inclusive, positive working environment. We are committed to ensuring a good work-life balance and currently have people with a variety of working patterns and part-time roles.

About the Job

In this role, the key responsibilities are :

• Leading and co-ordinating HMT’s input to the Pensions Commission, including on the future of Automatic Enrolment policy taking into account DWP ambitions, cost of living issues for affected people and the fiscal and economic impacts. The postholder will advise the Pensions Commissioners on matters of HMT policy, ensuring that relevant teams in HMT have the opportunity to input, seeing the Commission through to conclusion in early 2027. The postholder will also advise Ministers on responding to the Pensions Commission’s recommendations, and eventually on legislative change to deliver landmark reforms.
• Advising HM Treasury ministers on policy changes related to taxation of pension contributions, including pensions tax relief thresholds and pensions tax relief administration ahead of each Budget. The postholder will advise ministers on policies to deliver a fair and affordable pensions tax system, and coordinate analysis that supports recommendations. This involves working closely with HMRC through the policy partnership as well as other teams in HMT.
• Advising Ministers on matters relating to DWP arm’s length bodies including spending control and classification.
• Communicating government policy on the taxation of pension contributions through drafting responses to queries received by HM Treasury, working closely with other policy teams.

About You

You do not need to be a policy professional or have any specific qualifications to succeed in the role. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and previous knowledge of pensions or policy making is not necessary. We're also looking for an individual who will bring enthusiasm and motivation to the role, thereby contributing to a positive team dynamic.

Some of the Benefits our people love!

• 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%
• 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.