Policy Advisor - Schools and Early Years Funding

Department for Education; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A government department in the United Kingdom is seeking two Policy Officers to work on funding policy. The roles involve supporting the management of substantial school funding, leading project management efforts, and collaborating in Agile teams. Candidates should have policy experience, strong analytical skills, and the ability to handle public correspondence. This position offers a competitive salary and benefits package including annual leave and pension contributions.

Benefits

Pension contributions

25 days annual leave

Flexi-time options

Qualifications

• Experience in policy or research in a public policy context.
• Strong analytical and data manipulation skills.
• Experience dealing with public and parliamentary correspondence.
• Demonstrated ability to work in cross‑functional Agile teams.

Responsibilities

• Support policy development related to schools funding.
• Manipulate numerical data to illustrate the impact of policy decisions.
• Lead responses to public correspondence and parliamentary questions.
• Collaborate to design and implement new funding grants.

Skills

Analytical skills

Data manipulation

Public correspondence handling

Agile team experience

Communication skills

Decision-making skills

Teamwork

Job description

Overview

The Department for Education (DFE) is seeking two policy officers within the Funding Policy Unit (FPU). One will join the Core Schools Budget team, supporting the management of around £65 billion of school funding. The other will join the Early Years Funding team, supporting over £8 billion per annum for early years entitlements. Both roles will work in a fast‑paced, high‑profile environment, using Agile methods to design, implement and assess funding policy.

Responsibilities

• Core Schools Budget team (1 role)
  
  • Support policy development related to schools funding.
  • Manipulate numerical data to illustrate the impact of policy decisions on school budgets.
  • Lead responses to public correspondence and written parliamentary questions about the Core Schools Budget.
  • Collaborate across the directorate to design and implement new funding grants.
• Early Years Funding team (1 role)
  
  • Support delivery of the team’s policy work on early years funding systems.
  • Lead project management to achieve agreed outcomes within time and standard.
  • Respond to public correspondence and parliamentary questions regarding early years funding.
  • Provide accurate and timely briefing to Ministers and senior officials.
  • Support internal meetings and governance boards.
• General responsibilities across FPU
  
  • Work in other teams such as National Funding Formula or High Needs Funding as required.
  • Support the overall development of funding policy for education.

Qualifications

• Experience in policy or research in a public policy context.
• Strong analytical and data manipulation skills.
• Experience dealing with public and parliamentary correspondence.
• Demonstrated ability to work in cross‑functional Agile teams.
• Effective decision‑making, pace, communication, influencing and teamwork skills.

Apprenticeship

This role includes completion of the Level 4 Policy Officer Apprenticeship. Eligibility criteria can be viewed on the Skills England policy officer apprenticeship standard.

Benefits & Compensation

Salary: £31,478 (plus £9,119 contribution to the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme). Employees receive 25 days of annual leave, increasing to 30 days after five years, the King’s Birthday holiday, 8 bank and public holidays, and flexi‑time and compressed hour options. Travel to the primary office is not paid, but travel to alternate offices is covered.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The Department for Education is an equal opportunities employer, welcoming applicants from all backgrounds. Candidates may be assessed for the role based on their knowledge and skills, and a named‑blind recruitment process is followed.