This is an exciting opportunity to join the International Social Security Policy team in the Individuals Policy Directorate (IPD) in Customer Strategy & Tax Design (CS&TD) within HMRC. Working together with our partners in HM Treasury, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), we are responsible for HMRC's international social security interests – focused on payment of National Insurance contributions and Child Benefit. 

We negotiate and maintain international social security agreements with other countries and support other subject areas and government departments consider how they are impacted by these agreements. 

We are also responsible for residence and immigration policy as it applies to HMRC-administered benefits. Social security agreements support workers and their families who move internationally by ensuring that they retain access to benefits and only pay social security (National Insurance) in one country at a time. 

This is a challenging role supporting HMRC’s delivery of the UK’s social security agreements and helping the wider department, and our customers, understand UK workers international social security rights and obligations. You will help us continue our close and effective co-operation with international social security teams in DWP and DHSC. You will get the opportunity to develop your own area of policy expertise with the potential to shape the international conversation around social security administration and to develop good working relationships with international organisations and international partners (both EU and worldwide). 

If you enjoy working in a fast-paced policy environment and are committed to building expertise in a technically challenging policy area for the benefit of HMRC and our customers, we’d love to hear from you. 

What will you be doing as a Policy Officer within IPD?

You will be part of the team responsible for the implementation of effective policies and dealing with high profile and influential partners. Part of your role will be to support the delivery of key priorities whilst working to tight deadlines to deliver analysis and policy advice to a range of stakeholders. You’ll be working in collaboration with cross-government partners and internationally whilst helping to provide detailed advice and guidance to colleagues across HMRC, other Government Departments and external bodies.  
This is a reactive role, and as such your key responsibilities may vary depending on changing priorities and emerging issues, however, will include: 

• Helping maintain the UK’s international social security agreements by providing reliable and accurate policy input to stakeholders across HMRC, DWP and DHSC.
• Building your international social security expertise so that you can work closely with the HMRC National Insurance technical team in Newcastle, supporting their decisions around work prioritisation, assisting them to maintain standards in internal and external guidance.
• Supporting the delivery of distinct elements of social security coordination, and actively identify policy issues which need to be resolved with international partners or by ministers.
• Ensuring that the team adds value and has influence in the context of competing policy priorities across government and significant operational process changes and improvements underway within HMRC.
• Playing your part in developing and maintaining good knowledge management practices in the areas you are working on.

As part of the role you will be expected to: 

• Provide written and oral briefing for officials representing the UK in international meetings, as well as senior officials.
• Effectively engage with stakeholders across several Whitehall departments, as well as operational, process and technical colleagues, and seeking legal advice from solicitors where appropriate.
• Contribute to the wider corporate leadership of IPD in addition to your role in the team.

Essential Criteria:

Experience in working with and understanding international Social Security Agreements or a demonstrated ability, over a sustained period of time, to understand and communicate a technical or complex subject area.