Head of Housing and Family Benefits

About the role

Located at HM Treasury’s Darlington office (Feethams House), this is a maternity‑cover fixed‑term position at Grade 7 as Head of Housing & Family Benefits within the Welfare Spending and Reform (WSR) team. The role sits at the heart of government, contributing to UK economic policy and supporting Ministers on tax, spending, financial‑market stability and long‑term economic trends. The Treasury is a high‑performing, inclusive department with sites in London, Darlington, Norwich, Birmingham and Leeds, working as one organisation.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Treasury’s policy development on housing benefits, Child Benefit, the High Income Child Benefit Charge, and the Crisis & Resilience Fund, including advising the Chancellor and junior ministers on new policy proposals for Budgets and Spending Reviews.
• Run the Treasury’s spending control for housing and family‑related benefits, identifying spending risks and scrutinising bids from DWP, MHCLG and HMRC; also oversee spending control for smaller benefits such as parental pay and bereavement support.
• Develop expertise for yourself and your team so the branch acts as the Treasury’s point of contact on housing and family‑related benefits, staying abreast of data, trends, stakeholder views, impact on claimant households and headline metrics such as child poverty and homelessness.
• Build open and collaborative relationships with colleagues in DWP, HMRC, MHCLG and other Treasury teams with an interest in these policy areas, taking a strategic, cross‑cutting look at how the welfare system supports government ambitions like tackling homelessness, improving living standards or addressing migrants’ access to benefits.
• Manage a branch of two staff, ensuring timely,