The Treasury has launched recruitment for a new second permanent secretary nine months after Cat Little departed.
A salary of between £153,000-£200,000 is on offer for the role, which will fill the gap left by Little – who became the Cabinet Office’s perm sec in April – but does not focus on the same responsibilities.
Whereas Little had responsibility for public spending and international finance, the new second perm sec will be asked to focus on driving growth and working with the private sector to deliver this.
The job pack for the role says the successful candidate "will particularly be tasked with engaging the business community to continue to understand how government and business can work together to deliver enhanced growth and the government’s wider priorities".
It also says the second perm sec “must have deep financial, business, commercial and analytical experience" and that private sector and corporate finance experience is “essential”.
The successful candidate will work closely with Jessica Glover, who is director general for growth and productivity at the Treasury, and with the minister for investment, Poppy Gustafsson, on attracting and delivering sustained investment to the UK and leveraging private investment into priority areas.
In a foreword to the job pack, Treasury permanent secretary James Bowler said: “At the heart of this role will be helping to form and enact the government’s plans to improve the country’s growth prospects and deliver them, working with the private sector to leverage the private finance to do so. This will mean engaging business; departments; other government organisations including the newly formed National Wealth Fund; and other stakeholders across the country.”
He added: “This is an exciting but challenging time for the department, and we are looking for an exceptional candidate to take on this role.”
The second perm sec will also be tasked with engaging with departments on their policy and delivery agendas, particularly on large investment and infrastructure projects, and with building further corporate finance capability inside the Treasury.
They will also help to form and work with the National Wealth Fund and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority. Recruitment is currently under way for a chief executive to lead the latter.
The current core leadership of the department comprises Bowler and two second perm secs: chief economic adviser Sam Beckett and Beth Russell, who is currently responsible for tax and spending, according to the job pack. Russell took over some of Little's former spending responsibilities in April. When the next second perm sec is appointed, Russell, who is based at and the head of the Darlington Economic Campus, will no longer have responsibility for growth policy but will retain some oversight of devolution and regional growth.
The job advert says the new second perm sec role can be based in either London or Darlington. Applications close on 13 January 2025. Shortlisting is expected to take place in late January, followed by a leadership assessment in early February and panel interviews later that month.