Public Bodies - HEO

Skills required

The work of this team is highly dynamic and requires a proactive approach.

• Communication (Written & Verbal): Clear, concise written communication and the ability to draft professional documents. Effective verbal communication for internal team discussions.
• Working at pace: Proven capability to deliver high quality outputs at pace, in a complex and dynamic environment.
• Policy and Research Skills: Proven capability to conduct effective research, identify relevant sources, and gather and interpret information systematically.
• Analytical Aptitude: Strong ability to understand and process complex information, with a keen eye for detail and accuracy. Problem-Solving Orientation: A proactive approach to identifying issues and contributing to solutions.
• Collaboration: A proactive and supportive approach to working within a team, eager to learn from and contribute to collective success.
• Organisation & Time Management: Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines in a dynamic environment.

We would welcome qualifications/certifications in public policy and strategy development, but they are not essential.

£39,250 - £46,844

National: £39,250 - £43,462; London: £42,409 - £46,844

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Alongside your salary of £39,250, Cabinet Office contributes £11,370 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

The Civil Service Strategy Unit (CSSU) is at the heart of the government's agenda for change, aimed at growing the economy and improving people's lives right across the United Kingdom. We are an active part of the Future Civil Service Group (FCS), whose mission is simple: to make it easier for people to get great things done across the civil service and wider public sector. With FCS colleagues, we aim to improve speed, efficiency and innovation in improving public services, making them joined-up, resilient and effective in meeting the public's needs and expectations.

In CSSU we ensure that priority, cross cutting reform initiatives are developed, prioritised, delivered and scaled. With a direct link to the Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and liaison with Ministers, we have the ability to champion reform issues at the highest levels of government. This is an ambitious role looking at all aspects of the Civil Service, it is focusing on how we can radically improve our people, organisation, and digital use in departments, functions, professions and public bodies. We are a delivery-focused "think-and-do" tank where you can iterate, test, and fail fast, learning lessons on the way to find what truly works. CSSU has been newly reshaped in order to be more agile to the key strategic issues. The Directorate consists of around 50+ staff, located across the UK, who work together to deliver high quality strategic advice.

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated individual to join the newly formed Priority Projects and Arms Length/ Public Bodies Team within the Civil Service Strategy Unit. This role is within the Public Bodies pillar, which is responsible for shaping and driving public policy to reform Arm's-Length Bodies (ALBs), aligning with the Prime Minister's vision for a simplified and more efficient state.

Working in close collaboration with and supporting Policy & Strategy Advisors (G7s and G6s), you will be instrumental in providing the foundational research and analysis that underpins strategic change across the complex ALB landscape. Arm Length Bodies are a topic of high interest with parliamentarians and the public, this role will also involve providing rapid and fast turnaround support to respond accurately to enquiries.

Duties Involved:

• Deliverable Contribution: Working at pace to draft responses to questions relating to ALBs. Support the drafting and refinement of high-quality outputs, including briefing papers, strategic options analyses, and presentation decks, ensuring accuracy and clarity.
• Policy and Problem Research & Data Gathering: Conduct thorough research into complex ALB policy and strategic challenges, identifying relevant data sources (qualitative and quantitative) and gathering information from across government and external sources.
• Meeting Preparation & Support: Assist in preparing materials for client and stakeholder meetings, including background research, agenda drafting, minute-taking, and workshop hosting.
• Agile Sprint Contribution: Manage assigned tasks and work packages within defined agile sprints, ensuring timely completion and adherence to quality standards. Proactively flag any potential issues or blockers to your line manager.
• Knowledge Management: Contribute to the team's collective knowledge base by organising research materials, documenting findings, and sharing relevant information.
• Project management of ALB reform: ensuring that the ALB reform programme is on track to meet its deliverables and generating and updating the forward look of ALB reform announcements. Lead on the identification and tracking of programme risks and issues, escalating them to senior colleagues as appropriate.
• Policy development and management: Lead a team to conduct thorough research into ALB policy challenges and best practices related to ALBs, identifying and gathering relevant qualitative and quantitative data.

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 11th October 2026

482144

Higher Executive Officer

Permanent

Policy

1

Glasgow, London

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Expected sift date - TBC

Expected interview date/s - TBC

Interview location - Video (Google Meet)

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the 'Assistance required' section in the 'Additional requirements' page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

• Name : Head of Public Bodies
• Email : cssu-admin@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

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