***THIS JOB VACANCY HAS NOW CLOSED***
There are two vacant Grade 7 Deputy Head of Policy roles that will lead teams to drive forward policy work for veterans and their families. Working closely with the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, seniors in the Cabinet Office, the service charity sector, and officials across Government, the role holders will need to ensure current support for veterans and their families is implemented effectively, as well as identify future opportunities to deliver improvements for veterans and their families. The role holders will also be responsible for delivering and implementing various strategies and governance forums, as well as supporting the Minister with responding to Parliamentary Business and Correspondence. Strong communication and leadership skills, as well as the ability to deliver at pace, are essential skills for these roles.
The role holders will be in the OVA’s policy team, and will be line managed by the Head of Policy. They will be expected to work collaboratively with colleagues in the OVA and wider Cabinet Office, and use the Cabinet Office’s convening function to ensure the whole of Government is supporting veterans and their families.
One role will lead on employment policy, and the other will lead on equalities and families policy. Responsibilities may change over time in line with Ministerial priorities.
Job description
The Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA), based in the Cabinet Office, was created in 2019 to lead the cross-government delivery of the Strategy for our Veterans’, to develop future iterations of that strategy, and to provide leadership, advocacy and improved coordination of veterans’ issues across government. The aim of the OVA is to realise the Government’s ambitious strategic vision, to make the UK the best country in the world to be a veteran.
There are around 2 million veterans in the UK and 15,000 people leaving the Armed Forces every year. The government wants to ensure that every single veteran has the opportunity to move successfully into civilian life and can access the help they need to do so. The community of veterans and their families is diverse and varied in the support people need, with the work of the OVA spanning issues including housing, health and wellbeing, employment, diversity and inclusion, historical legacy issues, finance, criminal justice and societal recognition of the value of service in the Armed Forces.
