Senior Sanctions Adviser

Job summary

Working at HM Treasury puts you at the heart of government, making a difference to the UK economy and ultimately to people’s lives right across the UK.

Jobs at the Treasury are fast-paced, fun and can offer unparalleled perspective – not least the opportunity to advise Ministers on the decisions which directly determine the UK’s prosperity. Deep in our DNA is a commitment to empowering our people: maximising individual and collective impact, with interesting work no matter your role or seniority.

Day-to-day you could be supporting Ministers to decide the right level of a specific tax or line of government spending; helping maintain the stability of financial markets; analysing the long-term trends impacting the future of the economy; or enabling this work as part of our vital corporate functions.

We are a high-performing department and proud to have outstanding staff from a wide range of backgrounds. We are also a friendly, inclusive and sociable workplace that prides itself on fostering great team spirit. Our two largest offices are 1 Horse Guards Road in London, opposite St James’ Park, and the Darlington Economic Campus, which also contains eight other departments. We work seamlessly across all our sites, including Norwich, Birmingham and Leeds, as one Treasury.

We are both a 1,000-year-old institution and dynamic, forward-looking economics and finance ministry, with a strong direction set by our organisational strategy, the Future Treasury Vision. The 21st century offers huge opportunities and poses new challenges for the UK. Working at the Treasury is your chance to help the country chart the right course.

Job description

We are recruiting for a Higher Executive Officer (HEO) in OFSI’s General Licensing team. This is an exciting, fast-paced, high-stakes role.

What are General Licences?

General Licences are legal instruments issued by OFSI that permit categories of activity which would otherwise be prohibited by UK financial sanctions. They help ensure sanctions are implemented effectively while mitigating unintended consequences for businesses, governments, humanitarian organisations and wider UK interests.

General Licensing work sits at the intersection of policy, law and operations. It involves analysing complex issues, balancing competing risks and stakeholder interests, and developing practical solutions to support the effective delivery of UK sanctions.

What does the OFSI General Licensing Unit do?

• The Licensing Unit assesses applications and makes recommendations on whether licences should be issued to allow transactions to take place which financial sanctions would otherwise prohibit.
• This involves working with colleagues across OFSI and across Government to progress individual cases, identify trends, assess risks and support litigation and legal challenges.
• Licensing colleagues work quickly and collaboratively, drawing on a range of expertise to provide advice and recommendations to senior decision makers, including Senior Civil Servants and Ministers.
• The General Licensing Branch develops and maintains General Licences (GLs). Unlike specific licences, which apply to individual applicants, GLs provide permissions for categories of activity and can be relied upon by multiple individuals or organisations. General Licences play an important role in ensuring that UK sanctions are effective, proportionate and do not create unintended consequences for legitimate activity.

What will this post-holder do?

This role sits within OFSI's General Licensing Branch and is responsible for supporting the development, implementation and review of General Licences (GLs) that support the effective operation of UK financial sanctions.

The successful candidate will:

• Support the development of new General Licences (GLs), working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and other stakeholders to assess licensing mitigations associated with new designations. This includes researching issues, analysing evidence and providing clear written and oral advice to senior colleagues.
• Support the General Licensing Branch's contribution to litigation and legal challenges by gathering evidence, coordinating input from relevant stakeholders and assisting with the preparation of briefing and submissions.
• Manage complex General Licence workstreams and contribute to high-profile or sensitive cases, contributing to the development of policy positions and recommendations on General Licensing issues.
• Respond to stakeholder feedback and queries relating to General Licences, drafting guidance products, FAQs and communications to support understanding and compliance.
• Develop and maintain expertise in General Licences, providing advice to colleagues across the Licensing Unit and supporting the handling of correspondence, including Freedom of Information requests (FOIs), Parliamentary Questions (PQs) and ministerial correspondence.

This role offers the opportunity to work on high-profile sanctions issues at the centre of Government, engaging regularly with senior officials, Ministers, legal advisers, international partners and industry stakeholders.

You do not need prior sanctions experience to apply. We welcome applications from candidates with experience in policy, regulation, legal services, compliance, investigations, operational delivery, casework or other roles involving analysis, decision-making and stakeholder management.

If you would like to speak to the hiring manager informally prior to the closing date for applications to find out more about the job, please contact Nadia.Hoxha@HMTreasury.gov.uk

Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

Person specification

Application Form

Applications should consist of a CV including your employment history, and a 250-word statement demonstrating evidence of each of the below shortlisting criteria. Your CV and employment history won’t be scored. It’s used to give context to your application and support discussions at interview.

The panel will review applications and invite those that best demonstrate evidence of the shortlisting criteria below for interview. Please keep this in mind when writing your application.

Please note that only applications submitted through Civil Service Jobs will be accepted.

• Making Effective Decisions: Ability to analyse complex information, balancing relevant risk factors, to make and defend sound recommendations
• Delivering at Pace: Ability to demonstrate effective prioritisation and management of multiple workstreams often to very tight timelines while maintaining progress on longer term projects.
• S eeing the Bigger Picture : Ability to understand how individual decisions contribute to wider objectives, while engaging effectively with colleagues and stakeholders with differing priorities and interests

The lead criterion is: Making Effective Decisions

If we receive a high volume of applications, we’ll first sift using the lead criterion only. Those meeting the minimum score will then be assessed against all remaining criteria.

Interview Stage

If you are successful at the application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed against the following criteria:

• Strengths
• Behaviours: Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Seeing the Big Picture

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,130, HM Treasury contributes

£10,466 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).

• Generous Annual Leave - 25 days (rising to 30 after 5 years), plus public holidays and the King’s birthday.
• Outstanding Pension Scheme - Defined Benefit pension with employer contributions of 28.97%
• Parental Leave Packages - Including 6 months’ occupational pay for maternity/adoption, shared parental leave options.
• Flexible & Hybrid Working - Options include part-time, job-share, compressed hours, flexitime, and hybrid working (where business needs allow).
• Advance Schemes & Discounts - Rental deposit, cycle-to-work, SmartTech, season ticket loans, and access to HM Treasury’s benefits portal for a wide range of discount codes.

You can review HM Treasury’s full offer here .

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

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.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

The reference to Experience above is system generated. For this role, experience is not assessed at any stage. We will ask for some CV details in your application form, but this is for reference only and will not be scored.

Candidate Guidance

Please review the candidate guidance for an overview of the Success Profiles and STAR approach, along with top tips for applications and interviews.

Recruitment Timeline

• Closing date: 4 October 2026
• Shortlisting: w/c 5 October 2026
• Interviews: w/c 19 October 2026

This timeline is indicative and may be subject to change. We will inform you if there is a substantial change to the recruitment timeline.

If your contact details change at any time during the selection process, please ensure you update your Civil Service Jobs Profile.

Reserve Lists

You will be placed on a reserve list if your application is successful, but we cannot offer you a role immediately. Where more than one location has been advertised, candidates will be posted in merit order by location. You will be asked to provide your location preference on your application form. Please note that a place on the reserve list does not guarantee an offer.

If you are offered a role in your first preferred location and you decline the offer or are unable to take up the post within a reasonable timeframe, you will be removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances.

Those on the reserve list may also be approached for similar roles at a lower grade. If you are offered a role at a lower grade and choose to decline, you can remain on the reserve list.

Internal Fraud Database Check

Candidates cannot apply to roles in the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Successful candidates will be subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database. This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This also applies to those who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the database will be refused employment.

National Security Vetting

Everyone working with government assets must complete Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks. Additionally, successful candidates will be subject to National Security Vetting. The level of security vetting required for this role is Security Check (SC) .

To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out, applicants will need to have lived in the UK for at least 3 out of the past 5 years . You will be asked to provide residency information within your application form, and e