Head of Transit, Special Procedures and Customer Function - Birmingham

Customs Policy and Strategy (CP&S) is responsible for policy development, implementation, maintenance and improvement of the UK customs regime in line with Government priorities and Ministerial objectives. This is an exciting and high-profile leadership role in CP&S. You will lead a large team responsible for customs policy across transit, authorisations and facilitations alongside delivering customs GOV.UK guidance and stakeholder engagement. You will also lead and embed a new customer function for B&T, ensuring that customer insight is reflected in policy development and decision-making.

The Transit, Special Procedures and Customer Function (TSP&C) team acts at the policy and regime owner for customs authorisations, special procedures, customs reliefs, duty deferment and guarantees and is responsible for making sure these policies achieve their objectives and meet the needs of our customers. The team is also responsible for the strategic questions relating to Trust and contributing to the development of the Customs Vision for the future. The team is also responsible for delivering our customs GOV.UK guidance content and delivering customer management for the Borders & Trade business group, including leading and launching a new 'customer function'.

Strategy and policy leadership as well as delivery oversight across a wide range of priorities. Leadership and management of 9 Grade 6 led teams. Shaping and launching a new customer function for Borders & Trade to give greater focus to the customer in B&T decision making and problem-solving and ensuring that customer insight is underpinning B&T activities. Representing HMRC with key internal and external stakeholders including being the HMRC Chair for the Joint Customs Consultative Committee (JCCC), our primary customs stakeholder forum, and working with the industry chair on agendas and issues - to enhance HMRC's reputation and credibility for effective stakeholder engagement. Bringing forward well-developed customs policy measures for fiscal events to meet Ministerial and HMRC strategic objectives. Being the Deputy Regime Owner (DRO) for Transit and Special Procedures, with responsibility for convening activity across the Borders & Trade Group and wider HMRC to build consensus on the vision for the sub-regime, the health and performance of the sub-regime, and its priorities for change - driving forward priorities, escalating to the Customs Regime Board as needed. Close working with other parts of the Borders & Trade Group to ensure customs policy objectives are reflected in and aligned to wider Group and Departmental strategies - including working collaboratively with other parts of B&T to make the case for investment (including at enterprise level) in sub-regime priorities such as EORI, policy assumptions underpinning Trust and Transit Risking. Working as part of the wider CP&S senior leadership team to lead the Directorate and make CP&S a great place to work.

This role involves the management of a team of around 70 staff, which is split between a policy function and customer management specialists.

The successful applicant will need to demonstrate relevant experience and effective delivery of the following essential criteria:

• Policy & Strategy Leadership: Proven experience leading complex policy or strategy portfolios, ideally with expertise within or of government.
• Collaborative Stakeholder Management: A track record of building influential relationships at all levels, and a proven ability to manage large stakeholder forums with senior leaders across government and industry.
• Inspirational People Leadership: Excellent leadership skills with experience managing large, multi-disciplinary teams and a commitment to nurturing capability and motivating staff toward stretching objectives.
• High-Level Communication & Briefing: Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to confidently brief ministers and senior officials and communicate complex ideas with clarity and conviction.
• Strategic Delivery & Change: Ability to drive delivery outputs and secure timely decisions to unblock impediments, working effectively with change partners and technical teams (such as CDIO) to maintain momentum.

Desirable Criteria:

• Fiscal Process Experience: Previous experience navigating the fiscal event process and delivering policy measures within that framework.
• Trade Expertise: Technical knowledge of customs regimes, authorisations, or international trade mechanics.

Alongside your salary of 81,000, HM Revenue and Customs contributes 23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Your Civil Service pension is a valuable part of your total reward and is one of your biggest benefits. When you join the Civil Service, you get access to the alpha pension with a generous employer contribution of 28.97% and some of the lowest member contributions in the public sector.

25 days annual leave, increasing to 30 days after 5 years' service (allowance pro-rata for part-time colleagues). This is complemented by one day's paid privilege leave to mark the King's Birthday and is in addition to your public holidays.

The Civil Service values and supports all its employees. At HMRC we want to create great places to work that are welcoming to all - where there is a strong sense of belonging and community. We embed inclusion in everything we do.

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.

This campaign is being managed by HMRC's Executive Resourcing team. All applications should be submitted via Civil Service Jobs no later than 23:55 on Monday 8th June 2026 and must include:

• A CV detailing your career history, key responsibilities and achievements accounting for any employment gaps within the last two years.
• A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 2 pages) demonstrating how your experience meets the essential criteria.

Your CV and suitability statement will be assessed against the criteria set out in the person specification. Please include your full name on both documents.

The panel will assess the evidence provided in your CV and statement. Candidates whose applications best meet the essential criteria will be selected for interview.

HMRC is a Disability Confident leader and guarantees to interview candidates applying under the Disability Confident Scheme who successfully meet the minimum selection criteria outlined in the person specification.

You will attend a panel interview for a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence. This will include a 5-minute verbal presentation (further information will be issued in advance). Interviews are expected to take place virtually via Microsoft Teams.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check.

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).

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities.