About us

The Policy Profession helps to build capability and develop the right skills for policy professionals across the Civil Service.

What is the UK Government Policy Profession?

The Policy Profession is the second largest of the 31 Civil Service professions with the Office for Statistics Regulation recording over 36,925 members on its 2025 Civil Service Statistics report.  

Policy Professionals work across government to understand problems, develop practical solutions and advise ministers. They help shape how policies are delivered so they make a real difference to people’s lives and turn government priorities into action.

Policy covers a wide range of areas, from public services such as education and health to national challenges like economic growth, climate change and security.

People come into policy from many different backgrounds and bring a range of skills and perspectives. They share a focus on understanding complex issues, working collaboratively and improving outcomes for the public.

Policy professionals typically:

  • understand complex issues using evidence and insight
  • develop and assess options including costs, risks and impacts
  • work with ministers and others to shape decisions
  • support delivery ensuring policy can be implemented in practice
  • learn and improve using feedback and evaluation to strengthen outcomes

Working as a policy professional

Good policy is developed by teams with diverse perspectives and experience. Policy professionals collaborate with experts from across government to tackle challenges facing people and communities. 

They also work with people outside central government, including academics, local government, think tanks, charities and the devolved administrations to understand issues and shape effective responses.

They support ministers by developing advice and options based on evidence, data and insight to meet citizens’ needs. 

Policy work is dynamic. It involves testing ideas, adapting to new information and responding to changing priorities. This helps create policies that are practical and grounded in real-world impact.

Career opportunities in policy

  1. Direct recruitment: apply for policy roles on Civil Service Jobs. Filter your job search by location, organisation and job role. Make sure to select ‘policy’ to view the latest vacancies.
  2. Government Policy Fast Stream: a three-year work-based programme open to degree holders in any subject. Existing civil servants can apply without a degree.
  3. Policy Apprenticeship Scheme: a Level 4 apprenticeship combining on-the-job learning and formal training, building core policy skills and experience across different areas. Vacancies are available on Civil Service Jobs.
  4. Job shadowing: get a better understanding of policy work by working alongside a professional.
  5. Loan or secondment: loan is when an individual moves within the Civil Service from one department to another for an agreed period. Secondment is a temporary move to and from an organisation outside the Civil Service. Opportunities are on Civil Service Jobs.

Policy communities in regions and devolved governments

The Policy Profession is building communities of policy professionals across the UK, not just in London. It promotes stronger links with local authorities and universities and supports collaboration across regions and devolved governments. There are growing policy networks and career opportunities outside London and in the devolved governments.

Policy career model

The policy career model explains what policy professionals do and the skills they need to develop their career.  

It has three functions:

Policy specialisms

Your role will usually include one or more of the following specialisms:

  • advising and briefing
  • policy design
  • policy delivery and implementation
  • strategy
  • legislation development

Policy subject areas

Policy subject areas (also known as policy domains) are the areas where policy professionals work and build expertise.  

Examples are:

  • economic
  • tax
  • trade
  • social
  • security
  • international
  • environmental and climate
  • infrastructure

Policy standards

The Policy Profession Standards is a capability framework that sets out the skills and knowledge policy professionals need. It describes what good policy practice looks like at each career stage.

The standards are built around three areas of policy practice:

  • Strategy – understanding issues, analysing evidence and developing clear options
  • Democracy – supporting democratic accountability, including working with ministers, Parliament and other levels of government
  • Delivery – designing policies that can be implemented, working with delivery partners and users, and evaluating what works

Professional development

The Policy Profession supports good policy making across government. It aims to move from a community of practice to a fully established profession.  

There are many routes into policy and opportunities to develop your skills, including formal training, knowledge sharing and accredited courses.

Developing 

Practitioner 

Expert 

Additionally, departments offer induction programmes, qualifications and approaches to help develop their policy professionals. Continuing Professional Development enhances professional knowledge and policy skills on an ongoing basis. 

Visit Civil Service Careers for more information on policy careers or contact enquiries.mailbox@policyprofession.gov.uk

The Policy System

The Policy System describes the mechanisms, principles, procedures and other interconnected factors for the way policy is made and how policy makers are supported to do their work. To support and enable good policy making the Policy System Framework outlines the following components:

  • inputs and resources  

  • processes and practices  

  • people and relationships  

  • culture and context

Policy Design Community

Policy Design Community is for people who use design in policy making. It is open to anyone working in the public sector. You can find more information, join the community and subscribe to the community’s blog.

Privacy notice

The Policy Profession privacy notice explains how we handle and process your personal data.

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