Civil service - Department or executive agency?

[BlossomOfOrange]

Is it better for career progression to work in a civil service department or executive agency, and if so in what way? Or no difference?

It depends on your area. I'm civil service and some areas are expanding very quickly and promoting anyone with a pulse. Others are downsizing.

I've had several colleagues move to agencies once past grade 7/6 because it's dead man's shoes in our area after that.

I’d say it depends on your background and skill-set, and where you want your career to progress to. If you have technical expertise related to the work of an agency, then you’re more likely to progress there. If you want to work with ministers then not much point going to work for an exec agency. I’m in a policy role and I like working in a central department - there’s lots of opportunities out to move between roles and policy areas, and you aren’t expected to develop deep technical expertise. I can move between departments which in theory gives me more chance to progress. What’s your background and what kind of roles interest you?

Thank you. Analytical roles at the moment. Interested in strategy roles.

Unless you are dead set on staying in a specific policy area (e.g health or environmental, in which case look for a role in a relevant agency), if I wanted a strategy role I’d look at a ministerial department. Strategy roles will give you good transferable skills and exposure to ministers which would help you get roles in other departments and keep career options open. If I did a strategy role in e.g the Environment Agency I’d worry about being limited to roles in that policy areas. I know several senior people in my current dept who have gone on to strategy roles in agencies, and their experience working with ministers and senior civil servants has been key in getting senior agency roles.

But as a PP said do think about the size of the dept and what’s happening to their headcount - my dept is small and shrinking, so there is a massive bottleneck above G6. Career progression to the SCS is abysmal!