Making Effective Decisions Example at Grade 6
A worked STAR example for Making Effective Decisions at Grade 6 showing a major strategic call with Permanent Secretary consultation.
**TL;DR.** At Grade 6, Making Effective Decisions is about strategic calls affecting a whole function, navigating Permanent Secretary and ministerial sensitivities, and carrying personal accountability for the outcome.
Worked Grade 6 example (250 words)
*As Grade 6 head of a regulatory function I faced a decision in Q2 2025 on whether to advise ministers to continue funding a major enforcement programme at current scale. The programme had cost £14m per year for three years and its effectiveness was contested. I had three strategic options: recommend continuation unchanged, recommend a targeted reduction and refocus, or recommend closure and migration of functions into the core departmental framework. I commissioned a six-week independent review with my analysis team, consulted the Permanent Secretary privately before any options paper was circulated, and held a roundtable with the three stakeholder groups most dependent on the programme. I drafted a strategic options paper for the Permanent Secretary and the Minister, recommending targeted reduction with refocus on the two most effective enforcement streams and closure of the third. The Minister approved the recommendation. The refocused programme launched in Q4 2025 with £9m funding and the closed stream's functions were absorbed into core compliance. Early performance data from the refocused programme suggested higher per-pound enforcement impact than the original programme, and two of the three stakeholder groups have endorsed the change publicly. This evidences Grade 6 Making Effective Decisions: strategic trade-offs at programme scale, Permanent Secretary consultation, evidence-based recommendation, and ministerial outcome.*
Try SpecMatch — free.
Skip the manual work — let SpecMatch do it for you
Everything in this guide is built into SpecMatch. Import your CV, paste the job, and get a tailored application in minutes.
Try it free — no credit card neededNot ready to sign up? Get free tips instead.
One email a week with application advice that actually works — criteria coverage, STAR examples, and what panels look for. Written for NHS, Civil Service, and local government applicants.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of decisions are expected at Grade 6?
Grade 6 decisions typically affect a whole function or programme — strategic resource allocation, major transformation calls, commissioning decisions, policy direction. They usually involve Permanent Secretary consultation and often ministerial approval.
Do Grade 6 decisions require independent review or analysis?
Often yes. Grade 6 candidates are expected to commission or draw on analysis before major strategic calls. Pure-judgement decisions are rare at this level; evidence-based recommendations are the norm.