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Overview

The Judicial Policy Pay and Pensions Division, part of the Judicial and Legal Services Policy Directorate, is one of two divisions with responsibility for advising the Lord Chancellor on policy issues and other matters affecting the government’s important relationship with the judiciary.

The role of the Judicial Pay and Pensions Division is to advise the Lord Chancellor on the high profile and sensitive issue of judicial remuneration – including both pay and pensions. Our challenge is to ensure we have a pay and pensions package which enables us to attract the best legal minds into judicial office, and incentivise them to stay in post – but while operating within the constraints of public finances. This is crucial, not only for the effective operation of the justice system, but also to the international reputation of our world-class judiciary and our ability to attract international business to use English law and UK courts.

Remuneration has become a totemic issue for the judiciary and judicial concerns on pensions have culminated in judges successfully challenging some aspects of recent pension reforms in court. Some of these challenges are unique to the judiciary: others have read-across to the whole of the public sector, meaning that the team are required regularly to work with key departments across Whitehall (including HM Treasury) in shaping policy.

Role description

Head of Judicial Pay and Expenses Policy

The post-holder will be the department’s leading expert on policy issues relating to judicial pay and expenses. They will lead a team to build a centre of expertise which is equipped to provide high-quality analysis and advice on a complex and high-profile policy area.

Key parts of the role are:

• Team leader for a friendly and high-performing team of four (two SEOs and two HEOs), line managing the two SEOs directly. Responsible for setting strategic direction for the team, managing competing priorities, and ensuring everyone is supported to deliver to the best of their abilities.
• Lead on judicial pay and expenses policy. This involves drafting briefing, submissions and correspondence for the Lord Chancellor or senior officials as needed; working with the team to respond to reactive queries; representing the views of the MoJ/Lord Chancellor at external meetings, for example with Judicial Associations; and identifying and acting on any gaps or issues within the policy remit.
• In particular, the postholder is responsible for advising the Lord Chancellor on the annual judicial pay award. This involves close working with HM Treasury (HMT), MOJ and HMCTS Finance teams, the independent pay review body, Judicial Office, and pay policy leads in other Government Departments.
• In addition to the annual pay award, projects currently underway across the team are reviews of magistrates’ expenses, of fees for non-legal members of tribunals, and of additional judicial fees, as well as the development of new policies on judicial expenses and relocation. The postholder provides strategic oversight of these projects and support to the SEO and HEO policy leads.
• Key point of contact for the Senior Salaries Review Body (the independent pay review body which covers the judiciary), HMCTS Finance (who fund and process judicial pay) and Judicial Office teams as well as leading negotiations with HMT on the annual pay round. The postholder will need to build strong and collaborative relationships with their counterparts in these organisations, as well as with policy leads and lawyers across the Judicial Policy unit, to ensure that policy can be developed and delivered effectively.
• Lead on reactive urgent policy development, working with officials across the MoJ, HMCTS and HMT and advising the Lord Chancellor and Permanent Secretary on high profile issues related to judicial pay and expenses; recently this has included the development of a Covid-19 hardship fund for fee-paid judicial office holders.

Skills and Capabilities

As the work is fast-paced and evolving you will be a confident self-starter that can constantly face new challenges to progress your work and with excellent communication and inter-personal skills to work with internal and external colleagues to develop solutions to problems.  

In addition, you will have:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Excellent planning skills;
• Sound judgement and the ability to provide evidence-based and well-articulated advice;
• The ability to form and maintain productive relationships with stakeholders and colleagues;
• The ability to assimilate quickly complex technical or legal information;
• The ability to manage a varied workload, and to identify priorities proactively;
• Good leadership and line management skills.
  

Applications

This opportunity is open to substantive Grade 7s, and staff at other grades on promotion.

If you would like to apply for the post, please provide examples of suitability against each of the competencies outlined below, on the application form provided.

Behaviours required:

Seeing the Big Picture

• Identify implications of Departmental and political priorities and strategy on own area to ensure plans and activities reflect this;
• Adopt a Government-wide perspective to ensure alignment of activity and policy;
• Bring together views and perspectives of stakeholders to gain a wider picture of the landscape surrounding activity and policy.

Making Effective Decisions

• Analyse and evaluate pros and cons and identify risks in order to make decisions that take account of wider context, including diversity and sustainability;
• Identify the main issues in complex problems, clarify understanding or stakeholder expectations, to seek the best option;
• Push decision making to the right level within their team, not allow unnecessary bureaucracy and structure to suppress innovation and delivery.

Working Together

• Actively build and maintain a network of colleagues and contacts to achieve progress on objectives and shared interests.
• Encourage contributions and involvement from a broad and diverse range of staff by being visible and accessible.
• Seek constructive outcomes in discussions, challenge assumptions but remain willing to compromise when it is beneficial to progress.

   Communicating and Influencing

• Be visible to staff and stakeholders and regularly undertake activities to engage and build trust with people involved in area of work.
• Confidently engage with stakeholders and colleagues at all levels to generate commitment to goals.
• Clarify strategies and plans, giving clear sense of direction and purpose for self and team.

Additional Information

Work location: these posts would be suitable for candidates based either in 102 Petty France, London SW1H 9AJ or in Leeds. Please note that, due to the nature of some of the work, there would be a requirement for an individual based in Leeds to make regular trips to London, particularly during the key periods of parliamentary business. More generally, the department operates a flexible working policy, and there are opportunities for flexible and remote working (when agreed in advance with your line manager).

Start date: To be agreed, in consultation with the successful candidate(s)’s existing business area(s).

Before submitting your application, please ensure that you have discussed this with your line manager.

Selection Process: Suitability for the post will be determined by a paper sift followed by interview, which will be a blended interview focusing on both behaviours and strengths. Flexible working options will be considered. If there is a high volume of applicants, there will be an initial sift based on the ‘making effective decisions’ competency.