We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.
Background
The Victims and Vulnerabilities Directorate sits at the heart of MoJ’s policy agenda, working to reform complex systems that deal with some of the most vulnerable members of our society. We support Ministers on a broad range of issues: from ensuring that victims of terrorist attacks receive the best assistance possible, and that children at risk of harm are protected, to reforming the criminal justice system to better support the 2 million people in Britain who are victims of Domestic Abuse each year.
Role Purpose
The Rape Review team leads the cross-government review into how the CJS responds to rape, working with partners from across the system to address the complex issues facing the criminal justice system’s response to these cases, and consulting with a broad range of stakeholders to develop solutions to these complex challenges, all with a view to improving outcomes for these harmful crimes. The deeply harmful nature of sexual offending means the teams work is high profile, fast-paced and subject to significant Ministerial and media interest.
The cross-CJS review into the criminal justice response to rape and serious sexual offence (RASSO) cases is a No. 10 priority so this work offers the opportunity to work effectively with the centre. Following the publication of the Rape Review on 18 June 2021, this team is focussing on the successful implementation of the action plan and development of a future programme of work.
Responsibilities could include:
- Working with the PMO function in the team to support monitoring the delivery of transformative policy across MoJ, HO and CPS, helping to unblock issues and escalating where required.
- Keeping up to date with the wider Violence Against Women and Girls policy agenda across Government and identifying and building links with other departments as needed in the course of policy development.
- Keep up to date with wider policy positions from key stakeholders such as victims’ groups, and feed these in to policy development.
- Develop strong working relationships with other teams across government and our operational partners.
- Draft briefings for senior officials and ministers on the progress of action implementation, and on the impacts of these actions.
- Work collaboratively with analytical colleagues to analyse a broad range of evidence, including in some cases international evidence.
- Providing professional secretariat support to cross-criminal justice governance structures (for example, developing effective agendas and driving work between meetings);
- Support secretariat function and deliver agendas for stakeholder roundtables with key victims organisations, and senior ministerial stakeholder engagement forums including coordinating commissions, developing agendas and minutes.
- Support development and maintenance of live forward look of stakeholder engagement.
- Map and track stakeholder engagement on the Rape Review across government, considering options for streamlining and preventing duplication where possible.
- General policy work including Ministerial briefings, responses to PQs, reactive media briefings, production of papers for Taskforce meetings, contributing to Correspondence and Cabinet paper requests will also be required.
- The post holder will also be encouraged to take up additional opportunities in support of the unit and to pursue personal development within the role.
- Develop and maintain a core lines briefing pack, driving consistency in rape review messaging across the department and making briefing processes more efficient.
Successful candidates will demonstrate the following skills and experience:
- Ability to organise and prioritise
- Ability to build strong relationships, including with challenging stakeholders, and communicate effectively
- Ability to keep one eye on the bigger picture whilst maintaining keen attention to detail
- Experience of drafting high-quality written material
- Experience of delivering within a fast-paced environment, meeting deadlines and escalating emerging issues and risks.
Application process
You will be assessed against the Civil Service Success Profiles Framework.
Experience
You will be asked to provide work history during the application process in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role.
Behaviours
Please provide examples of how you have met each one of the behaviours listed below (see Annex A for more information):
- Delivering at pace
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Seeing the Big Picture
Please also refer to the Civil Service Behaviours framework for more details at this grade (Level 3 – Grade HEO and SEO or equivalent): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717275/CS_Behaviours_2018.pdf
Should we receive a large number of applications, we will sift primarily on the lead behaviour of Delivering at Pace. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview, testing both behaviours and strengths.
Candidates invited to Interview
Please note that interviews will be carried out remotely.
During the interview, we will also be assessing you on behaviours and strengths from the Civil Service Beahviours framework.
You can refer to the Civil Service Strengths dictionary for more details: Success Profiles - Civil Service Strengths Dictionary (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Interviews are expected to take place early July 2022.
The MoJ is proud to be Level 3 Disability Confident. Disability Confident is the approach through which we offer guaranteed interviews for all people with disabilities meeting the minimum criteria for the advertised role as set out in the job description.
Contact information
Please do get in touch with Ciara McDonnell (ciara.mcdonnell@justice.gov.uk) or Harmanjit Sidhu (harmanjit.sidhu@justice.gov.uk) if you would like to know more about the roles or what it is like working in our team.
Annex A - The STAR method
Using the STAR method can help you give examples of relevant experience that you have. It allows you to set the scene, show what you did, and how you did it, and explain the overall outcome.
Situation - Describe the situation you found yourself in. You must describe a specific event or situation. Be sure to give enough detail for the job holder to understand.
- Where are you?
- Who was there with you?
- What had happened?
Task - The job holder will want to understand what you tried to achieve from the situation you found yourself in.
- What was the task that you had to complete and why?
- What did you have to achieve?
Actions - What did you do? The job holder will be looking for information on what you did, how you did it and why. Keep the focus on you. What specific steps did you take and what was your contribution? Remember to include how you did it, and the behaviours you used. Try to use “I” rather than “we” to explain your actions that lead to the result. Be careful not to take credit for something that you did not do.
Results - Don’t be shy about taking credit for your behaviour. Quote specific facts and figures. Explain how the outcome benefitted the organisation or your area. Make the outcomes easily understandable.
- What results did the actions produce?
- What did you achieve through your actions and did you meet your goals?
- Was it a successful outcome? If not, what did you learn from the experience?
Keep the situation and task parts brief. Concentrate on the action and the result. If the result was not entirely successful describe what you learned from this and what you would do differently next time. Make sure you focus on your strengths.
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