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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.

This government is committed to providing victims with the support they need to move on with their lives. We want more victims to have the confidence to come forward, so that more criminals can be prosecuted, and victims can get the justice they deserve. The Victims and Witnesses Commissioning and Implementation Unit plays a key role in meeting this ambition, ensuring access to the right support, at the right time. 

We are recruiting permanently for up to 2 HEO roles. This campaign is open to external candidates, as well as current civil servants on level transfer and to suitable candidates on promotion. 

Location:

Successful candidates will have the option to be based at one of the following locations:

1. 102 Petty France, London
2. 5 Wellington Place, Leeds (occasional travel between Leeds and London may be required post Covid-19) 

In order for Policy Group to meet its evolving business needs and for us to continue to progress towards our pre-pandemic levels of attendance, all Policy Group staff are expected to attend their base location (102 Petty France or 5 Wellington Place Leeds) at least 3 days a week.  This hybrid working arrangement is not contractual and as a result staff could be asked to attend their base location more frequently. 

Ways of Working

At the MoJ we believe and promote alternative ways of working, these roles are available as:

• Full-time, part-time or the option to job share

• Flexible working patterns
• Flexible working arrangements between base locations, MoJ Hubs and home.

If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without a new competition. 

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity 

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ)

MOJ is one of the largest government departments, employing over 80,000 people (including those in the Probation Service), with a budget of approximately £9 billion. Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK - including at 500 courts and tribunals, and 133 prisons in England and Wales. 

Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice 

What we do 

The Commissioning and Implementation Unit leads on the critical work to commission and fund quality and effective support services for victims and witnesses both nationally and locally. In 21/22 our budget was around £150m rising to £192m in 24/25. We use data and evidence to demonstrate impact of these services, and use this information to improve and influence the system through setting standards, building capability and capacity, and making evidence-driven policy decisions. 

It is an exciting time to join the team, multi-year funding has recently been announced, and our sister unit is delivering a groundbreaking Victims’ Bill which seeks to; amplify the voices of victims in the justice system, increase transparency of the performance of our criminal justice agencies, increase accountability when victims do not receive the right level of service and, ensure victims receive accessible, professional and well-coordinated services to support their recovery. 

Key priorities across the Unit include:

• Delivering 4 main commitments from the Rape Review which are subject to intense Ministerial and stakeholder scrutiny, including the establishment of 24/7 support for victims of rape and sexual violence and increasing the number of Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) and Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs) from 700 to over 1000 by 24/25.
• Delivery of two major national procurement programmes (circa £90m over 4 years) seeking to identify suppliers for the new national Witness and Homicide Services.
• Delivery and management of the MoJ Victims and Witnesses budget which will be allocated across national and local services including Police and Crime Commissioners and rape support centres across England and Wales.
• Delivering a pre-election commitment to increase the victim surcharge by 25% to ensure that offenders are making adequate financial reparation towards the cost of support for victims.
• Delivering a key commitment from the Prime Minister chaired Hidden Harms Summit to develop and implement a Victims Funding Strategy.
• Responding to unexpected situations in the aftermath of a serious crime which has caused high harm, ensuring a co-ordinated approach is taken across Whitehall.  

The roles

All roles require effective partnership working with other policy and operational colleagues to deliver on the Unit’s priorities (listed above). They will be fast paced and rewarding roles, with significant opportunities for development and to make a real difference to the lives of victims and witnesses.

1 x HEO: Victim Support Commissioning Lead

You will be responsible for:

Supporting a team responsible for delivering c£130m of funding to 42 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs)

• Supporting on activities needed to issue grant funding, including
  • Drafting and issuing grant documentation
  • Managing payments to stakeholders, ensuring accurate and timely payments
  • Monitoring and reviewing reporting requirements
  • Ensuring expenditure and compliance in line with grant conditions
• Act as a first point of contacts for PCCs and support and problem solve PCC queries, providing guidance and directing their workload to ensure timescales and requirements are met
• Identify the most effective ways to build PCC understanding of our grant funding and enhance our own understanding of their needs and motivations.
• Analyse data from PCCs, working collaboratively to seek improvements to data and produce and present reports on commissioning activity and expenditure.
• Contribute positively to an ambitious and forward-thinking team.
• Provide briefings and support for Ministerial commissions and meetings

1 x HEO: Victim Support Policy Advisor

You will be responsible for:

• Playing an active role in the development of policy proposals and engagement in commissioning of victim services, including working across Whitehall to design and deliver a ‘by and for’ services fund for the most marginalised victims. 
• Responding to unexpected situations in the aftermath of a serious crime which has caused high harm, including terrorism and major incidents, ensuring a co-ordinated approach is taken across Whitehall.   
• Identifying, assess and implement appropriate policy initiatives in relation to cross-cutting issues, including support for victims who are also offenders. 
• Providing support to our sister unit to support delivery and implementation of the Victims’ Bill 
• Supporting on activities needed to issue grant funding and policy development, including

Skills and Experience

Essential:

• Effective stakeholder management
• A passion for improving outcomes for vulnerable individuals

• Confident at using data and evidence
• Ability to work flexibly and at pace

Desirable:

• Experience of the commissioning cycle (this could be for example Grant administration or contract management experience) and/or experience working in policy
• Excellent written and oral briefing skills 

Application process

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework. 

Experience

You will be asked to provide a Work History during the application process in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role.

We would also like a short (max 250 words) Statement of Suitability where candidates should demonstrable their skills and experience relevant to the role. Please use this statement to state any preference between the two types of roles available.  

Behaviours

Please provide examples of how you have met each one of the behaviours listed below (see Annex A for more information): 

• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together
• Seeing the Big Picture 

Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade:

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 Making Effective Decisions. 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 be assessing you on Behaviours from the success Profiles framework. 

Interviews are expected to take place in August 2022. 

At interview stage, if candidates do not score high enough to be appointed to a HEO role but have passed the minimal requirements for a Band D/EO role, they could be offered a role at the more junior level. 

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 if you would like to know more about the role or what it is like working in our team. (contact Rebecca Rowley – rebecca.rowley@justice.gov.uk.)