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Organisational overview:
Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), and was set up in 2007 following the introduction of the Mental Capacity Act of 2005.
The OPG has a range of statutory functions under the Mental Capacity Act – including maintaining registers of Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA), Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPA) and orders appointing deputies and guardians; supervising deputies; and dealing with representations about the way in which attorneys and deputies are exercising their powers. The OPG registers approximately 900,000 LPAs and EPAs and supervises around 60,000 deputies per year.
Following a consultation held during mid-2021 by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), ministers have now set out plans to transform the lasting power of attorney (LPA) system – making it quicker to use, easier to access and even more secure from fraud. Under the proposals, people will be able to make an LPA completely online for the first time – bringing it in line with other government services such as applying for a divorce. The current paper-based system will continue to operate meaning people can choose an accessible process that’s best for their specific needs.
Through the reforms, the way Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) provides services will change, and help us meet the growing needs of our users, partners and our stakeholders. It will make sure our users experience a better level of support and it will help us to respond to the changing needs of society. The reforms will also enable us to create high-quality services that are accessible and affordable for all.
Job Overview:
The role of Senior Manager for Policy & Guidance is based at the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). The Public Guardian’s responsibilities include registering lasting powers of attorney, supervising the work of deputies and guardians of missing persons and dealing with complaints about how attorneys and deputies are exercising their duties. The Public Guardian’s responsibilities extend across England and Wales.
As OPG embarks on a programme of work to modernise our services, this role will be vital to lead the development, production and then publishing of policy, guidance and content materials which set out how OPG will exercise the Public Guardian’s statutory duties.
Within, there will an opportunity to work closely with colleagues across OPG and MoJ on a wide-ranging agenda in relation to the statutory duties of the Public Guardian, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the accompanying Regulations.
The principal duties will include playing a pivotal role in leading a team to design new policy and guidance, and update existing materials to reflect future legislative requirements. The role entails working in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders and establishing and maintaining effective stakeholder relationships, to address operational issues and to ensure key strategic OPG objectives are achieved.
This is a leadership role in OPG. There will be an expectation to line manage and organise a team to deliver against stretching objectives, which will often be part of a wider of a project.
Key objectives/responsibilities
- Work in partnership with colleagues across OPG and wider Ministry of Justice on areas of responsibility, as a senior representative for the policy and guidance area
- Lead the redesign work for OPG policy, guidance and content resulting from legislative change and modernisation of OPG services
- Support and contribute to the development of a new paper LPA channel under the Modernising LPA programme
- Support internal and external stakeholder engagement with colleagues across OPG and with MoJ, clearly articulating and delivering key messages to suit the needs of the audience
- Work with cross-departmental staff within OPG on cross-cutting policy and guidance
- Line manage team members, leading and overseeing both business as usual and new project work
- Participate in prioritisation work for the area to ensure work undertaken by the teams is aligned with key strategic organisational objectives
- Engage internal and external stakeholders on policy and guidance proposals
- Providing support, advice and guidance to colleagues across OPG on operational policy and guidance
- Contribute to the delivery of the strategic objectives of OPG, through being part of OPGs senior leadership group
Essential skills
- Understanding of legislative requirements and to be able to interpret this in the development of policy and guidance
- Experience of leading a team to deliver work against key organisational objectives
- The ability to construct, review and produce high quality written briefings and documents which will be published and used by stakeholders
- Strong communication skills and the ability to establish, build and maintain relationships with stakeholders
- A strong team player, with a proven ability to successfully work with others to deliver key departmental projects
Desirable skills
- Experience of working on a project and the ability to use project management principles
- Experience of designing materials ready for publication on UK
- Experience of publishing materials on Gov.UK and making arrangements to meet accessibility requirements
- Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams and PowerPoint
Expectations of role
Some travel will be required to fulfil the requirements of this role, as the teams are split across the Birmingham and Nottingham sites.
Selection Process:
Recruitment for this role will follow the Success Profiles process. Further information on Civil Service Success Profiles can be found here: Success Profiles - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
On this occasion, you will be assessed on your Behaviours and Experience during Sift and your Strengths and Behaviours at interview.
Definition of the behaviours being assessed are listed further are below.
Sift -
You must complete a Personal Statement (of up to 1000 words) and submit a copy of your Blind CV. Your Personal Statement will be considered by the selection panel against the following behaviours.
- Seeing the Big Picture (Level 3)
- Making Effective Decisions (Level 3)
- Communicating and Influencing (Level 3)
- Delivering at Pace (Level 3)
When providing a copy of your CV, the selection panel would advise tailoring it the essential and desirable criteria in the job advert to demonstrate your suitability for the role.
Interview -
If successful at sift, you will be invited to an interview which will follow the Civil Service Success Profiles.
Assessment at this stage will be blended; candidates should expect to be marked via a presentation demonstrating Seeing the Bigger Picture behavior.
Following this candidate can expect to asked standard behaviour and strength questions, suitable for grade of this role.
When assessing your strengths, we consider what you enjoy doing and what skills you do well and often.
Presentation at Interview
Prepare and deliver a 5 minute presentation to cover the following scenario:
The departmental priorities for OPG may shift upon a change of minister or due to other emerging wider government strategies.
Set out how you would establish what the departmental priorities were and what they meant, and how you would ensure the work delivered by your team aligned with these priorities.
The presentation should be verbally communicated only, with no visual aids. The 5 minutes will be timed, and there will be follow up questions on the presentation and the behaviour Seeing the Big Picture.
Behaviour Definitions -
Seeing the Bigger Picture
Understand the strategic drivers for your area of work. Align activities to contribute to wider organisational priorities. Remain alert to emerging issues and trends which might impact your work area. Seek out and share experiences to develop knowledge of the team’s business area. Understand how the strategies and activities of the team create value and meet the diverse needs of all stakeholders.
Making Effective Decisions
Understand own level of responsibility and empower others to make decisions where appropriate. Analyse and use a range of relevant, credible information from internal and external sources to support decisions. Invite challenge and where appropriate involve others in decision making.
Display confidence when making difficult decisions, even if they prove to be unpopular. Consult with others to ensure the potential impacts on end users have been considered. Present strong recommendations in a timely manner outlining the consideration of other options, costs, benefits and risks.
Communicating and Influencing:
Communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner, choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact. Encourage the use of different communication methods, including digital resources and highlight the benefits, including ensuring cost effectiveness. Ensure communication has a clear purpose and takes into account people’s individual needs. Share information as appropriate and check understanding. Show positivity and enthusiasm towards work, encouraging others to do the same. Ensure that important messages are communicated with colleagues and stakeholders respectfully, taking into consideration the diversity of interests.
Delivering at Pace:
Show a positive approach to keeping the whole team’s efforts focused on the top priorities. Promote a culture of following the appropriate procedures to ensure results are achieved on time whilst still enabling innovation. Ensure the most appropriate resources are available for colleagues to use to do their job effectively. Regularly monitor your own and team’s work against milestones ensuring individual needs are considered when setting tasks. Act promptly to reassess workloads and priorities when there are conflicting demands to maintain performance. Allow individuals the space and authority to meet objectives, providing additional support where necessary, whilst keeping overall responsibility.
For further information on benefits of working for OPG, such as our Flexible Working Policy and a FAQ, please check the candidate information pack attached to this advert.
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