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 Judicial and Legal Services Policy Directorate is recruiting permanently for a Band B (SEO equivalent) Senior Policy Adviser to work in the judicial pay and expenses policy team. This campaign is being run externally and so is open to all eligible individuals who wish to apply.
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.
Location
Successful candidates will have the option to be based at one of the following locations:
- 102 Petty France, London.
- 5 Wellington Place, Leeds (occasional travel between Leeds and London may be required subject to Covid restrictions).
Current circumstances require everyone to work from home for all or the majority of the time depending on local restrictions and individual circumstances.
Ways of Working
At MoJ we are supportive of and promote alternative ways of working. We accommodate flexible working patterns and flexible working arrangements between base locations, MoJ Hubs and home (although at the moment the majority of staff are working from home owing to Covid restrictions). For this role, we are also willing to consider part-time and job-share options.
The Ministry of Justice
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is one of the largest government departments, employing around 70,000 people, 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 Lord Chancellor (LC), who is also the Secretary of State for Justice, is responsible for determining levels of remuneration – including pay, pensions, allowances and expenses – for most judicial office holders in England and Wales, and for a number of UK-wide judicial office holders. Judicial remuneration impacts significantly on our ability to recruit and retain judges and is central to the department’s strategic relationship with the judiciary.
Job Description overview
The role is based within the policy team that leads on judicial pay and expenses policy and is responsible for advising the LC on everything related to pay and expenses for the judiciary including, for expenses policy, the magistracy. We work closely with colleagues in other MoJ teams, in HM Courts and Tribunals Service and in Judicial Office to respond to queries, develop policy, and provide advice to the LC on judicial pay and expenses.
Judicial Pay and Expenses is a challenging area to work with many complex relationships, including understanding the unique constitutional role of the Lord Chancellor and the Judiciary. You will have significant autonomy to build relationships, devise solutions to complex issues and deliver programmes.
The role sits within the Judicial Pay and Pensions Policy Division, part of the Judicial and Legal Services Policy Directorate.
The role
As a senior policy adviser in Judicial Pay and Expenses Policy you will have significant autonomy over a number of policies and be expected to quickly grasp complex issues concerning pay and expenses arrangements for the judiciary, working confidently with a range of colleagues to develop policy, taking account of political and other sensitivities.
In this role you will:
- Lead and manage a project to review and clarify Judicial Pay and Expense policies, setting timelines and regularly providing updates to the board.
- Have delegated responsibility for governance of Judicial Pay and Expenses, including ensuring that decisions are made at the appropriate level
- Have responsibility for judicial expenses and fees, ensuring that the policy is clearly set out and communicated effectively to judges.
- Provide advice to the Lord Chancellor on complex pay and expenses issues, ensuring that advice is robust, and stakeholders are on board.
- Regularly communicate with judges of all levels of seniority on pay and expenses issues that have been escalated to the policy team.
- Have line-management responsibility for one HEO (Band C).
- Contribute to the leadership and corporate activity of the wider division.
Skills and Experience
The role is a challenging SEO role that provides significant autonomy and stretch. It would suit an experienced SEO who has experience leading large policy projects and/or solving issues with an operational background
Specifically, are looking for someone with the following skills and experience:
- Self-motivated and able to provide clear leadership in areas of responsibility.
- Excellent team working and stakeholder management skills, building trust and good rapport with internal and external stakeholders.
- Strong organisation and prioritisation skills with ability to both see the strategic picture and focus on detail when appropriate.
- Ability to provide well-articulated and evidenced advice and recommendations on complex technical matters.
- Effective planning skills to achieve deliverables against tight timelines.
- Ability to influence others and communicate clearly both orally and in writing, occasionally at Board level.
- Ability to manage and prioritise a varied workload to deliver results in a timely manner.
- Ability to take a leading role in achieving the wider objectives of the directorate and the MoJ.
Application process
You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework.
Experience
You will be asked to provide a CV 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):
- Communicating and Influencing Â
- Making Effective DecisionsÂ
- Seeing the Big PictureÂ
- Working TogetherÂ
Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade (Level 3 – SEO)
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 Communicating and Influencing. 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 and Strengths from the success Profiles framework.
Interviews are expected to take from 11th August 2021.
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 Â
Please do get in touch if you would like to know more about the role or what it is like working in our team.
Dan Thrower, daniel.thrower1@justice.gov.uk
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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