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.
The Judicial and Legal Services Policy Directorate is recruiting permanently for up to 3 Band C (HEO) Policy Advisor roles. This is an external campaign and open to all, including current civil servants on level transfer and on promotion.
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 post Covid-19)
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.
At the moment the majority of our staff are currently working from home due to Covid-19
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
Job Description overview
We are recruiting for up to three policy advisors to work in the domestic and innovation legal services policy team, providing support to our three key workstreams, including consumer protection, innovation, and the domestic policy agenda.
These posts offer an excellent opportunity for high performing policy officials to work at the centre of a policy area that has quickly risen up the national and international political agendas and drive forward the Department’s strategic objectives. The successful candidates will be able to command the confidence of Ministers and senior stakeholders across Whitehall and in the legal profession.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
MOJ is one of the largest government departments, employing around 70,000 people (including those in Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service), with a budget of approximately £9 billion. Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK - including through 500 courts and tribunals, and 133 prisons, across England and Wales.
What we do
Legal services are a major contributor to the UK economy. The sector contributes over £22bn gross value added (GVA) to the economy and generates revenue of over £36bn. The Legal Services and Innovation team delivers the MOJ’s objective of supporting a flourishing legal services sector.
Our priorities include:
- Engaging closely with regulators and stakeholders, advising the Lord Chancellor on the legal services regulatory environment in England and Wales, in line with their responsibilities and in response to external drivers such as the impact of EU transition and the Government’s Plan for Growth.
- Providing advice on statutory decisions, improving the positive impact of regulators and supporting the sector's competitiveness and sustainability.
- Making our jurisdiction lawtech friendly: encouraging law firms to adopt technology which will drive competitiveness and promote our achievements abroad,
- Driving high quality stakeholder relations with the legal services sector, working closely with colleagues from across MoJ to ensure a coherent and joined-up approach to relationship management.
Policy Advisor Role
Policy Advisor roles are available across the Legal Services and Innovation team working on a range of issues across Lawtech and innovation, the legal services regulatory landscape and consumer protections.
The Policy Advisor roles will require individuals to support the development of specific policy proposals as part of a wider strategic policy programme.
The successful candidates will undertake the following:
- Work with colleagues across Whitehall to advance the Department’s legal services policy objectives, help coordinate the Department’s relationships with legal services representatives and regulators and provide support to embed the framework for the Division’s Stakeholder Relationship Managers;
- Work with the team on discrete areas of policy, supporting policy analysis and development through the policy cycle;
- Advise the Lord Chancellor and Ministers on the domestic legal services policy agenda, and support the implementation of policy reforms or measures as required;
- Draft written advice and briefings to Ministers, senior officials and other colleagues in support of policy development and engagements with the legal profession;
- Manage relationships with key stakeholders;
- Undertake other ad-hoc projects within the Division as required.
The posts will be line managed by a Senior Policy Advisor, with a Grade 7 Team Leader leading the team.
Roles are available in the following teams:
The Innovation team develops policy to ensure English law, UK legal services and UK courts remain a primary choice for international businesses by fostering innovation and backing the UK to compete globally in taking the lead on cutting edge opportunities presented by technology. Just as it continues to transform other sectors, technology is already changing the way that legal services are provided and consumed. The UK is the ideal place for lawtech to thrive, with its progressive regulation, world-leading legal profession and tech talent pool. But we need to encourage further innovation and help to bring the right people together to ensure we take full advantage of this opportunity and to position the UK as a global leader in the development and use of legal technology.
The UK Legal Services Policy Team is responsible for advising Ministers on the domestic legal services policy agenda, supporting the Lord Chancellor in fulfilling his statutory duties under the Legal Services Act 2007, engaging with the legal services profession and leading on the Department’s strategic objective to support and maintain a flourishing legal services sector.
The Legal Services User and Engagement Policy team Stakeholder Relations team works to develop the department’s approach to legal services users in an evolving justice system and is the champion of the voice of the consumer in legal services policy. The team also drives forward the department’s strategic approach to engagement with sector.
Skills and Experience
Essential:
- Ability to build strong relationships and communicate effectively.
- Ability to organise and prioritise.
- Experience of drafting high-quality written material with a strong attention to detail.
- Experience of delivering within a fast-paced environment, meeting deadlines and escalating emerging issues and risks.
- Ability to develop proposals that understand and reflect the needs of users and the views of a wide range of stakeholders.
- Confidence and ability to act independently.
- An understanding of government and parliamentary processes.
Desirable:
- An understanding of the justice system and the legal services sector
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
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working together
- Communicating and Influencing
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.
Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade (Level 3 – HEO 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 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 and Strengths from the success Profiles framework.
Interviews are expected to take place in late September/early October 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
Please do get in touch if you would like to know more about the role or what it is like working in our team.
Lydia Morris, Head of Legal Services Innovation - Lydia.Morris@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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