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 Strategy and Innovation Directorate is recruiting for permanent Senior Executive Officer (SEO) roles. This campaign is open to current civil servants on level transfer and suitable candidates on promotion. New entrants to the Civil Service will join on the minimum of the relevant pay range. Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer/pay on promotion rules.
Location
Successful candidates will be based at 5 Wellington Place, Leeds
Our staff, who have an HQ building as their base location, are expected to work in an office at least 2 days per week.
Occasional travel between Leeds and London may be required.Â
Ways of Working: At the Ministry of Justice, we believe in, and promote flexible ways of working. This role is open to:
- Full-time, part-time and job share opportunities.
- Flexible working: flexible working patterns, with the option to work from home or MoJ’s other offices.
Job Description overview
We are looking for talented, motivated individuals who have a passion for innovation. That could be from a background in operational delivery, policy, project management or another profession, but what we all share is a desire to find new ways of working and try new ideas to enable MoJ to deliver ever better services.
The roles are varied and stimulating. You will have opportunities to lead in your areas of responsibility, as well as building networks across the department, public sector and beyond to promote innovation.
We are looking for people who have a passion for recognising, encouraging and sharing innovative ideas from a diverse range of sources and who are committed to creating an environment where people feel safe to challenge and make their voice heard, praising creativity and encouraging risk-taking, as well as providing constructive challenge to others. You will take a positive approach to solving problems, supporting teams to find workable solutions and acting as an advocate for change.
We are a new team, and this is an exciting moment to be joining us. You will have the chance to help shape the culture and direction of the team and play a part in raising the profile of innovation within the Ministry of Justice.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
MoJ is one of the largest government departments, employing around 88,000 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 Ministry of Justice is determined to be one of the most forward-thinking departments in government, taking steps to experiment and use the latest tools and techniques to drive ever better service delivery. This has been demonstrated through our new greener prisons, digital court services and innovative approach to problem solving.Â
We want to build a culture where everyone is listened to and encouraged to be brave and think differently, always considering how things can be done better and what lessons can be learnt from other sectors. This is about setting a new expectation where all our staff are empowered to improve things and deliver innovations that can change services for the better.
The Innovation Team is helping to steer this culture change. We are responsible for raising the profile of innovation within the Ministry of Justice, linking up ideas and teams across the department, and providing teams with guidance and support to help them think and work innovatively.
The team’s objectives are to raise the profile of innovation in the Ministry of Justice by:
- Supporting culture change and building capability to foster innovation.
- Improving access to ideas from outside and building routes for innovative ideas to spread within the department.
- Improving our capability to learn from piloting and trialling new ideas.
- Enhancing our ability to use data and evidence to support effective and efficient innovation.
The Innovation Team sits within the Strategy and Innovation Directorate
We are committed to providing you with a positive team culture where you can thrive. People are our most valuable resource and through flexible working, our commitment to learning and development, network events and mentoring, we ensure our team and wider directorate is a positive environment to work in.
Senior Innovation Advisor – the role
We are looking for talented, motivated individuals who have a passion for innovation.
As a Senior Innovation Advisor, you may lead in one or more of the following areas of responsibility:
- Supporting culture change and working with our People function to embed innovation in our People Strategy, creating the conditions for innovation.
- Improving access to ideas from outside the department and exploring alternative funding and delivery models to encourage innovation.
- Building routes for innovative ideas to spread within the department, including considering existing schemes to identify and promote new ideas, and how we can build networks of innovation champions across the department.
- Working with policy, operational and analytical teams to improve our capability to learn from piloting and trialling new ideas.
- Enhancing our ability to use data and evidence to support effective and efficient innovation.
You will also be responsible for scoping and delivering innovation projects, as well as providing support, advice and guidance to colleagues across the department who are delivering innovation.
You will need to be able to communicate complex information clearly and persuasively to Ministers and other senior stakeholders, using excellent oral and written communication skills.Â
You will need to have excellent problem-solving, project management and analytical skills (e.g., constructing logical issues trees and forming hypotheses) to support teams in developing innovative solutions to complex problems.
You will need to establish collaborative relationships with stakeholders from across the MoJ and wider government to understand complex issues quickly and ensure that links are made with the relevant policy and operational teams.Â
Alongside your core role, you will be expected to take a role in corporate projects for the team or wider directorate that contribute to shaping our culture and making this a great place to work, such as wellbeing, diversity & inclusion, recruitment, or learning and development.
Skills and Experience
- Changing and improving – You will have a passion for recognising, encouraging and sharing innovative ideas from a diverse range of sources. You will be committed to creating an environment where people feel safe to challenge and make their voice heard, praising creativity and encouraging risk-taking, as well as providing constructive challenge to others. You will champion changes that add value, while fully understanding the impact of implementing change.
- Leadership - you will be committed to building an inclusive and high-performing culture within the team, welcoming and responding to views and challenges from others.  You will seek out shared interests beyond your own area of responsibility, understanding the extent of the impact actions have on the organisation. You will have a focus on personal development and wellbeing.
- Communicating and influencing – you will be a persuasive communicator, with excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly to a variety of audiences. You will be open-minded and willing to consider diverse interests and opinions.
- Working together - you will have excellent stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to build and maintain strong relationships with a wide variety of different stakeholders with varying backgrounds and perspectives. You will need to be able to influence across the department and beyond to ensure that the work of the team has maximum impact. You will be open to challenge and able to effectively navigate conflicting priorities.
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 to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role.
Behaviours
Please provide examples of how you have met the behaviours listed below (see Annex A for more information):
- Changing and improving
- Leadership
- Communicating and influencing
- Working together
Please also refer to the Civil Service Behaviours framework for more details at this grade (SEO/Level 3): 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 (Changing and Improving). Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview, testing both behaviours and strengths.
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.
Support with your application
If you would like more information about the role, previous projects, what it is like working in our team or the applications process we encourage you to contact Mark Hayward (Head of the Innovation Team) mark.hayward3@justice.gov.uk.
We plan to run an information session for candidates during w/c 18 April 2022. If you are interested in attending that session, please email Aija.Plivda@justice.gov.uk.
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