Lead Policy Advisor, Priority Projects Team and Strategy Lead, Strategy Unit, Strategy, Priorities and Innovation Directorate (2 Roles Available) (Ref: 91933)
Ministry of Justice
Apply before 11:55 pm on Friday 15th November 2024
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Job description
Lead Policy Advisor, Priority Projects Team and Strategy Lead, Strategy Unit
Grade 7 Strategy, Priorities and Innovation Directorate
The Strategy, Priorities and Innovation Directorate (SPI) is recruiting permanently for a Grade 7 Lead Policy Advisor for the Priority Projects Team (PPT) and a Grade 7 Strategy Lead for the Strategy Unit (SU).
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.
For SPI to meet its evolving business needs all staff are expected to attend their base location (102 Petty France or 5 Wellington Place Leeds) at least 2 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 in 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.
Our staff, who have an HQ building as their base location, are expected to work in an office at least 2 days per week.
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 90,000 people (including those in the Probation Service), with a budget of approximately £9.5 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
The Strategy, Priorities and Innovation Directorate
The Strategy, Priorities and Innovation Directorate sits at the heart of MoJ, and we work collaboratively to provide strategic, systems leadership across the MoJ, driving innovation, embedding longer-term thinking, supporting effective governance and forming high-capability project teams to support justice priorities.
The Directorate is made up of a number of functions, including the MoJ’s Priority Projects Team, its Strategy Unit, an innovation function and a Board secretariat, that combine to surface, help establish and collectively embed strategic justice system priorities.
The work of the Priority Projects Team
The Priority Projects Team (PPT) is a high-profile, friendly, and supportive team working at the heart of the MoJ’s strategy function. We act as an in-house consultancy, working across the MoJ’s agenda, helping the department to deliver its highest priorities alongside policy, functions and operational teams. We do this by delivering defined projects to the highest standards.
Each project is unique, fast-paced and exciting. Members of PPT typically work in small project teams lasting from a few weeks up to several months. We work closely with policy, functional and operational experts across the organisation. Occasionally, PPT members may work embedded in another team to undertake a specific piece of work. Recently our portfolio has included: working on election preparations and supporting policy teams to respond to emerging priorities of the new Government; cross-cutting strategic projects with OGDs on topics such as prevention; responding to the prison capacity crisis; and addressing miscarriages of justice.
Lead Policy Advisor in PPT – the role
Lead Policy Advisors play a central role in leading project-based policy and strategy work, often with a cross-cutting focus. We are looking for motivated, resilient and adaptable individuals who are able to get to grips with new subject areas quickly to deliver high quality projects in collaboration with teams across MoJ.
The type of projects you might work on could include: targeted support to a specific policy where you may be developing a policy proposal, overseeing cross-cutting policy and strategy work which does not have a natural ‘home’ in a specific team, and/or developing strategies and proposals pertaining to the organisational design and delivery objectives of the department. The projects could comprise of short ‘sprints’ or could span a longer period of time, depending on the complexity of the ask.
You will need to be able to get to grips with new subject areas quickly. You will have strong analytical and problem-solving skills and are able to communicate complex ideas clearly. You will need to be confident working independently and comfortable working with ambiguity, leading the delivery of complex and challenging projects across the MoJ’s responsibilities.
You will be responsible for the initiation, development and delivery of project-based commissions within the context of the MoJ strategy and political direction of the department, and within tight resourcing constraints. You will often be leading a small project team and will need to have strong leadership and management skills. You will be responsible for ensuring that there are clear roles and responsibilities and for supporting individuals to thrive in their roles. You will need to be confident in managing relationships with senior stakeholders, providing the strategic overview for a project whilst ensuring day-to-day milestones are met. You will ensure good communication with project sponsors throughout projects.
The role will give you the opportunity to work with senior stakeholders across MoJ as well as other government departments and will usually involve engagement with the ministerial team and private offices. You will need to develop and maintain effective relationships with a range of stakeholders within Government, including ministers, special advisors, legal, analytical and operational colleagues.
As a senior manager and leader in the team you will have an important role in the shaping the culture of the team and supporting and developing the people you directly line manage and work with on projects. You will have line management responsibility, typically for between one to three individuals between Senior Executive Officer and Executive Officer grades. Though we try to resource projects from within sub-teams and line management chains, at times you will manage individuals outside your line management on projects. This will involve working closely with your peers to support the development of individuals in the team.
Alongside your core role, you will be expected to take a leading role in corporate projects that contribute to shaping the culture and development of the team, such as wellbeing, diversity & inclusion, recruitment, or learning and development. to underpin how we work as a team and contribute to MoJ as a whole.
You will have access to many training opportunities on a range of topics, for example: leadership and coaching, effective writing, stakeholder engagement and partnership working.
The work of the Strategy Unit
This is an exciting opportunity to join the Strategy Unit, a team which sits at the centre of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) within the Strategy, Priorities and Innovation directorate. It is our role to develop the department’s strategic approach ensuring we provide integrated, system-wide advice to ministers on a range of important policy, transformation and delivery issues. We help the Department make better and more coordinated decisions, plan for the long-term, and achieve its aims across the public sector and beyond. The Strategy Unit’s work includes:
- Strategy development and strategic projects. We lead on shaping the long-term strategic outcomes for the justice system, working with performance and finance colleagues on set-piece events such as election-planning and spending reviews. We promote efficient integration across the MoJ family to help progress priority issues and address strategic gaps in the department’s thinking.
- Horizon scanning. We help the department understand the long-term challenges the justice system may face and coordinate work across MoJ and government to develop plans for responding to those challenges. We work closely with science, technology and policy colleagues to design frameworks for considering future trends and assessing their impacts.
- Intelligence gathering. We work with key thinkers and senior leaders both within and outside the department to understand emerging and evolving priorities in justice. As a central team, we rely on our ability to build relationships across the Department, draw on them to get things done and balance interests to build consensus. We use this intelligence to inform strategic development and delivery across the department – ensuring our resources and policies are aligned.
Strategy Lead in the SU – the role
We are recruiting for a Grade 7 role to head up one of four teams in the strategy unit, leading work on challenging strategic problems and overseeing a team. You will:
- Provide leadership to your team including coaching and supporting their wellbeing and personal development. You will also be expected to play a corporate leadership role within the directorate.
- Lead and deliver high-impact strategy work to improve the long-term effectiveness of the justice system and support the Department in achieving its strategic outcomes. This will require you to build your understanding of key issues and identify key trends across department, government and beyond. You will be responsible for scoping and planning work strands, working with relevant colleagues across the department, ensuring outputs deliver to maximise impact.
- Manage effective relationships & gathering intelligence across the department including with policy, operational and functional teams as part of an account management set up.
- Balance competing priorities as you should expect to be working on a number of priority areas at any given time as well as conducting regular intelligence gathering while leading a team.
This is a great role for someone seeking to bring their intellect and abilities to bear on some of the most important issues facing society, while developing their knowledge and understanding of Government and the justice system.
The Strategy Unit is a united, collaborative team. Members are often asked to support projects across the team, providing a breadth of strategy experience. The team is also encouraged to work on corporate activities like learning and development, induction, staff engagement and others.
The team has a wide range of experience - some have worked in different parts of MoJ and other government departments, while others have joined from outside the Civil Service. 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
Skills and experience for both roles
- Think critically and analytically. This role will require you to understand and assess trade-offs and break down complex problems. You will need to be able to demonstrate evidence of thinking strategically and developing creative solutions, as well as being able to persuade others of the benefits of those solutions. You will have strong problem-solving skills, bringing structure to complex policy issues and able to draw sound conclusions, drawing on a range of evidence and analysis to deliver high-quality, innovative and inclusive advice. This will include working with quantitative and qualitative data to develop a robust evidence base.
- Lead and engage - you will be an open and engaging leader, committed to building an inclusive and high-performing culture within the team, setting strategic direction and supporting your direct reports through coaching. You will have a focus on personal development and wellbeing, playing an active leadership and management role across your team, directorate and the MoJ. You will need to demonstrate evidence of successfully leading others to deliver a technically complex programme of work, autonomously managing a busy workload to deliver competing priorities to deadlines.
- Be sensitive to the wider context. We work at the heart of the Department and closely with the centre of Government. You will need to be able to develop an understanding of how your work fits into the department’s priorities and provide strategic insight, drawing on your understanding of the wider context to ensure communications are clear, effective and relevant.
- Communicate clearly and persuasively. A large part of our role is to make the complex simple for Senior Officials, translating analysis to inform policy advice and persuasively presenting the ‘MoJ view’ to others in Government. As a team lead you should be able to communicate confidently with a range of stakeholders, including presenting at senior governance boards such as the Departmental Executive Committee.
- Build relationships and working collaboratively. As a central team, we rely on our ability to build relationships across the Department, draw on them to get things done and balance interests to build consensus. We also have a part to play in building relationships with officials in other departments and external experts, drawing on these to further MoJ’s interests or bringing in fresh thinking.
- Deliver at pace – you will have strong prioritisation skills and the ability to make effective decisions on how to structure projects to make best use of your resources. You will have the ability to impose structure on complex problems, allocate scarce resources in the context of the department’s strategy and political direction, and set-up and lead teams and bring colleagues together to reach your end goal.
Application process
You will need to submit an anonymised CV and Statement of Suitability as part of your application.
Your CV should be no more than 2 pages long and should show us your work history and previous experience. It should be well structured, succinct and written in clear language.
Your statement of suitability should be no more than 750 words and should set out why you want this role and why your skills and experience make you a good fit. Consider giving examples that cover all the requirements and use work you have completed to demonstrate your experience. Please structure your statement as a coherent narrative, rather than a series of disconnected examples.
You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework at interview stage, with a focus on your experience and the following behaviours:
- Making effective decisions
- Leadership
- Communicating and influencing
- Working together
Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade (Grade 7):
Candidates invited to Interview
You will be required to deliver at least one presentation. Details of this will be sent to those candidates who are invited for interview.
Please note that interviews may be carried out remotely.
During the interview, we will be assessing you on your Experience and Behaviours from the Success Profiles framework.
Interviews are expected to take place in December.
At interview stage, if candidates are not successful in securing one of the advertised Grade 7 posts but meet the minimum criteria at interview, they will be advised that they have been placed on a reserve list for 12 months. This means that if further Grade 7 roles become available of the same criteria, they can be contacted to discuss appointment to these roles.
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.
Fraser.Morris@justice.gov.uk
The hiring manager will be hosting two candidate awareness sessions where they will explain what the role entails and answer any questions. The sessions will be held on Microsoft Teams and are planned for:
Person specification
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
Benefits
- Access to learning and development
- A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
- A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
- Annual Leave
- Public Holidays
- Season Ticket Advance
For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.
Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
- Email : Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com
- Telephone : 0845 241 5359
Recruitment team
- Email : Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com
Further information
