Head of the International, Rights and Constitutional Policy, Director’s Office (Ref: 81264)

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.

Head of the International, Rights and Constitutional Policy

Grade 7

Director’s Office

The International, Rights and Constitutional Policy Directorate is recruiting permanently for a Grade 7 Head of Director’s Office. This campaign is being run externally and so is open to all who consider themselves suitable for the role and meet the eligibility criteria in the wider advert within Civil Service Jobs.

Location:

Successful candidates will have the option to be based at one of the following locations:

1. 102 Petty France, London
2. 5 Wellington Place, Leeds

Occasional travel between the two locations may be required.

In order for Policy Group to meet its evolving business needs, all Policy Group 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 and promote alternative ways of working, this role is a demanding role which requires a minimum level of attendance across the working week and so is only available on the options listed below:

• Full-time – 5 days per week
• Job share– 3 days per week per person
• Limited Part-Time option based on 4 days per week.
• Flexible working arrangements between base locations, MoJ Hubs and home.

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

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range. 

If you are already a civil servant and are successful in an external recruitment competition for a role with us, your starting pay will be the better of:

• promotion terms or transfer terms, as appropriate; or
• pay on appointment arrangements (minimum of pay range)

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

Head of International, Rights and Constitutional Policy Director’s Office – the role

The International, Rights and Constitutional Policy Directorate (IRCPD) is a busy directorate with a varied policy portfolio, including Human Rights, International Justice, Devolution, the Crown Dependencies, and the wider corporate functions for the MoJ’s Policy Group.

The Head of the Director’s Office is a visible, interesting, and varied role, focussed on delivering the Director’s corporate priorities, overseeing the business management of the directorate and delivering briefings and other commissions with a cross-directorate interest.

There is a great deal of scope for the candidate to shape the role. You will be given autonomy to identify and solve issues as you see fit, working closely with the Director and Deputy Directors.

You will have direct line management responsibility for 1xSEO (TRA) and 1xHEO staff members, with responsibility for the wider director’s office team of 6 staff. Management experience is desirable, but not essential.

You will drive the director’s corporate priorities and ensure grip of cross-directorate issues such as performance management and the People Survey. The role would suit an individual looking to make an impact implementing changes across a directorate with a wide policy portfolio.

You will run the IRCPD’s SMT meeting, with the SEO business manager, and manage the monthly directorate meeting’s agenda.

You will also lead a briefing unit, which manages cross-directorate briefing requests, such as Justice Orals, Select Committee appearances, and ministerial requests. You will have strong attention to detail and be able to produce clear, concise briefing material quickly.

The role will suit an individual with capacity to manage a large breadth of work, interested in building their corporate experience and in experience supporting a senior official.

Previous corporate or justice policy experience would be helpful but is not essential.

Main responsibilities

Corporate duties and Business Management:

• Manage the directorate’s business manager (SEO on TRA), who manages IRCPD’s Executive Assistants and a corporate support officer (3x EOs).
• Lead major corporate priorities for the director. In the past these have included:
  • Improving IRCPD’s performance management
  • Delivery of Justice School (L&D about justice policy)
  • The annual directorate away day
  • IRCPD SMT’s analysis and response to the People Survey
• Overall responsibility for the weekly SMT meeting and monthly directorate meetings.
• Responsibility for general business management of the directorate, including:
  • Induction pack
  • Org chart
  • Finance
  • Business Continuity
  • Information Management
  • Some resourcing and allocations responsibility
• Maintain a proactive role in the lively corporate life of the directorate.

Briefing and Coordination:

• Oversee briefings with cross-directorate interest, such as:

Candidates applying from HMPPS should note that the Ministry of Justice does not have the same conditions of employment as HMPPS. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful.

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.

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.

You will also be asked to upload a Statement of Suitability of no more than 500 words setting out what you would bring to the role, with reference to the Skills and Experience listed above.

Behaviours

During the application process you will be asked to provide an example of how you have met each of the following behaviours (see Annex A for more information):

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade:

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 Leadership. 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 panel interview, you will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of, and strengths-based questions to also explore what you enjoy, and your motivations relevant to the job role.

There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.

You can refer to the CS Strengths dictionary for more details:  Success Profiles – Civil Service Strengths Dictionary (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Interviews are expected to take place in December.

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. Richard Mason: richard.mason3@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.

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

• 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 average employer contribution of 27%
• 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

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