Personal Assistant & Policy Support Officer within the Prison Policy Directorate (Ref: 81158)

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.

Personal Assistant & Policy Support Officer

EO

Prison Policy Directorate 

The Prison Policy Directorate is recruiting permanently for an Executive Officer (EO) Personal Assistant and Policy Support Officer. This campaign is being run externally and so is open to all who consider themselves suitable for the roles 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 Leeds and London may be required post Covid-19)

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, 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.

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

The Work of the Prison Policy Directorate

The Prison Policy Directorate is a high-profile, friendly and supportive team, leading on an important area of social policy to make a meaningful difference to the lives of prisoners and the public. The Directorate leads MoJ’s work to ensure our prisons protect the public by holding prisoners safely and securely as they serve their sentences handed down by the courts, and to tackle the underlying causes of offending by promoting rehabilitation and reform. 

At the centre of the Directorate is the Director’s Office and Directorate Support Team. This team underpins the smooth running of the Directorate, providing business management and PA support to the Director, the Deputy Directors, and their teams – enabling the Directorate as a whole to effectively and efficiently deliver its policy and corporate objectives.

Our PAs sit within the Directorate Support Team and are also fully embedded in their respective Deputy Directors’ teams. PAs play a central role in the life of these Divisions – leading corporate and administrative responsibilities, collaborating across teams, and assisting on policy work as required.

Personal Assistant & Policy Support Officer – the role

We are looking for a confident, self-starting EO with outstanding organisational and people skills to join our team. You will work at the heart of Prison Policy, providing PA support to two Deputy Directors and working within the Directorate Support team to ensure the smooth running and strong strategic planning of the Directorate.

The successful candidate will be capable of building strong relationships with seniors and peers. You will have excellent written and verbal communication skills, and be adept and confident in handling a range of administrative tasks across a variety of business support functions.

You will have a positive and adaptable approach, with the ability to effectively prioritise and manage a busy workload. Alongside handling tasks from your Deputy Directors and teams, you will be expected to use initiative to identify priorities and issues that need your attention. You will be as comfortable using your own judgement as following instructions.

The primary function of the role is as a PA to two Deputy Directors. Subject to business need, we anticipate that there would be scope to also pick up policy work in due course.  

Skills and Experience

Key Responsibilities of the role include:

• Diary & Inbox Management for two Deputy Directors – you will arrange all internal and external meetings and ensure that your Deputy Directors have the materials and information they need for each meeting. You will ensure that commitments and competing demands or priorities are managed efficiently, and will support your Deputy Directors to manage busy inboxes.
• Administrative Lead for Divisions – you will lead business support processes within your Deputy Directors’ divisions, ranging from reward & recognition, to distribution lists, to supporting recruitment programmes – to ensure the efficient functioning of the division. You will also support your Deputy Directors’ personal professional admin, displaying discretion when handling sensitive information.
• Secretariat Support for Deputy Directors – you will organise and coordinate Divisional and Corporate meetings on behalf of your Deputy Directors, including setting appropriate and relevant agendas, taking accurate minutes, and ensuring all action points are dealt with in a timely manner.
• Directorate Support team – you will play a leading and active role within the Directorate Support team, working alongside the other PAs to ensure the smooth-running of the wider Prison Policy Directorate. As part of the team’s commitment to continuous improvement, you will work autonomously to identify and drive forward projects to improve the Directorate’s processes and ways of working as required.
• Policy Support – you will have the opportunity, subject to business need, to get involved in policy development and policy projects, offering an introduction to the skills and tools of the policy profession.

Essential:

• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to juggle and triage multiple priorities in a fast-paced and pressurised environment.
• Excellent communication and people skills, with a positive and ‘can do’ approach.
• Confidence and proficiency whether working independently or within a team, whether following instructions or setting own direction.
• A rigorous eye for detail and a passion for delivering exceptional administrative services.
• Proficient Microsoft Office software skills.

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 stating 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 the following behaviours (see Annex A for more information):

• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together
• Communicating & Influencing

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 Statement of Suitability and the lead behaviour of Delivering at Pace. 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 2023.

Candidates who are successful in the panel interview may be invited to a second interview with the Deputy Directors.

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: Gillian.Atkinson@justice.gov.uk / Abby.Kramer@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:

• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

• 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