Senior User Strategy Advisor (Ref: 77413)

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.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Directorate:               User Experience and Insight (UE&I)

Job Title:                    Senior User Strategy Advisor

Location:                    National (with regular travel to London and other sites as required by business needs)

Duration: Permeant

Pay Span or equivalent: SEO

London (within M25): £43,647 – £48,067

National: £37,683 – £41,506

Background:

HM Court and Tribunals Service is an Executive Agency of the MoJ and provides the supporting administration for the judiciary across England and Wales. HMCTS is coming to the end of a large-scale reform program, which aimed to create a system that is proportionate and accessible and that better meets the needs of the people it serves. 

The User Experience and Insight (UE&I) division at HMCTS is focused on designing and improving our Courts and Tribunal services around the needs of our users – ensuring our services are accessible, easy to use, digital (where necessary and appropriate) and well supported for all users.  UE&I is a cross cutting division which provides tools and support to the organisation to deliver against our core design principle of being user led. The teams works supports the delivery of change projects and improvements to live services. The team works closely with projects to provide best practice and consistent design, deliver cross-cutting projects for services, working closely with teams across the organisation to deliver.

The Team:

This role sits within the User Strategy, Inclusion & Engagement Team. The purpose of the User Strategy, Inclusion and Engagement Team is supporting HMCTS to ensure that all users can access our services and participate effectively. It does this through engaging with third sector organisations which then informs how HMCTS interacts with its users as well as the development of user strategies, service standards and design of inclusive services. As a team we look across all jurisdictions and across the end to end user journey.

The Role:

This role holder will report to the User Strategy & Engagement lead. The purpose of this team is to help set the direction for HMCTS being a more user focused organisation, through developing user strategies and engaging with public user representatives.

This role holder will support the User Strategy & Engagement lead in creating and embedding user focused strategies for HMCTS.  Our users are any individuals who use a HMCTS service; this could be a litigant in person, victim or witness in a personal capacity or as a business owner or employee of a company. The purpose of these strategies is to provide a cohesive cross HMCTS approach to key user-based issues. They will identify issues that prevent HMCTS being a more user focused organisation and act to solve these barriers and be a catalyst for change.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage the develop and articulate a range of different user-based strategies and standards and work across the organisations to enable these to be implemented and delivered. This could include:
  • signposting users to external support strategy
  • user support strategy, including digital support
  • channel & contact strategy
• Build an evidence base around user needs, engagement feedback, service performance data and operational feedback to develop user-based strategies. This will involve:
  • Working with insight colleagues in User Experience and Insight to understand service performance data and research findings
  • Working with service designers and user researchers to understand the issues users face when accessing our services
  • Work with equality specialists to make sure no user group is indirectly impacted though developed strategies
  • Engage with public users during the strategy development process
• Develop communications and internal engagement plans to ensure that HMCTS strategies are understood across the organisation.
• Provide a user perspective insight from a HMCTS perspective to MOJ Policy and HMCTS service design changes.
• Support HMCTS public user engagement groups when necessarily.

Essential Skills & Criteria:

• Experience and knowledge of developing organisational or user-based strategies
• Planning and organising skills, particularly how to plan effectively the development of organisational strategy
• Experience of using evidence and insight and using this to create user strategy and standards.
• Experience in successfully managing and influencing stakeholders to achieve an outcome.
• Experience in working in a user centred or customer focused role.
• Strong interpersonal and written communication skills.
• A positive approach to problem solving
• A passion to improve the accessibility of HMCTS services.

Desirable Skills & Criteria:

• An established track record in programme/project delivery specialising in customer experience
• Experience in championing the users voice or equality and inclusion across an organisation
• Experience in co-production or co-design approaches that involve service users in the design of services.
• Experience working within a complex organisation to identify priority challenges and initiatives which improve customer outcomes
• Experience in the development, monitoring and improvement of public facing services, preferably within government or charitable organisations.
• Knowledge or experience of the courts or tribunal services, or wider justice landscape

Other duties

The post holder will be required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of the posts.

Location of Post:

The successful candidate will be required to regularly travel to London, however base location can be flexible. Travel to other HMCTS sites may also be required as part of these working arrangements. In line with the department’s policies, travel and subsistence and, where appropriate, overnight accommodation will be available in line with organisational policies.

Application Process:

To apply for this position, you must provide evidence of your suitability against the following:

1. A 500-word statement of suitability which demonstrates your suitability against the Essential Skills / Criteria outlined above.
2. A statement of up to 250-words against each of the Success Profile behaviours below. You will be assessed against the Success Profile for this role at Level 3.

Making Effective Decisions

Understand own level of responsibility and empower others to make decisions where appropriate. Analyse and use a range of relevant, credible information from internal and external sources to support decisions. Invite challenge and where appropriate involve others in decision making. Display confidence when making difficult decisions, even if they prove to be unpopular. Consult with others to ensure the potential impacts on end users have been considered. Present strong recommendations in a timely manner outlining the consideration of other options, costs, benefits and risks.

Changing and improving

Work with others to identify areas for improvement and simplify processes to use fewer resources. Use technology where possible to increase efficiency. Encourage ideas for change from a wide range of sources. Clearly explain the reasons for change to colleagues and how to implement them, supporting individuals with different needs to adapt to change. Encourage an environment where colleagues know that they can challenge decisions and issues safely. Take managed risks by fully considering the varied impacts changes could have on the diverse range of end users.

Seeing the Big Picture

Understand the strategic drivers for your area of work. Align activities to contribute to wider organisational priorities. Remain alert to emerging issues and trends which might impact your work area. Seek out and share experiences to develop knowledge of the team’s business area. Understand how the strategies and activities of the team create value and meet the diverse needs of all stakeholders.

Communicating and influencing

Communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner, choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact. Encourage the use of different communication methods, including digital resources and highlight the benefits, including ensuring cost effectiveness. Ensure communication has a clear purpose and takes into account people’s individual needs. Share information as appropriate and check understanding. Show positivity and enthusiasm towards work, encouraging others to do the same. Ensure that important messages are communicated with colleagues and stakeholders respectfully, taking into consideration the diversity of interests.

Should you be successful at the application stage, you will be invited for a Teams interview.

Further information on Success Profiles and required standards for this post (Level 3) can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

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 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.

Terms & Conditions:

Flexible working options

HMCTS offers a flexible working system in many of its offices.

Job Sharing and Reduced Hours

All applications for job sharing or reduced hours will be treated fairly and on a case by case basis in accordance with the MoJ’s flexible working policy and equality policy.

Excess Fares and Relocation Allowances

This job is not eligible for relocation allowances, but excess fares may be considered in accordance with MoJ’s excess fares allowance policy.

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving
• Seeing the Big Picture
• 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