About the job

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

About the Joint Strategic Policy Unit 

The Joint Strategic Policy Unit was set up across MoJ and HMPPS to help shape the response to COVID 19. It has now been made a permanent team and takes on priority work identified by MOJ and HMPPS Senior Leadership Teams.  This unit sits in both the Prisons Policy Directorate in MoJ and the Strategy, Performance and Corporate Delivery Directorate in HMPPS.  

Our team provides advice to senior officials, Ministers, and across Government, on immediate challenges in the prison and probation system, as well as leading longer-term strategic planning and preparations. We work collaboratively across a wide range of policy and operational topics with colleagues across the MoJ, HMPPS and other government departments.

Our areas of focus are often high priorities for the Government and include a mixture of reactive work and planned project delivery. Examples of the projects we have worked on include: bidding for sustainable funding settlements for prison and probation, delivering a strategic cross-justice system response to prison capacity pressures, reviewing operational approaches to policies such as vetting, support for prisoners on remand, delivery of prisoner resettlement services, and probation supervision requirements. We provide additional support to existing policy teams and lead on emerging issues that are not currently resourced.

We are a friendly, enthusiastic and collaborative team with a strong emphasis on ensuring members feel happy, supported and engaged in their work. We are committed to delivering high-quality and impactful projects, working closely with partners, and supporting everyone to play their part to improve prison and probation services. We have a strong commitment to personal and career development, helping everyone to grow and fulfil their potential.  

We are running online information sessions via Microsoft Teams for potential applicants to our HEO/Band 6 and SEO/Band 7 recruitment rounds. These sessions will be held on Monday 29 July at 2pm and Tuesday 30 July at 5pm. During the sessions you will hear from existing members of the team about working in the Joint Unit and our day-to-day roles. You will also hear more about the application process and have the opportunity to ask the team questions. We expect the session will last around 45 minutes.

If you would like to attend, please email Francesca.ainsworth@justice.gov.uk and Jessamine.stonehouse@justice.gov.uk with the subject title Joint Unit - Information Afternoon to attend on Monday 29 July at 2pm or with the subject title Joint Unit - Information Evening to attend on Tuesday 30 July at 5pm.

Overview of the job

Job Holder will support the development and implementation of specific policy. Acts as policy lead on certain aspects of the policy providing advice on complex or high profile issues.

Summary

The job holder will require a strong knowledge and awareness of current policies and practices and will be expected to write at a level that is suitable for legal correspondence and maintain this in dialogue with solicitors and legal representatives.

Job Holder will on occasions be required to represent NOMS in meetings with outside organisations and stakeholders and Other Government Departments.

Responsibilities, Activities & Duties

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Provides support and assistance to the Head of Policy
• Provides expert policy advice and guidance to staff and managers
• Act as point of contact for day-to-day written or verbal advice and consultation to key stakeholders and senior officials
• Responsible for contributing relevant information to draft Ministerial submissions and briefing for senior officials
• Where necessary commission and analyse reports from internal or external colleagues, including contractors, and criminal justice stakeholders for information related to the subject matter
• Consolidate and analyse complex policy information and data evidence provided by policy leads and contractors to draft new protocols, sometimes in the face of conflicting stakeholder viewpoints. Develops operational and non operational policy
• Attend ad-hoc meetings on behalf of the team as required
• Provide secretariat support as and when required. Act as the Key Information Liaison Officer (KILO)
• Ensure draft responses to reports and correspondence submitted to Team Leaders, are compliant and in line with current NOMS and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) policy,
• Provide senior managers with draft responses or contributions to Parliamentary Questions, Treat Official letters, Freedom of Information enquiries as well as contributing to briefing for minister and senior managers ensuring responses are prepared in accordance with the requirements of statutory legislation.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The Job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the Job Holder.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,862, HM Prison & Probation Service contributes £9,447 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.