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

The job holder is expected to identify the need for the development of new policy or revision of existing policy, carry out appropriate research, analyse information from a range of sources and then provide first drafts of policy instructions and guidance.

Summary

The job holder will develop effective working relationships with a range of stakeholders at all levels, including operational front line staff and senior officials from Other Government Departments.

The job holder will on occasions be required to represent HMPPS 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:

•    Developing, planning the delivery of and consulting on new operational policy or legislative changes in respect of the relevant policy areas, and assisting with their implementation including drafting new guidance, and training staff across England and Wales as required.
•    Drafting replies to ministerial correspondence and correspondence from offenders, victims, and members of the public, and researching and drafting submissions and answers to Parliamentary Questions.
•    Responsible for researching, drafting and producing both informative and persuasive submissions, for clearance by Head of Team, to Ministers which often comment on complex and sensitive inter-departmental issues, for which agreement must be sought.
•    Responsible for drafting notes to senior officials, informing them of the status of cases.
•    Undertaking detailed research for questions of policy and providing interpretation of the published guidance.
•    Liaising with legal advisors to ensure policy objectives are met and are consistent with legal advice.
•    Providing national guidance and interpretation on the relevant policy areas, including legislation and complex case specific issues in response to enquiries from staff and managers in probation divisions and prisons, officials from other HMPPS/MoJ Units, Government departments and agencies.
•    Setting up projects, with appropriate governance arrangements to support the project, identifying risks and mitigating action and reporting on progress to senior managers and stakeholders.
•    Representing the policy area/team/group at meetings with HQ and frontline staff - and feeding back information to senior management.

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 £47,907, HM Prison & Probation Service contributes £13,366 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.