About the job

Job summary

This position is based nationally.

Job description

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.

Do you have the passion, values, and ability to help us solve the biggest problems of the justice system?

Programme Support Officer (SEO), BOLD, Data and Analysis, Ministry of Justice

Overview

The Ministry of Justice leads flagship cross government data linking programmes. The Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) programme is one of those that seeks to improve outcomes for vulnerable individuals such as victims of crime, offenders, homeless and those with substance misuse dependencies. This role while primarily sitting within the BOLD programme, will assist its Programme Director across a multiple portfolio of programmes ranging from data sharing and data linking (including BOLD and Data First programmes), through to Head of Profession activities and work streams that will support Civil Service Reform at the centre of government. You will work closely with the Programme Director to interface with key stakeholders across government on their behalf as well as lead the organisation of activities that contribute to the delivery of some of the wide-ranging programmes they will lead. The portfolio has a diverse set of stakeholders ranging from senior leaders in government departments through to external stakeholders outside central government such as the voluntary sector and academia. You will also liaise with ministerial private offices.

The Programme Support Officer role provides exposure to dealing with a variety of programmes, government departments and organisations which can be a stepping stone to more senior executive positions. Engaging and communicating with external and internal stakeholders while working closely with the senior leadership will allow you exposure to high-level decision-making processes and an insight into the programmes’ strategic direction which will help with both professional and personal development.

What we offer

• Flexible working arrangements and a focus on equality of opportunity – including welcoming part-time and/or job-share arrangements, compressed hours, working from home or your nearest Justice Collaboration Centres or Justice Satellite Office.
• Career development – regular development and promotion opportunities across a wide range of roles, career development support, with a generous individual learning and development budget.
• Range of new areas of work and new tools and techniques – we pride ourselves on our excellent deployment of well-established analytical methods, but also our progress to date. Progress such as our ambitious and innovative transformation programme to leverage departmental data and drive evidence-based decision-making using cutting-edge tools and techniques (for example: experimentation, personalisation, artificial intelligence).
• Our transformation programme is focused on maximising our impact on departmental outcomes. The Ministry of Justice’s Senior Team and our Ministerial Team want all decisions to be evidence driven – your work will be key in influencing decisions and real-world impact.
• Vibrant community – part of a multidisciplinary cross government team that has a supportive culture and is looking to further develop the community with the help of everyone.
• See the frontline and what your work is influencing – regular opportunities to visit our front-line service providers, including courts, prisons, and probation to better understand the areas your analysis is affecting.

Minimum requirements to apply:

Candidates must be able to show the relevant experience and skills and must meet the criteria for entry at SEO grade:

• You have significant work experience (usually a minimum of three years) evidencing a mix of business support, project planning and stakeholder engagement.

We welcome applications from candidates based across the UK. Candidates will have the option of being based in the Leeds or London HQ offices (with flexible working arrangements available) or your nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. These are based at the following JCCs: Cardiff, Leeds, Nottingham, South Tyneside, Brighton, Ipswich and Liverpool, and the following JSOs: Ashford, Beverley, Haverfordwest, Hull, Merthyr Tydfil, Manchester, Newport, Birmingham, Sheffield, North Shields, Bristol, Wolverhampton, Weston-Super-Mare, Stafford, Truro, Winchester and Leeds. Alternative locations may be available and will be discussed and agreed on the completion of background checks.

Interviews are likely to take place in April 2024 and will be held via MS Teams. We will keep a merit list for a year for those who successfully pass the interview board but who are not offered a post. The BOLD programme currently has other similar SEO roles which successful merit list candidates may be offered.

About BOLD

The Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) Programme is a new project designed to improve the design and delivery of services for vulnerable people, by better joining up the evidence and information used to run these services.

The Programme is a joint initiative between the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC), Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) and the Welsh Government and is funded by HM Treasury’s Shared Outcomes Fund as an innovative pilot project of new ways of working between government departments.

The BOLD programme aims to solve the technical barriers that currently prevent effective data sharing, which restricts our potential to aid those that are vulnerable within society.

Consequently, policymakers and those working in UK public services will have better quality evidence on what works in four main areas – supporting victims, reducing homelessness, substance misuse and reducing reoffending. This helps front-line workers provide better and more targeted support for these vulnerable individuals, demonstrating the immense social benefit of data linking.

About Data First

Data First aims to unlock the potential of the wealth of data already created by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), by linking administrative datasets from across the justice system and enabling accredited researchers, from within government and academia, to access the data in an ethical and responsible way. The project also enhances the linking of justice data with other government departments.

By working in partnership with academic experts to facilitate and promote research in the justice space, Data First creates a sustainable body of knowledge on justice system users, their interactions across the criminal, family and civil courts and their needs, pathways and outcomes across a range of public services.

The programme is led by MOJ and funded by ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK), an investment by the Economic Social and Research Council (ESRC).

About GORS

The Government Operational Research Service (GORS) supports policy-making, strategy and operations in many different departments and agencies and employs over 1000 analysts, from sandwich students to Senior Civil Servants. The Ministry of Justice currently has about 130 GORS specialists who is overseen by the Head of Profession.

GORS analysts bring intellectual rigour to the decision-making process. They are the analytical minds behind many of the Government's policies - policies which, when brought into being, touch the lives of everyone in the UK. Through various scientific and mathematical techniques, they add empirical weight to new and revised policy.

Why work in Data and Analysis?
In Data and Analysis, we want all our people to feel valued for who they are and for the work they do. We provide a warm, inclusive place to work and offer a wide range of flexibilities and benefits as part of our people offer to reward our staff.

What you’ll do

You will play a critical role in supporting the Programme Director, making sure that we have clear priorities that are communicated and delivered effectively; we have highly credible and organised leadership driving the programmes forward; we have the right relationships in place to deliver collaboratively; we leverage our knowledge, skills and resources to deliver for the department and for citizens; and we maintain a high performing team.

You will:

• Provide support, advice, guidance to the Senior Leadership Team and the Programme Director as a trusted advisor.
• Agree, articulate, and drive forward delivery of programme priorities, scoping and working with others to take forward new and cross-cutting initiatives.
• Working on engagement within the programmes on behalf of the Programme Director and lead on an array of tasks, ensuring good communication and delivery.
• Be available for, and confident in giving direction, advice and support to staff in lieu of the Programme Director when absent or otherwise unavailable.
• Strengthen and maintain successful stakeholder relationships with a range of stakeholders at all levels, through consistent and honest engagement.

Who you are

The following experience and skills will be required:

• This role will be filled by someone who is creative, collaborative, is able to bring people with them, is positive in the face of challenge and works at pace with clarity and precision.
• You will be an excellent stakeholder manager, communicator and negotiator with excellent written and oral communication skills and interpersonal skills.
• You will have strong organisational ability, able to monitor and manage actions and oversee delivery of work across a diverse portfolio.
• You will have good judgment and prioritisation skills with the ability to deliver under pressure or uncertainty.

The following experience and skills are desirable:

• Previous experience in a private office role, programme office, or an analyst environment is desirable but not required.

How to apply

You will need to submit an anonymised CV and Statement of Suitability as part of your application. You will not be considered if you do not provide both.

Your CV should be no more than 2 pages long and should show us your work history and previous experience. It should be well structured, succinct, and written in clear language.

Your Statement of Suitability should be no more than 750 words and should give us examples of how your skills and experience match those needed for this role. Consider giving examples that cover all the requirements in the ‘Who you are’ section and use work you have completed to demonstrate how you meet each one. 

Selection Process

There will be an initial sift of applicants through comparing submitted evidence against the ‘Who you are’ bullets. This usually takes two weeks, depending on the number of applications.

Those who make it through the initial sift will be invited to a Civil Service Success Profile interview. In the Civil Service we use Success Profiles to help us find the right person for the job. We will be using a mixture of methods to assess your abilities, strengths, experience, technical skills and behaviours. We highly recommend learning about Success Profiles and using the Situation, Task, Action, Result and Reflection (STARR) framework when structuring your answers.

The highest scoring candidates that pass the interview will be offered the roles (this recruitment may cover more than one vacancy at SEO). The whole process can take up to a month.

Behaviours

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework at interview stage:

• Communicating and Influencing  
• Seeing the Bigger Picture
• Delivering at Pace

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

Applicants invited for Interview 

If successful at application stage, you will be invited to an interview where you will be assessed on the elements outlined in the advert.

Further Information

If you require any additional information about the role, please contact: Nisha de Silva (Nisha.Desilva@justice.gov.uk), Programme Director for BOLD.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,868, Ministry of Justice contributes £10,804 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 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.