About the job

Job summary

This position is based at London, National

Job description

About the Parole Board:

The Parole Board is an independent court-like body that carries out risk assessments on prisoners to determine whether they can be safely released into the community.  It does that with great care and public safety is our number one priority.  All Parole Board decisions are solely focused on whether a prisoner would represent a significant risk to the public after release.  Not all decisions that Members make are popular, but they make these decisions fairly and objectively.

The Board is made up of about 220 members of secretariat staff based in our London Head Office and approximately 315 Members who make decisions on risk and hold hearings at prisons around the country. The Specialist team will communicate with members of the designated and specially trained TACT cohort to ensure suitable panel allocation and case progression.

The Parole Board is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Ministry of Justice.  Staff who work for the Parole Board Secretariat are Public Servants and not Civil Servants.

This is business critical role which will deliver against the Board’s strategy to manage all Specialist and Terrorism Act (TACT) cases. An interesting role that offers the postholder the opportunity to evolve their existing skillset and work to the Boards Operating model which are instrumental to the changes over the next 6-12 months. It will give you experience in building a new operational team and lead on change. The role will give the post holder the opportunity to work closely with external stakeholders and engage cross hub collaboration.

Job Title    Senior Operations Manager – Specialist Case Team/Operational Change
Department    Operations    Team    Specialist case team

Job Grade    SEO    

Number of Posts    1

Reports to    Head of Operational development 

Job purpose    

The Senior Operations Manager for the Specialist case team will oversee the case work in the following areas:
•    TACT and TACT connected cases.
•    Noteworthy, high profile offline
•    Public hearings
•    Special advocate cases, Sensitive non-disclosure Revelation meetings and closed proceedings
•    Mental health cases 
•    Power to detain. 

The post holder will also be responsible for overseeing the development of the Panel chair support and hearing support team.  The development of these roles will be intrinsic to the fundamental review of the Parole Board Operating model.

Scope of Responsibilities:    

•    Ensure delivery of Specialist Case Management
•    Directly line manage 5 HEO grade. 
•    Develop and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
•    Collaborate with Senior Operations managers to ensure that the Panel chair and hearing support service delivery effectively supports parole hearings and to ensure consistency in case management and operational delivery across the Operations hub.
•    Implement and deliver change initiatives 

Key Deliverables    

•    Establish a new panel chair support team and enable the team and members to work to the priorities in the new Operating model.
•    Ensure that specialist cases are managed in accordance with reputational risk reduction. 
•    Maintain operational delivery in line with the relevant policies and identify potential risks in advance.
•    Lead the implementation of the Mental health Streamlining pilot into BAU.

Person Specification

Essential    

•    Demonstrable experience of managing and overseeing high caseloads to ensure that deadlines are met. 
•    Experience in communicating with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
•    Demonstrable confidence in using IT systems to record, analyse and report on data and emerging trends, making recommendations accordingly.  
•    Ability to tackle problems, identify solutions both solely and working with others.
•    Ability to anticipate, identify and address any risks or potential issues before they occur.
•    Experience of managing an evolving team.
•    Experience in successful operational delivery.

Desirable    

•    Experience of handling sensitive information 
•    Understanding of the Government Security classification 
•    Experience in case management 
•    Post holder holds Developed Vetting clearance/or is willing to undertake the Developed vetting process.
•    Experience in leading on operational change.

Clearance    

•    The post holder may need to complete Developed Vetted clearance to ensure they are able to manage material at the highest Government Security Classification where necessary. 

Job Description

Oversight of Case Management team

• Manage a team of X, direct line managing 5 HEOs.
• Oversee consistent case management and operational delivery inthe management of
  • TACT and TACT connected cases.
  • Noteworthy, high profile offline
  • Public hearings
  • Special advocate cases, Sensitive non-disclosure
  • Revelation meetings and closed proceedings
  • Mental health cases
  • Power to detain.
• Draft and develop policies and guidance in response to government legislation designed to deal with protecting the public from those prisoners convicted of specified sentence types.
• Critically review information provided by the Secretary of State in relation to terrorist prisoners to ensure that sensitive and prohibited material is correctly classified and withheld as appropriate.
• Process directions for the appointment of Special Advocates to prisoner hearings if needed, and liaise directly with Attorney General’s office, Parole Board members and other senior officials, including security services.
• Ensure that CLOSED hearing proceedings are handled sensitively, and revelation meetings supported by Parole Board secretariat support.
• Take finely balanced decisions on the merits of disclosing information at a Parole Board hearing, following consultation with stakeholders.
• Ensure the ‘movement plans’ are carried out in a professional and organised manner and recorded as appropriate.
• Progress Developed Vetting and STRAP clearance for members of the designated cohort.
• Facilitate the effective use of members of specified cohorts. 

Leadership

• Improvement of processes to maintain the efficiency and effectiveness of the Parole Board’s handling of TACT and specialist cases, making sure these are managed in line with the developing policies and protocol.
• Full understanding of relevant policies and procedures and will lead a team to deliver high quality work.
• Responsible for overseeing the development of the Panel chair support and hearing support team which will be intrinsic to the fundamental review of the Parole Board Operating model.
• Ensure that all workstreams are streamlined and evolve in a cost-effective way.
• Ensure CEO, COO is kept abreast of any significant developments in high profile cases and reputational risk cases on a regular basis.
• Keep the Director of Legal and Head of Legal abreast of all cases where a Special advocate has been appointed. 

Engagement

• Senior point of contact for Parole Board members and will ensure the smooth running of hearings in open and closed settings.
• Collaborate with Senior Operations Managers to ensure that the Panel chair and hearing support service delivery effectively supports parole hearings.
• Liaise directly with senior officials and security partners, including the Attorney General’s office, Special Advocates support office and will play a key role in the management of “subject of interest” cases and those of particular concern.
• Handle work sensitivity while building and maintaining good working relationships with stakeholders and partner agencies

Data management

• Ensure reports are run on the work of the team to ensure that deadlines are being met and cases managed in accordance with relevant protocols.
• Ensuring systems evolve in line with changing legislation and in-house operational requirements.
• Analyse complex and sensitive data, identifying patterns and trends and make decisions on the findings. 

Ad hoc duties as directed by senior leaders, where necessary.  

Selection process details 

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Strengths. At the sift stage you will be assessed against Behaviours and Experience:  

At application stage, you will be asked to complete a 700 words statement of suitability and 250 words on the following behaviours:

• Seeing the bigger picture
• Leadership
• Changing and improving

At interview, you will be asked questions on the following behaviours:

• Seeing the bigger picture
• Leadership
• Changing and improving
• Making effective decisions

 Accessibility 

The Parole Board is a disability confident recruiter. Accessibility requests will be carefully considered and, where reasonable, actioned.

Whilst the Parole Board office is principally located in London, and, for the purposes of organisational management and administration, it is not required to conduct business in Welsh. However, the Parole Board welcomes applications from candidates who speak Welsh and English as part of its commitment to treat both languages on a basis of equality in the conduct of public business and administration of justice in Wales, so far as is both appropriate and reasonable, and to reflect the community it serves.

Recruitment campaigns will be conducted in English online.  

Office requirements  

This role is hybrid. You will be required to spend 20% of your time in person contact. This is either at the PB office, an MoJ hub office, with PB colleagues, members or MoJ colleagues or in training. 

If you are a national candidate, please be aware that if successful you may be expected to attend the Canary Wharf office at least quarterly for team meetings or planned events. Travel for these purposes will be reimbursed for national employees.  

This role will require some travel outside of these requirements.   

Person specification

Please refer to job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,346, Parole Board contributes £12,017 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 Strengths.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.