About the job

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

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.

Organisation

The Judicial Office (JO) is a unique branch of the civil service, independent from the machinery which supports the Government, and dedicated to supporting the judiciary as the third arm of the state. We promote and safeguard judicial independence to maintain confidence in the rule of law. We are answerable not to Ministers but instead, through our Chief Executive, to the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales and the Senior President of Tribunals as we help them to fulfil their responsibilities to the judiciary.

We support c.22,000 judicial office holders, providing policy, legal and handling advice, and operational support. This includes advice on judicial leadership, support with relationships with Government and Parliament, assistance with justice sector reform, judicial education and training, comms, and HR.

Overview

This is a permanent HEO post in the Strategy and Modernisation Team.

New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range.  

Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules. 

The role is based in Royal Courts of Justice, London, with some remote working in line with JO policy and according to business need.

Overview of the Team

This advertisement is for a Higher Executive Officer (HEO) in the Strategy and Modernisation Team. The Strategy and Modernisation Team sits at the centre of the Judicial Office to advise, facilitate and implement key strategic policies for the modernisation of the judiciary. The team consists of several individual strands which support on jurisdiction-specific projects in each of the Criminal, Family, Civil and Tribunals jurisdiction, alongside two additional cross-jurisdictional strands which support the delivery of the Lady Chief Justice’s strategic priorities, such as the Modern Judiciary project and Working Practices Review.

Summary of the Role

The Higher Executive Officer (HEO) Strategy Advisor will be expected to work flexibly across several portfolios, with a particular focus on Civil and Family strands. The role will involve providing administrative and secretariat support for judicial-led projects, regularly engaging with and supporting senior judges on these projects, and working closely with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) on projects to digitise and modernise the courts and tribunals.

The jurisdiction-specific strands of the team work closely and collaboratively with the Private Offices of their relevant senior judges, and this HEO role will involve developing close working relationships with the Private Offices of the Master of the Rolls and the Deputy Head of Civil Justice and the Private Office of the President of the Family Division. They will also provide secretariat support for judicial engagement and working groups in the £1.3 billion HMCTS Reform Programme: a role which will involve liaising closely with senior judges to ensure judicial views and expertise are integrated effectively into these projects.

Key Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

• Supporting the SEOs and G7s to assist in the delivery and monitoring of various efficiency and modernisation projects.
• Supporting the SEOs and G7s to ensure the successful delivery and implementation of outstanding HMCTS Reform products. As the Reform programme moves to the next phase this will include leading on implementation plans, ensuring judicial readiness, monitoring progress, addressing concerns, briefing judges, co-ordinating meetings, and drafting comms. 
• Assisting SEOs and G7s in collaborative policy research and design
• Arranging and accompanying senior judiciary on court visits.
• Providing senior judges with briefings ahead of key meetings, governance decisions, and court visits.
• Build good working relationships with key stakeholders across HMCTS and the MOJ to aid successful implementation of reform, efficiency and modernisation projects, ensuring that judicial views are taken into account and that any risks or issues are raised and addressed.
• Providing secretariat for judicial engagement and working groups in the Civil and Family jurisdictions
• Taking notes and preparing readouts of meetings with senior judiciary, JO and HMCTS
• Attending HMCTS governance group meetings and contributing on behalf of Judicial Office and the judiciary when required
• Working closely with Judicial Office Communications teams and the Judicial College so that the required judicial awareness, communication and training products are made available to support new Reform products and other modernisation projects
• Arranging meetings for senior judiciary

 

Essential Knowledge, Experience and Skills

• Strong communication skills and attention to detail, with experience of communicating to and writing for different audiences
• Strong organisation skills to handle multiple ongoing workstreams to different timelines
• Collaboration skills working across the team and wider organisation
• Ability to manage ad hoc tasks

Desirable Knowledge, Experience and Skills

• Experience of working closely with the judiciary.
• Knowledge/experience of the courts and tribunals system more widely.

Behaviours

Civil Service Success Profile Framework recruitment will apply.

Applicants will be asked to submit a CV and a Statement of Suitability explaining how they have the relevant knowledge, experience and skills for this role. They will also be assessed against these behaviours during the selection process: 

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Should we receive a large number of applications we will sift primarily on the lead behaviour of Working Together. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview.

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

Candidates invited to interview 

Please note that interviews will be carried out virtually on MS Teams. 

During the panel interview, you will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of, and strengths-based questions to also explore what you enjoy, and your motivations relevant to the job role. 

There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.  You can refer to the Civil Service Strengths dictionary for more details.

Eligibility

The role would suit a substantive HEO.

The successful candidate will start in June 2024.

You should discuss your application with your line manager in the first instance to ensure that you can be released for the duration of this position.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,174, Ministry of Justice contributes £10,074 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. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.