48091 - Quality Lead

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.

Our vision

Promoting excellence in probation and youth offending services.

Our mission

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of probation and youth offending services in England and Wales. Our mission is to promote positive changes in these services. Our recommendations, research and effective practice guidance drive improvements at individual, local and national levels. This leads to improved outcomes for adults on probation and children in contact with youth offending services, better information and support for victims; and better protection of the public.

Quality Lead Role

The Quality Lead will be a member of the Operations Directorate, reporting to the Head of Inspection Methodology and Assurance. The post holder will work closely with the Head of Inspection Methodology and Assurance, the Head of Training and Development and the Heads of Programmes to lead the inspectorate’s approach to embedding quality and consistency into our core inspections. They will also help develop internal quality standards, quality assurance tools and policies.

The post holder will be proactive in embedding quality practices and will take the lead in sample-based quality assurance on individual inspections and post-fieldwork quality assurance. They will also provide management information on the quality of work undertaken and advise inspection staff, Heads of Programme, Heads of Function and the Director of Operations on any remedial activity that is required.

In order to undertake the OA role, you must:

• have the ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in written format in order to support others’ understanding
• be able to provide feedback to others in a sensitive and constructive manner
• have experience of delivering quality assurance and quality development in a criminal justice organisation.

While the Inspectorate is moving to a hybrid model of inspection (some remote, some on-site), the Quality Lead role involves a considerable amount of travel and time away from home, which could include working away from home on consecutive weeks. Candidates must be confident that they have the personal resilience and stamina to fulfil this obligation. You may also be required to come to Manchester (our main office) to attend internal meetings and training events at various times.  Essentially, you will need to be flexible, resilient and self-reliant in fulfilling the requirements of this role, but we do offer a balanced workload with time spent at home in between inspections.

Successful candidates will be allocated a notional office base, as close to their home location as possible, for the purposes of travel and subsistence, but in practice we are flexible in terms of where in the country you wish to work from.

We warmly welcome applications from minority ethnic and/or Welsh speaking candidates.

The option of part‑time or jobshare contracts can be discussed individually.

Selection Process
You must complete your application by no later than 23:55 Monday 11 October 2021.
We will invite short-listed candidates to an assessment centre, the first part of which will be conducted remotely on the 11 and 12 November 2021. Candidates MUST be available to attend one of these days, we are unable to offer alternative dates.
Candidates who are successful at part one of the assessment centre will be invited to part two, which will consist of an interview, based on a blend of Behaviours and Strengths. Interviews will take place on Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 December 2021.

We recruit using the Civil Service Success Profiles https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

Further information on the structure and expectations of our assessment centre process will be sent to candidates who are successful through the application sift stage.

Further information:

View our website: www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/HMIprobation

If you would like to discuss these posts, please contact HMIP.Enquiries@hmiprobation.gov.uk and we will direct you to an appropriate person to speak to. Please mark your email, in the Subject line – Quality Lead Recruitment September 2021. We would ask that you please read the application information thoroughly first.

Gall ymgeiswyr sy'n siarad Cymraeg gysylltu â Helen Davies ar 0791 949 0420 os ydynt am drafod y swydd yn Gymraeg. Cysylltwch â corporate@hmiprobation.gov.uk os hoffech gael yr hysbyseb hon a'r disgrifiad swydd yn Gymraeg. Marciwch eich e-bost “Cais am Gyfieithiad Cymraeg – QL”.

Welsh speaking applicants can contact Helen Davies on 0791 949 0420 if they wish to discuss the position in Welsh. Please contact corporate@hmiprobation.gov.uk if you would like this advert and job description in Welsh. Please mark your email “Request for Welsh Translation – QL”.

We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all staff. We will not discriminate on grounds of gender, ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation, faith or any other factor not relevant to a person's work.

Key requirements of the role

• Develop, and continuously review the inspectorate’s approach to quality management of inspections, including implementing the quality assurance strategy
• Develop and implement:
• internal practice to support consistent, coherent and high-quality delivery of case inspections
• quality assurance tools, to be used by the post-holder and others in the inspectorate
• quality assurance and control approaches to ensure that inter-rater reliability is assessed and provide assurance for each inspection we undertake.
• Provide feedback to individual inspection staff and managers to support performance assessment and training needs analysis
• Undertake urgent quality assurance assessments as required outside of the normal sampling regime
• Develop a random and risk-based approach to sampling cases in the core inspection programmes for scrutiny to assure quality
• Undertake on-site end-to-end quality assurance including for case inspections in the core inspection programmes, reviewing the source material, observing case inspection interviews and reviewing records of evidence to assess quality
• Work with the Training & Development and Inspection Methodology and Assurance leads to ensure findings from quality assurance are reflected in training and methodology
• Develop links between quality assurance and the professionalisation scheme
• Contribute to the induction and training of inspection staff
• Develop and maintain their own competence at case inspection
• Ensure that we learn from the findings of quality assurance and contribute to the ongoing development of case assessment rules and guidance
• Recognise and promote diversity issues in all aspects of work.

Person Specification - Success Profiles

Changing and Improving

You identify both negative and positive aspects of practice and communicate this to aid learning. You clearly identify when change is required and always maintain a focus on the benefit of improvement for service users and the public. You create an environment where others can reflect upon their own practice and know their voice will be heard. You know when to escalate issues.

Making Effective Decisions

You make decision based on thorough analysis. You clarify your own understanding through collaboration and consultation with others. You arrive at reasonable conclusions after analysing multiple sources.

Communicating and Influencing

You communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing. You communicate openly with a range of peers and stakeholders to ensure objectives are met. You communicate with confidence and respect, adapting your style depending on your audience. You remain open-minded and impartial in discussions.

Working Together

You behave in an open and approachable manner and easily develop good working relationships. You work collaboratively, creating an inclusive working environment where all opinions and challenges are taken into account. You contribute to a strong team spirit amongst the team. You understand others’ needs and motivations and how your work may impact upon them.

Delivering at Pace

You maintain a high standard of performance during challenging circumstances. You review and adjust priorities as needed whilst managing competing demands. You communicate your own areas of strength and limitations to ensure optimal contribution. You work with vigour to manage large volumes of data and a demanding workload.

Essential:

Ability

• IT Skills
• You are confident and competent in the use of Information Technology (e.g. you have experience of using Word, Excel, Outlook, a reasonable amount of case management software, etc.)
• Verbal and Written Communication Skills
• You can communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in written format in order to support others’ understanding. You provide feedback to others in a sensitive and constructive manner.

Experience

• Quality Assurance
• You have experience of delivering quality assurance and quality development in a criminal justice organisation
• Work Experience
• You have experience of working within the criminal justice system

Desirable:

Technical

• Professional Qualification
• You have a professional qualification in probation (adult or youth). You have a related professional qualification in a relevant occupational area e.g. social work.