51728 - Judicial Appointments Commission - Head of Operational Delivery
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.
Location
The Judicial Appointments Commission is located at Clive House, 70 Petty France, London, SW1H 9EX. Our staff adopt a hybrid form of working, which requires attendance in the office to meet business need, with the flexibility to work at home at other times.
Job Description
Are you an experienced senior Operational Delivery manager looking for a leadership challenge in an independent public body that plays a key role in ensuring a high quality, independent judiciary? We are looking for a Head of Operational Delivery to lead the delivery of the recruitment processes for judicial roles in England and Wales.
The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is an independent public body, established in April 2006, to select judges in the courts and tribunals, and non-legal tribunal members. The JAC is responsible for designing, planning and running recruitment campaigns to select judicial office holders up to and including the High Court and Upper Tribunal and we also participate in the selection of senior judicial office holders such as the Lord Chief Justice, the High Court Heads of Division, the Senior President of Tribunals and Lord and Lady Justices of Appeal.
We have a statutory duty to select solely on merit, while keeping our selection processes open to the widest range of applicants. This means continually evaluating and improving our processes to ensure they are fair and open, and that they are identifying the very best candidates for judicial office. We believe in a judiciary that reflects the diverse society it serves, and we have a statutory duty to attract diverse applicants from a wide field. We work closely with a range of organisations on actions at all levels to improve judicial diversity.
You can find out more from our Annual Report and on our website at:
https://judicialappointments.gov.uk/about-the-jac/
In this context, we are now looking for a Head of Operational Delivery.
Your primary responsibilities will be leading our operational delivery teams and overseeing our quality assurance programme and acting as deputy for the Head of Operations and Digital, and in their absence, directly leading the operational teams (about 70 staff).
You will work closely with senior Judiciary, the Ministry of Justice, HM Courts & Tribunals Service, JAC Commissioners and other key interested parties including a cadre of selection panel specialists. You will be responsible for monitoring the quality of selection exercises, driving continuous improvement and being a champion for change and innovation. You will ensure policy compliance and the delivery of planned exercises to a good standard.
The role
Reporting to the Head of Operations and Digital, the Head of Operational Delivery is responsible for the delivery of the selection exercises, and the selection tools that support those exercises, to enable us to meet the needs of the courts and tribunals. Responsibilities include managing a team of around 40 staff and:
- Alongside the Head of Operations and Digital, oversee the delivery of the JAC’s selection exercise programme to overall published performance standards with effective resource planning and allocation.
- Effective leadership and line management of 5 selection exercise teams including their performance and development to ensure they meet the needs of the Commission in regard to meeting business objectives.
- Oversight of Selection Exercise issues, acting as the first port of call in relation to queries from selection exercise teams; leading on briefing of Senior Leaders on Selection Exercises; ensuring escalation of issues as appropriate. This includes Acting as Head of Operations and Digital in their absence.
- Oversight of Selection Exercise Governance through sitting as the Operations representative on a cross-Department Board providing Governance to selection exercise and policy decisions. This includes providing strategic direction and leadership to selection exercises and ensuring appropriate governance and oversight of selection exercises processes.
- Leadership on quality matters for the JAC operations team, including oversight of the Quality Assurance Managers and their work; quality assuring outcome and other customer letters.
- Ensuring the good quality of papers and reports made to the Commission Board, and Selection and Character Committee, including checking SCC papers for accuracy and compliance with policy.
- Acting as the main point of contact between Operations and the Diversity and Equality Team and Selection Policy Team – this includes building effective relationships with Policy colleagues to ensure the smooth introduction of new policies and that operations concerns are taken account of in the development of policy proposals.
- Act as the Operations Lead on providing support to Panel Members, including sitting on the Panel Member Steering Group, ensuring Operations issues are flagged as part of this group and capturing feedback from Panel Members on selection activity.
There is more information in our strategy which you can read here: https://judicialappointments.gov.uk/our-strategy/
This is role is suitable for someone seeking an interesting and complex Grade 7 role with a wide variety of responsibilities.
Essential Knowledge, Experience and Skills:
As well as providing evidence of the relevant behaviours, for this role the following skills and experience are required:
- Outstanding leadership demonstrated through a track record of empowering and motivating others to deliver high quality services.
- Excellent attention to detail in relation to operational delivery.
- A good understanding of how operational delivery, quality assurance, governance and policy are co-dependent functions in a delivery organisation.
- Excellent organisational skills including the ability to prioritise effectively, deliver on time and to a high quality even in ambiguous circumstances.
- Exceptional interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective stakeholder relationships at all levels
Application Process
Applicants will be assessed using Success Profiles on your Behaviours and Experience
To apply for this role you will need to provide:
- Your curriculum vitae (CV)
- A statement of suitability explaining (in not more than 500 words) why you are interested in the role and how you meet the experience and skills required for the role
- Written evidence of the following three behaviours (competencies), see more information here:
Making Effective Decisions
Delivering at Pace
Leadership
Sift
Applications will be sifted based on the CV, statement of suitability and evidence of the three behaviours.
Interview
Interviews will take place in the week commencing 31st January 2022. Interviews will be conducted either face to face or remotely via Microsoft Teams.
At interview we will assess you against the experience and skills required for the role; the behaviours listed above and a further two behaviours:
Communicating and Influencing
Working Together
Applicants invited for interview will be required to undertake either a presentation or a brief work exercise as part of the selection process. More details will be provided if you are invited to interview.
If, after reading this job description, you require any further information please contact Robert Aldridge at Robert.aldridge@judicialappointments.gov.uk
If you have any questions about the recruitment campaign, or any terms and conditions relating to the role please contact the JAC HR Division: Ian.Thomson@judicialappointments.gov.uk
Working Arrangements & Further Information
For nationally advertised campaigns, candidates will be appointed to their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) on the completion of pre-employment checks.
Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.
Flexible working hours
The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices.
Benefits
The MoJ offers a range of benefits:
Annual Leave
Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.
There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
Pension
The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.
Training
The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.
Networks
The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.
Support
- A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
- Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
- For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on UKor Childcare Choices. You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
- Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
- Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code 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. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order
- To Shared Service Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com);
- To Ministry of Justice Resourcing (resourcing-services@justice.gov.uk);
- To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.
You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team.
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.
24/01/2022, 23:55 hours.
If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com Please quote the job reference - opportunity.id.
If, after reading this job description, you require any further information please contact Robert Aldridge at Robert.aldridge@judicialappointments.gov.uk
If you have any questions about the recruitment campaign, or any terms and conditions relating to the role please contact the JAC HR Division: Ian.Thomson@judicialappointments.gov.uk
To apply for roles in MOJ you will need to confirm your employment history for at least 3 years prior to the date of application so that pre-employment checks (BPSS) can be undertaken. If you have spent significant time abroad (a total of 6 months in the past 3 years) you would be required to give a reasonable account of the reasons why.
For some roles you will be required to successfully complete National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorism (CTC), Security Clearance (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV) level as a condition of appointment. To meet CTC/SC/DV requirements you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3/5/10 years prior to the date of application (The level of checks that are required are stated in the advert).
If you do not meet the above requirements, you may still be considered if, for example:
- You've been serving overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of HM Government
- You were studying abroad
- You were living overseas with parents
In such cases you will need to be able to provide referee cover for the period(s) of residence overseas. The duration of overseas residence and the country of abode will also be taken into account.
Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.
We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.
Application form stage assessments
Interview stage assessments
A Great Place to Work for Veterans
The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans
Redeployment Interview Scheme
Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.
MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.
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) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
· 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) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules
This Vacancy is closed to applications.