27766 - Head of PDS Solicitors

£49,802 - £80,756 (Salary dependant on base location)
1
12 Months
London, North East, South West, Wales, Yorkshire and the Humber
Cheltenham , Darlington , London, Pontypridd , Swansea
102 PETTY FRANCE LONDON, SW1H 9AJ, CHELTENHAM CRESCENT BAKERY LAA PDS CHELTENHAM, GL50 3PN, DARLINGTON HOUNDGATE LAA PDS DARLINGTON, DL1 5RH, PONTYPRIDD TAFF STREET LAA PDS PONTYPRIDD, CF37 4TD, SWANSEA ORCHARD STREET LAA PDS SWANSEA, SA1 5AG
Grade 7, Grade 6
Ac
Permanent
Full Time
Legal Services

Background

The Public Defender Service (PDS) is a department of the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) that operates alongside private providers delivering a full range of quality services within the criminal defence market. Informed by its participation in the market, PDS contributes credible and expert advice to the government on service and policy development affecting the sector and acts as a test-bed for innovation and quality improvements. PDS operations provide a critical safeguard against market failure across England and Wales, thereby ensuring the LAA fulfils its statutory responsibility to ensure continuous access to justice.

Purpose of the role

To lead and manage PDS Solicitors in relation to the delivery of quality criminal defence services through the four PDS offices at Swansea, Pontypridd, Cheltenham and Darlington, providing advice and representation at the Police Station and Magistrates Court (for ‘own clients’ and via participation in relevant ‘duty solicitor’ schemes), and directly or indirectly in the Crown Court, as appropriate. To provide leadership for an experienced team of legal professionals and associated administrators.

Tasks / accountabilities / responsibilities

The main areas of responsibility for this role are:

  1. Quality and performance of PDS Solicitors services
  2. Leadership and management of PDS Offices
  3. Compliance with Civil Service and legal standards
  4. Advising LAA/MoJ policy development
  5. Managing strategic relationships with criminal/defence community

With a regard to the above, the main activities of the role will include:

Leadership

  1. Be an active participant of the PDS Senior Management Team and the wider LAA Senior Leader Group.
  2. With the Head of PDS:
  3. Work with the Head of PDS Operations to develop and maintain efficient mechanisms to monitor and report on performance.
  4. Work with the Head of PDS Advocacy to develop and maintain legal quality and professional development.
  5. Review business performance weekly and take necessary remedial action, including:

Legal quality and standards

  1. Be the ‘Head of Legal’ for the PDS solicitor business.
  2. Be responsible for the effective operation of the PDS quality review framework of ongoing supervisory activity; monthly file review; internal and external peer review and Standard Operating Procedures;
  3. Plan, oversee and deliver performance reports on framework activity to inform continuous improvement by ensuring that issues arising from performance and quality reviews are dealt with in an adequate and timely manner and contribute to continuous improvement;
  4. Lead delivery of the highest professional and quality standards and achieving quality accreditation, ensuring that duties and obligations are upheld across the service and that PDS legal work achieves a minimum peer review rating of 2;
  5. Achieve and maintain Lexcel accreditation the Law Society’s legal practice quality mark for practice management and client care.
  6. Maintain an up-to-date knowledge and expertise of legal aid and criminal defence law and practice - participating in training courses and seminars and delivering presentations
  7. Manage complaints across the Service and dealing with relevant external bodies as appropriate
  8. Brief the Head of PDS and the Professional Head, on all relevant issues.

People

  1. Lead and manage the Office Heads in an efficient and effective manner
  2. Ensure achievement of assigned personal performance objectives including market failure activity
  3. Ensure effective communication by means of regular team and 1:1 meetings for every team member
  4. Responsible for effective line management within the solicitor team
  5. Review performance regularly and complete fair and constructive appraisals
  6. Ensure that staff are developed to provide opportunities for the individual while also meeting the needs of the business by facilitating CPD reviews and ensuring training/development is undertaken
  7. Assist Office Heads in annual development planning for their teams
  8. Act as a role model by contributing to the LAA and wider MOJ’s corporate agenda, supporting individuals within the solicitor team to do the same

Stakeholder engagement

In conjunction with the Head of PDS:

  1. Manage interactions with Legal Aid Agency, MoJ and other stakeholders.
  2. As necessary liaise with LAA and MoJ colleagues to ensure criminal defence expertise is provided to service and policy development.
  3. Develop relationships with wider criminal justice agencies and legal aid providers
  4. Work with public defence experts to ensure appropriate contribution to wider LAA/MoJ projects and facilitates the engagement of PDS staff assigned to development projects.

Essential criteria

  • Line Management experience and communication skills and personal presence that enable rapport-building with all stakeholders, line reports and teams
  • Financial and operational management skills including budget preparation, budget and performance profiling, execution, monitoring and review
  • Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive fully qualified to practice in England and Wales and with at least 5-7 years post-qualification experience in crime
  • Excellent advocacy skills and experience in preparing a range of cases to trial in both the Magistrates and Crown Courts, and excellent practical knowledge of current Criminal law, evidence and procedure
  • Ability to supervise the legal work and legal service delivery by applying the components of the PDS quality assurance framework
  • Experience in maintaining a quality mark for practice management and client carePersonal resilience with a commitment to personal care, to maintain mental and physical wellbeing of self and line reports in a working environment that may present emotional and other challenges
  • Commitment to the wider aims of the PDS to become an exemplar of best practice in criminal litigation and advocacy and its remit to act as a test-bed for innovation, increased efficiencies and quality improvements for the benefit of the wider criminal defence community
  • Sound IT hardware and Microsoft Office software skills, particularly in Word, and the ability and willingness to operate in a self-sufficient, efficient manner in the creation of high quality documentation and other business information and the flexibly where appropriate to work unsociable hours

Success Profiles

Civil Service Success Profiles apply to this role as relevant to the Band A grade. The main duties and responsibilities of this post include, but are not limited to:

Strengths

Authentic

You are self-aware and true to yourself in all situations, even when under pressure.

Confident

You are an innovator who tries new approaches and pushes yourself to work outside your comfort zone.

Mediator

You provide stability and cohesion within teams, finding common ground and purpose. You enjoy collaborating with others to drive forward a shared goal.

Networker

You proactively create and maintain positive, professional and trusting working relationships with a wide range of people within and outside the organisation. You identify connections and reach out to bring people together.

Problem Solver

You take a positive approach to tackling problems and find ways to identify suitable solutions.

Relationship Builder

You quickly establish mutual respect and trust, building long lasting relationships with others.

Behaviours

Seeing the Big Picture

Anticipate the long-term impact on the Department of economic, political, environmental, social and technological developments, at both national and international levels. Create joined up strategies that put into practice and support the Government’s vision for the future. Identify and shape how your work area fits within and supports the priorities of the organisation. Develop an in-depth insight into customers, services, communities and markets affected by your work areas and the wider public sector context. Ensure work is in the national interest whilst meeting the diverse needs of all end users.

Leadership

Promote diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity, respecting difference and external experience. Welcome and respond to views and challenges from others, despite any conflicting pressures to ignore or give in to them. Stand by, promote or defend own and team’s actions and decisions where needed. Seek out shared interests beyond own area of responsibility, understanding the extent of the impact actions have on the organisation. Inspire and motivate teams to be fully engaged in their work and dedicated to their role.

Delivering at Pace

Ensure everyone clearly understands and owns their roles, responsibilities and business priorities. Give honest, motivating and enthusiastic messages about priorities, objectives and expectations to get the best out of people. Comply with legal, regulatory and security requirements in service delivery. Set out clear processes and standards for managing performance at all levels. Ensure delivery of timely quality outcomes, through providing the right resources to do the job, reviewing and adjusting performance expectations and rewarding success. Maintain own levels of performance in challenging circumstances and encourage others to do the same.

The job holder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.

The MoJ is regrading our Band A cadre and equivalents into grade 6 and grade 7 roles, bringing us into line with much of the wider Civil Service.  We are doing this to:

  • provide more opportunity for people to develop and progress through the organisation from G7 to SCS;
  • mean we can be clear to incoming staff about the level of the role they are applying for. For incoming grade 6 (G6) staff they won’t risk losing existing G6 status; and
  • realign our grading structure with the majority of the wider Civil Service

Working Arrangements & Further Information

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

Generous allowances for paid holiday starting at 25 days per year, and rising as your service increases. 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.

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 any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers
  • Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
  • Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

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.

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.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity.

There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

To be confirmed

27/08/2019, 23:55 hours.

If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or email moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@sscl.gse.gov.uk Please quote job ref 27766.

For more information on this role, please contact us at pds.businessteam@justice.gov.uk, or to apply please visit www.justice.gov.uk/jobs and search using the relevant vacancy reference number above.

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.

if you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance

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

Behaviours
Seeing the Big Picture - word limit
Leadership - word limit
Delivering at Pace - word limit

Interview stage assessments

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.
Behaviours
Seeing the Big Picture
Leadership
Delivering at Pace
Strengths may also be assessed at interview but these are not shared in advance.
Additional Assessment(s)
Presentation

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.