31563 - Higher Executive
Higher Executive Officer
Are you bright, motivated and want to use your talents to help make a difference to the lives of victims of violent crime?
We have opportunities for people to work as Senior Decision Makers in our frontline operational teams to help us deliver a sensitive, fair and efficient service. The Senior Decision Maker role can also involve presenting cases at Appeals Hearings across Scotland, England and Wales on a rotation basis and travel and overnight stays may be required. There may also be opportunities for Team Manager and Support Team roles within the business.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. We receive over 30,000 applications a year for compensation from people who have lost loved ones or have been injured through violent crime. We know financial compensation can never fully redress what they have suffered. Nevertheless, what we do is an important part of providing justice for victims and we take pride that the compensation we pay helps people move forward with their lives. The applicants you will help have suffered as a result of violence and you will need to be able to show sensitivity and compassion, whilst maintaining your own personal resilience whether speaking to people on the telephone or processing applications.
We employ around 300 people and are based in Glasgow city centre with excellent transport links. We are a small, engaged, productive workforce with a real sense of corporate community. We want to keep improving our services and the way we work to best serve the public, meet new challenges, deliver value for money and ensure CICA is a great place to work.
Senior Decision Maker key responsibilities
• Decide complex compensation applications and draft letters advising applicants or representatives of the outcome of claims
• Provide advice to case working teams regarding the gathering of evidence necessary to decide on applications
• Keep up with technical and legislative developments and regulations and disseminate this as required
• Recommend and implement quality initiatives to enhance and add value to the CICA as well as making an effective contribution to quality initiatives
Also, on a rotation basis:
• Prepare and research cases as required on behalf of CICA which will be presented at Appeal Hearings
• Present on behalf of the CICA at applicants’ Appeal Hearing, as necessary
• Provide feedback to operational colleagues on decisions made at Appeal Hearings and where appropriate advice and support to enable more effective decision making.
Skills & Qualifications
Essential criteria:
- Excellent drafting and communication skills
- Ability to self-manage, plan and prioritise
- Excellent analysis and investigative skills
- Strong interpersonal skills to develop effective working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
- Strong attention to detail
- Highly focused on delivering projects and objectives with a strong personal commitment to supporting the business in achieving its goals in a changing environment
- Ability to understand and use statistical information appropriately
- Confidence to make presentations on formal settings e.g. Appeal Hearings
- Ability to travel on a national basis to present at applicant Appeal Hearings
Desirable criteria:
- Experience in handling complex casework and decision making
- Experience of working with legal documents and/or statutory regulations
- A degree in Law
The Higher Executive Officer role involves a strong commitment to delivering personal and team objectives linked to the CICA Story and our Business Plan. It will also require strong interpersonal skills to develop effective working relationships with a wide range of internal and possibly external stakeholders. Successful candidates will be able to work with multiple sources of information and decide complex compensation claims based on the available evidence and provisions of the compensation scheme. They will possess excellent written and numerical skills.
Line management roles will involve demonstrating strong leadership, engaging with team members to continuously improve service and achieve operational performance measures.
By embedding the Civil Service Leadership statement, line managers will also be responsible for taking ownership and addressing issues of concern such as performance, attendance management and misconduct in a proactive, sensitive and timely manner following MoJ HR policies and procedures.
As part of a team, you will be required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of a Higher Executive Officer role. It is not intended that each post holder will be responsible for the full range of duties.
To ensure that new colleagues have the best possible training and consolidation experience, we ask that successful applicants are prepared to attend full-time, fixed hours (9am – 5pm) for a period of up to 8 weeks. Details of training will be confirmed prior to appointment.
Once fully competent in the role, colleagues may be offered further flexibilities at management discretion. This may include the opportunity to work from home for 1 day per week.
Selection process details:
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a personal statement, maximum 1250 words, outlining how your personal skills, qualities and experience match the essential criteria of the post.
If you are invited to interview, we will assess you against the following behaviours during the selection exercise
Making Effective Decisions
Changing and Improving
Managing a Quality Service
Delivering at Pace
During the panel interview, you will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of and strength-based questions to explore what you enjoy and your motivations relevant to the job role.
We may also ask you to deliver a short presentation details of which will be provided when you are invited for interview.
A reserve list will be created and will be valid for 12 months if further vacancies arise for this or similar Higher Executive Officer roles, candidates may be appointed from the reserve list in order of merit.
We offer flexible working 7am – 7pm, Monday to Friday, on full-time (37 hours per week) or part-time patterns.
If you are currently working for an Other Government Department (OGD) and would like to consider the impact on your pay when joining CICA, or if you have any questions about this role, please email the Corporate Support Team at corporate.support@cica.gov.uk
CICA is committed to being an inclusive employer with a diverse and representative workforce at all levels. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures and experiences, who meet the criteria and have relevant experience they can bring to the role.
We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, from LGB and trans/non-binary candidates, and from people with disabilities, as they are currently underrepresented within our organisation. All appointments will be made on merit based on fair and open competition.
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. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order
1- To Shared Service Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@sscl.gse.gov.uk);
2- To Ministry of Justice Resourcing (resourcing-services@justice.gov.uk);
3- To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)
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.
Grading Structure Review
The Ministry of Justice is currently undergoing a review of posts which are currently graded at Band A to realign our grading structure with the majority of the wider Civil Service.
Posts advertised at Band A may be graded at either Grade 6 or Grade 7 once the review has taken place.
23/01/2020, 23:55 hours.
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.