90288 - Head of Area Executive Director’s Office - South East & East

Overview of the job    

The job holder will report directly to the Area Executive Director and will form part of the Area Executive Senior Management Team, which is accountable for the performance and development of prisons and probation services within the Area. In certain instances, this will also include the National Service which the Area Executive Director has responsibility for. 
 
This is a leadership role, managing and developing an immediate team as well as establishing strong working relationships with the Area Executive Senior Management Team, to enable a cohesive Area Team that works well together. Additionally, strong stakeholder management skills are required to gain the confidence of and build productive relationships with central teams, senior managers, and external partners. 
The job holder will be responsible for the management, oversight, and development of the Area Executive Office function. This will include identification and oversight of work required within the Area, ensuring it is progressed and prioritised effectively. They will make sound judgements on decisions that they can make on behalf of the Area Executive Director and those that need to be escalated to them.

The job holder will have line management and development responsibility for staff in the Area Executive Director office. and may include management and oversight of staff within the Directorate working remotely from the office team.

The job role will be based primarily within the relevant Area and there will be a requirement to visit operational places of work within the area. Attendance in London and other venues for meetings will also be required.

This is a non-operational role, open to operational or non-operational staff.

Summary    

This is a Senior Manager post, and the job holder will need to ensure that the Area Executive Director is effectively supported. This will include overseeing efficient business management processes, problem-solving, providing relevant and useful advice, demonstrating sound judgement, managing risk (escalating and communicating where appropriate), and conducting ad hoc activities and non-routine work as required. 

The job holder has a key role in strategic planning within the Area, ensuring alignment with wider Agency and Ministerial objectives and identifying opportunities for better ways of working and improved join up between prisons and probation and across the Area. They will be involved in setting the priorities for their Area and have oversight of delivery of these and key performance measures.

The job holder will provide leadership, vision and strategic direction for the Area Executive Directorate holding accountability for ensuring any risks are communicated and managed and that the work by the Directorate contributes to HMPPS priorities.

The job holder will need to be abreast of significant developments within HMPPS and wider government, advising the Area Executive Director of where engagement or input may be required to ensure that impacts on the Area are considered, and, where possible, reflected in decision-making. 

The job role can be fast paced with priorities often shifting quickly and significantly, requiring the job holder to be able to flex plans and be skilled in prioritising.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties    

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities, and duties:
•    Providing strong leadership to the immediate Area office team and, as part of the Area Executive Senior Management Team, helping to establish a healthy culture and leading through challenges and change. 
•    Management of the Area Executive Office to ensure that the Area Executive Director is fully supported, this will include establishing and overseeing effective business management processes within the Area Office team and with PGDs and RPDs, ensuring that accountabilities and responsibilities are agreed and understood, and that work is undertaken at the appropriate level with escalation as appropriate. 
•    Strategic and business planning for the Area, working closely with the wider Area team and ensuring an understanding of wider organisational objectives to identify Area priorities. Oversight of plans to ensure that these are effectively recorded, communicated, and monitored. 
•    Playing a key role in the continuous improvement of the Area to promote safe and secure prisons, effective rehabilitation, protection of the public and reductions in reoffending. This will include identifying opportunities for better ways of working and improved join-up between prisons and probation and across the Area, including maintaining and developing constructive links with key organisations and partners. 
•    Working with performance leads and teams, oversight of performance, assurance and risk management of prisons and probation services within the Area to be able to advise and brief the AED appropriately. This includes ensuring areas of concern are flagged as well as recognition of improvements and overseeing a coordinated response and monitoring of progress. 
•    Representing the Area Executive Director, undertaking activities on their behalf, including attending meetings as required.
•    Managing the Area Executive Office’s relationship with headquarters (MoJ and HMPPS) to ensure efficient processes, effective communication and information sharing and utilisation of central expertise. 
•    Work alongside Business Partners to ensure effective workforce planning and budget management for the office and Area.
•    Providing advice and briefings to HQ and Ministers on high-profile issues within the Area as well as any Area-wide issues or those impacting multiple prisons/PDUs within the Area, consulting closely with the operational line on the detail.
•    Building productive working relationships with the rest of the Area Executive Senior Management Team and their wider teams to ensure the effective running of the Area as a cohesive unit. 

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

Behaviours    

•    Leadership
•    Communicating and Influencing
•    Seeing the Big Picture
•    Making Effective Decisions

Ability    

•    Ability and skills to represent HMPPS to stakeholders at senior management level and clearly demonstrated understanding of the role of HMPPS related to stakeholders.
•    Have high levels of integrity and professional credibility.
•    High level written and oral communication skills to prepare and deliver ministerial level briefs. 
•    Ability to function effectively and autonomously in a challenging environment with a high level of personal resilience.

Experience    

•    Experience of business planning and budget management.
•    Is a competent and proven senior manager with previous operational experience or a strong understanding of the operational environment in which this role is delivered. 
•    Experience and skills in leading and managing in a complex change management context. 
•    Effective high-quality skills to lead and manage staff to achieve demanding objectives. 
•    Demonstrates sound judgement and has the ability to build effective working relationships, and to influence and negotiate with internal and external stakeholders at a senior level in a complex and multi-layered delivery landscape.

Hours of Work (Unsocial Hours) Allowances  

37 hours

Factor Examples

Please provide job-specific examples to support the factors below (please refer to guidance for completion):

Skills & Knowledge    

A proven record of leadership inspiring staff, successfully engaging senior leaders, leading change, and performance improvement, and building capability to deliver business objectives.

Whilst accountability will remain with the Area Executive Director the Job holder will have advanced knowledge and strategic understanding of wider policy work gained through their extensive knowledge of or work in operations. They will provide authoritative advice to HMPPS and MOJ Policy leads on incorporating this into strategic decision making and to understand the wider organisational policy and competing drivers (such as Finance, HR, Reform and MoJ specific). 

Demonstrates ability to produce high quality management information through others for a wide range of senior stakeholders within HMPPS and MOJ including HMPPS Executive Board, and Ministers.

Will have the skills to negotiate with Chief Executives, Directors, Senior managers and a broad range of subject matter experts and policy groups to influence development of activities and ensure they inform and meet commissioning intentions and prison and probation priorities

Able to demonstrate excellent stakeholder management skills. The post will be required to represent the Area Executive Director and HMPPS within a complex delivery environment including across HMPPS (prison and probation), MOJ, HQ function and contracted prisons.

Accountability & Decision Making    

The job holder is responsible for strategic responsibility and line management of the area office support team and national support team 

On behalf of the Area Executive Director (AED holds ultimate accountability) accountable for making decisions regarding non-operational performance improvement initiatives made at prison and probation group level and where necessary devising strategies to support improved performance

Represent the Area Executive Director at strategic meetings and work with senior personnel within the wider HMPPS Directorates and Contracted prisons 

Accountable for decision making on behalf of the Area Executive Director (AED holds ultimate accountability) with stakeholders in the wider Civil Service, such as Education and Health providers when coordinating prison improvements, particularly where establishments are under Urgent Notification or Special Measures.

Provide advice and support to HMPPS HQ initial assessment teams during visits to prisons under Urgent Notification or Special Measures

Demonstrate the knowledge and skills to provide strategic advice with the authority of the Area Executive Director to Prison Group Directors and Regional Probation Directors and their offices in their designated area. 

Problem Solving 

The post holder will be required to deal with day-to-day problems within their functions of responsibility. In addition, more complex problems regarding the delivery of objectives may require the post holder to make decisions, or to recommend a solution to the Area Executive Director.

Accountable for developing innovative solutions to problems to ensure safe, decent, and secure environments within a rehabilitative culture. The Job role will ensure best value for money and contribute to policy and practice including risk-based evaluation and escalation process.

Work with the Area Executive Director to solve complex multi-faceted problems in their area, regions and locally and between the relevant Directorates, HMPPS HQ and wider MOJ including the Reform agenda. This includes statistical analysis of performance and management information in order to make informed decisions and being innovated to meet Directorate priorities. 

The post will use consultative and co-operative methods to devise suitable processes and resolutions to problems including engagement with Trade Unions at both local and national levels.

A significant amount of the work will be non-routine and will require the job holder to research/investigate/consult with a wide range of disciplines, prison groups or establishments prior to developing solutions or proposals which may impact across the PSP Directorate, within individual groups or wider service.

Develop solutions ensuring the integration and interpretation of information, and exercising a significant level of independent judgement which may require changes to existing working practices. 

High levels of innovation and creativity will be necessary as the job holder will be required to address problems and develop solutions in areas where there is no precedent or existing relevant response. This may impact within the Area Directorate or wider estate.

Resource Management and Financial Impact    

Jobholder needs to be aware of the implications on their area’s prison and probation establishments when developing/revising/advising on policy and when making requests to Prison Groups or Probation Regions for action/information.

The job holder is responsible for the resources and budget within the Area Executive Director office team and ancillary equipment and budget. At the discretion of the Area Executive Director additional budgetary responsibilities will be required to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the area’s finances. 

Accountable for advising Area Executive Director when developing business cases. This will include consulting with specialist leads within HMPPS to ensure consistent application of policy and to understand competing pressures and priorities. 

Provide advice to Area Executive Director on capital bids submitted. Work with Finance and Estates leads ensuring that the Area delivers value for money against identified objectives.

Organising and Planning    

Aid in the development and implementation of medium- and long-term business and strategic priorities for their Area, consulting with key stakeholders with MOJ and HMPPS HQ, area, regional and locally. Additional liaison will be required with the wider Civil Service, Ministers, and external partners such as NHS and Police Commission to ensure that all priorities align with the overall business strategies. 

The post holder will be required to consult with HMPPS HQ teams on Urgent Notification and Special Measures in order to respond to a wide range of requests but not limited to ministerial and government briefings, Select Committees, HMIP and GIAA reports, Select Committees, HMIP reports, ensuring turnaround times and time limits are adhered to

The Job holder will need an extensive understanding of the workings of government and how their work aligns to policy and procedure linking their work and the work of the Area to overall corporate business plans and strategy 

The Job holder will have a broad understanding of how their area business plan aligns to the strategic priorities within the business and other government departments

People Management    

Responsible for the leadership of staff within the Area Executive Directors office function to include direct line management of Operational/Non-Operational staff 1 x band4 Personal Assistant, and other roles Band 9 and below e.g.: such as B8 Wellbeing Lead etc 

Timely production and completion of SPDRs, agreeing personal development plans and creating individual learning paths on the staff database, timely accurate recording of any absence and clear and accurate performance management. (Currently 1xPA) 

Information Management    

Groups within job holders’ remit (and job holder) will be required to provide responses to (for example) Parliamentary Questions, Freedom of Information requests, prisoner Complaints, Judicial Review, Freedom of Information requests and Ministerial Correspondence. The job holder may be required to oversee this work and sign off on the final lines and draft.

Collate, organise, analyse reports produced and provided from a wide range of sources but not limited to recruitment, retention, Learning and Development, safety, and estates for Area Executive Director for bilateral meetings with DGO, CEO, COO. Attend bilateral meetings when required in AED absence. Provide information and advice on behalf of the Area Executive Director to the PGDs/RPDs Director HMPPS including any restricted information.

Oversee analysis of performance data from all sources. Coordinate production of management information by PGD/RPDs to highlight areas of concern or good practice to the wider Area Directorate.

Job holder may be required to read and understand a broad spectrum of documentation and represent the Executive Director where required including Data Working Group and Performance Assurance Boards.

Job holder will provide advice and guidance for key stakeholders (including HMPPS HQ Policy Leads) in relation to the policies within the job holder’s area of responsibility.

Shares information as appropriate within the Directorate and with internal and external stakeholders, keeping relevant data and evidence in line with records management policies.

Access to extremely sensitive and commercially sensitive information on behalf of the Area Executive Director 

Influencing and interaction    

Maintain regular contact with area office team to ensure delivery of agreed area priorities.

The post holder is the critical link in delivering the wider agenda for the management of risk within their area and via interactions with their Area Executive Director., PGD/RPD/TU/HMPPS HQ/MOJ and contracted services 

Must provide a balanced view between the competing policy and resource needs in offering advice and proposing any necessary actions to the Area Executive Director.

The post holder will develop key relationships with PGDs/RPDs and area SLT to achieve the organisational objectives which helps the Area Executive Director to evaluate performance against objectives 

The Job holder will have wide ranging contact with external providers and stakeholders regarding the implementation of projects and/or the delivery of business objectives within their Area. This work may be unstructured and ambiguous due to the change management and project management environment and the need to change direction/priorities, as necessary.

Job holder is often required to attend meetings within HMPPS prison and probation on behalf of the Area Executive Director; this may require influencing or negotiation skills 

Influencing and persuasion skills are an important part of the role. Examples of this include:
•    The role often requires the job holder to request action/information from prisons and probation, HMPPS HQ and MOJ.
•    The job holder will act as a point of contact for the Area Executive Director and will filter and action matters at own discretion escalating matters to the Area Executive Director when felt necessary.
•    The job holder may be required to influence decision making by Area Executive Director which contribute to the risk management and assurance of the Area

Emotional Demand and Risk    

In the course of their duties the Job holder will represent the Area Executive Director and HMPPS when visiting the prisons and probation estate. Site visits will include interaction with offenders in custody and people on probation including but is not limited to attending meetings and focus groups. 

The Job holder will be required to access and review disturbing casework in the course of their duties in order to resolve concerns and conflicts