23353 - Portfolio Manager

£52,064 - £70,356
1
12 Months
London
London
10 SOUTH COLONNADE LONDON, E14 4PU
Grade 7, Grade 6
A
Permanent
Full Time
Administration / Corporate Support, Programme and Project Management

Summary

MoJ has ambitious plans to reform the justice system and at the same time transform itself into a smarter, simpler and more efficient department. The scale and pace of the reforms is challenging and requires a large portfolio of interconnected policies, projects and business changes to be delivered successfully.

As part of the Portfolio & Assurance team, your key challenge will be to provide a definitive view of change activity across the department to inform key decisions and focus leadership on actions that will support the delivery of change. You will have a passion for delivering change and the personality to lead and influence people throughout the department. Your primary focus will be to maintain a fact-based view of the progress of change activity and dependencies, and to flag cross cutting risks and issues. You will also lead on developing visually engaging ways of presenting information on change to different audiences and lead on the planning and management of work across the Team. Given the size and complexity of the portfolio, you will enjoy working with partners throughout MoJ as well as with data, presentations and plans.

This is a unique opportunity for ambitious, self-starters to work at the heart of MoJ on one of the biggest reform agendas in Whitehall. We welcome applications from high calibre individuals who would like to be involved in leading the team and developing our services.

Key responsibilities

As portfolio manager, you will be required to provide strategic direction and leadership of the team. Your objectives will be to:

  • Develop the portfolio management capability across MoJ
  • Develop strong relationships with Project and Portfolio offices throughout MoJ and an environment that supports collaboration, openness and transparency
  • Maintain a definitive view of change activity, and its progress though planning and delivery stages, that is aligned to strategic, business and financial planning
  • Track the progress of projects against key time, cost and quality milestones with a clear view of dependencies and the impact of any slippage
  • Work closely with Corporate Finance, Analytics and the Strategy Unit to ensure that data collection and management is joined up and efficient
  • Develop simple and powerful tools that enable ExCo and other audiences to quickly focus on the actions to be taken to enable change and unblock issues
  • Provide high quality reports and advice to the Executive Management Committee of the Board (and relevant sub-committees) and Ministers.
  • Develop mechanisms for measuring benefits
  • Liaising with Cabinet Office on the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP)

Skills and Experience

You will have experience of portfolio management and a keen interest in how it can help the department improve the delivery of change. This may come from a background in project planning and delivery, or in data analysis and visualisation. Your skills and experience should include:

  • Project planning and performance measurement
  • Working with data to provide a view of the whole picture that is more than the sum of the parts
  • Developing visually engaging tools and presentations that drive targeted action and key decisions
  • Building strong stakeholder relationships that are based on openness and trust
  • Working across boundaries, collaborating with and drawing on resources from across government
  • Working independently and flexibly with a focus on delivering outcomes, not just following process
  • Leading by example and role modelling behaviours that support the successful delivery of change
  • Adopting an optimistic and pragmatic approach to solving problems
  • Having a knowledge and an interest in portfolio management and delivery methodologies and how to apply them
  • Reporting and presenting at board level

Competencies

You will be required to provide evidence of the competencies as set out in the Civil Service Competency Framework including:

Making Effective Decisions

  • Push decision making to the right level within their teams, not allow unnecessary bureaucracy and structure to suppress innovation and delivery
  • Weigh up data from various sources, recognising when to bring in experts/researchers to add to available information
  • Analyse and evaluate pros and cons and identify risks in order to make decisions that take account of the wider context, including diversity and sustainability
  • Draw together and present reasonable conclusions from a wide range of incomplete and complex evidence and data – able to act or decide even when details are not clear
  • Identify the main issues in complex problems, clarify understanding or stakeholder expectations, to seek best option
  • Make difficult decisions by pragmatically weighing the complexities involved against the need to act

Managing a Quality Service

  • Exemplify positive customer service behaviours and promote a culture focused on ensuring customer needs are met
  • Establish how the business area compares to customer service expectations and industry best practice and identify necessary improvements in plans
  • Make clear, pragmatic and manageable plans for service delivery using programme and project management disciplines
  • Create regular opportunities for staff and customers to help improve service quality and demonstrate a visible involvement
  • Ensure the service offer thoroughly considers customers’ needs and a broad range of available methods to meet this, including new technology where relevant

Changing and Improving

  • Understand and identify the role of technology in public service delivery and policy implementation
  • Encourage a culture of innovation focused on adding value – give people space to think creatively
  • Effectively capture, utilise and share customer insight and views from a diverse range of stakeholders to ensure better policy and delivery
  • Spot warning signs of things going wrong and provide a decisive response to significant delivery challenges
  • Provide constructive challenge to senior management on change proposals which will affect own business area
  • Consider the cumulative impact on own business area of implementing change (culture, structure, service and morale)

Delivering at Pace

  • Get the best out of people by giving enthusiastic and encouraging messages about priorities, objectives and expectations
  • Clarify business priorities, roles and responsibilities and secure individual and team ownership
  • Adopt clear processes and standards for managing performance at all levels
  • Act as a role model in supporting and energising teams to build confidence in their ability to deliver outcomes
  • Maintain effective performance in difficult and challenging circumstances, encouraging others to do the same
  • Review, challenge and adjust performance levels to ensure quality outcomes are delivered on time, rewarding success

Leading and Communicating

  • Be visible to staff and stakeholders and regularly undertake activities to engage and build trust with people involved in area of work
  • Clarify strategies and plans, giving clear sense of direction and purpose for self and team
  • Stand by, promote or defend own and team’s actions and decisions where needed
  • Confidently engage with stakeholders and colleagues at all levels to generate commitment to goals
  • Lead by example, role modelling ethics, integrity, impartiality and the elimination of bias by building diverse teams and promoting a working environment that supports the Civil Service values and code
  • Be open and inviting of the views of others and respond despite pressure to ignore, revert or concede

Seeing the Big Picture

  • Anticipate economic, social, political, environmental and technological developments to keep activity relevant and targeted
  • Identify implications of Departmental and political priorities and strategy on own area to ensure plans and activities reflect these
  • Create policies, plans and service provision to meet citizens’ diverse needs based on an up-to-date knowledge of needs, issues and relevant good practice
  • Ensures relevant issues relating to their activity/policy area are effectively fed into strategy and big picture considerations
  • Adopt a Government-wide perspective to ensure alignment of activity and policy
  • Bring together views and perspectives of stakeholders to gain a wider picture of the landscape surrounding activities and policies

Enquiries re the role should be directed to Jayne Millions via email - jayne.millions@justice.gov.uk

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 salary sacrifice arrangements for childcare vouchers, and voluntary benefits such as retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
  • 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.

Interviews are expected to take place in 10 South Colonnade - date to be confirmed
n/a

21/01/2019, 23:55 hours.

Closing Date: 21st January 2019 at 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@sscl.gse.gov.uk Please quote the job reference.

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.

Candidate Information

You may be required to provide statements describing your skills and experience relevant to each of the selection criteria. We recommend that you structure any examples as Situation, Task, Action and Result. For more information about the recruitment process and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

In the event of a large number of applications, we reserve the right to undertake the following processes:


  • An automated online test where a benchmark must be passed to progress;
  • A sift on the lead selection criteria. If this happens, the lead criteria will be the first one listed in the advert.

During the selection process, you may be asked to undertake an additional assessment (such as written test). If this is applicable you will be notified of this when you are invited to interview.



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
Making Effective Decisions
Managing a Quality Service
Changing and Improving
Delivering at Pace
Leading and Communicating
Seeing the Big Picture

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

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.

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.