25726 - Legal and Information Directorate, Team leader

£23,647 - £33,601
8
12 Months
East Midlands, West Midlands
Birmingham , Nottingham
NOTTINGHAM OPG NOTTINGHAM, NG2 1AR, THE AXIS BIRMINGHAM, B1 1TG
HEO
C
Permanent
Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working
Legal Services

Overview


We are looking for highly capable team leaders to join our supportive team where we can offer a challenging and exciting career.


The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) protects people in England and Wales who may not have the mental capacity to make certain decisions for themselves, such as about their health and finance. This role will be critically important to achieving our vision of protecting and empowering people who may lack capacity, providing support to those who act on their behalf and promoting future choice and planning in advance of a lack of capacity. The OPG is internationally recognised as a leader in this area.


The OPG will register approximately 800,000 powers of attorney and supervise 60,000 deputies per year. It has a staffing compliment of 1800 employees.


The legal and information directorate in the OPG has two business areas, legal and information assurance. The team supports all other business areas within the organisation to deliver the functions of the Public Guardian and his Office. The team’s many roles include offering guidance, legal advice and information assurance, litigation, providing research and assisting the Public Guardian, the OPG board and the Executive board in matters of policy and law.


We would be thrilled to receive applications from candidates whatever stage you are at in your career.


These vacancies are for permanent roles based in either our Nottingham or Birmingham office.


Our career offer


While previous experience or knowledge is relevant, the directorate’s work is likely to involve a rapid learning curve to acquire skills and knowledge to lead a team and support the Public Guardian and our professional legal colleagues. We will provide support to help you acquire the necessary expertise. The directorate encourages its people to develop their skills and provides opportunities to move between its different business areas. The team is small and close supportive working is essential.


Areas of our work


The legal function operates and manages the litigation process for the OPG from drafting applications to representing the Public Guardian at the Court of Protection (COP). The team also has to provide usable guidance for other large business areas. This guidance must be up to date, easily understood and at times may require the development and delivering of training.


The role of the information assurance team is to support and enhance the activity of the OPG and ensure that it complies with departmental policy and legislation pertaining to the management of information.


This includes the provision of advice and guidance to the business on knowledge and information management. This includes records management, information security, information governance and managing requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection Act. The team also support the Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) and Information Asset Owners (IAOs).


The Directorate has a number of Band C roles available where you will be leading a team to deliver a key aspect of these duties. As we have number of roles it would useful if you indicated in the application process any of the desirable criteria that you have knowledge of.


Key responsibilities include:


  • Ensure that team leaders and teams manage their work effectively, within agreed/published targets and standards. To support the delivery of the OPG business plan;
  • Management of a litigation diary and cases that are progressing through the Courts;
  • To work closely with the directorate and teams across OPG, to develop improved ways of delivering legal and IA support responding quickly to changing priorities and work levels;
  • To identify trends (including training needs of other teams), to improve coordination of work and to predict future demands. To report regularly on trends and performance;
  • To identify staff training needs on own teams and be actively involved in training/coaching other OPG staff as required;
  • To support, directly, the head of the directorate in delivering corporate areas of work for the teams, OPG and wider MOJ;
  • To lead and manage and support the delivery of projects on specific areas of work within the directorate using appropriate techniques;
  • To support teams in the implementation of policy changes and new legal guidance, including delivering training;
  • To lead and support on staff engagement to ensure the OPG, the directorate and the team are an inclusive and welcoming place to work;
  • Continually develop and maintain your and your business areas knowledge of processes;
  • Liaise with colleagues across OPG to ensure that work is effectively managed and to foster good working relationships across the directorate, OPG and COP;
  • Identify and implement improvements to service delivery and work with all staff to ensure these are rolled out across teams;
  • Positively promote and implement diversity and equality of opportunity in all areas of work;
  • Take reasonable care for own health and safety, for the safety of others and abide by OPG Health and Safety procedure;
  • To become familiar and compliant with all OPG corporate governance policies;
  • Undertake any other duties commensurate with the skill set of this post;
  • Support and contribute to the aims, objectives and performance of OPG staff initiatives appropriate to this grade.

Skills & Qualifications


Desirable Criteria


  • Knowledge of the following legislation – Mental Capacity Act 2005, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Data Protection Act 2018 and Freedom of Information Act 2000.
  • Knowledge of Court Procedures
  • Proficient in the use of standard Microsoft office products.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Flexible approach to dealing with the changing nature of the work.
  • Ability to independently plan and manage a caseload, and analyse physical data.
  • Ability to work across all grades and areas of OPG, MoJ and other government departments and to work to deliver competing priorities.

Application process


This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and we will assess your Strengths, Ability, Experience and the following Behaviours:


  • Working Together level 3
  • Managing a Quality Service level 3
  • Changing and improving level 3

Form of application: CV plus a supporting statement of no more than 750 words setting out how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the behaviours.


Strengths based analysis


If you are successful at sift, you will be invited to an interview which will follow the Success Profiles process (see above). At interview candidates should expect strength based questions and questions on the behaviours listed above:


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.

TBC

25/04/2019, 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 - 25726.
Please note the successful applicant will need to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Security Check for this post.

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
Working Together - word limit
Managing a Quality Service - word limit
Changing and Improving - word limit

Interview stage assessments

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.
Behaviours
Working Together
Managing a Quality Service
Changing and Improving
Strengths may also be assessed at interview but these are not shared in advance.

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.