9138 - Head of Chief Executive's Office
Background
Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service is one of government’s largest agencies, employing around 17,000 staff, with a £1.7bn budget, and operating across more than 450 sites across England and Wales. Our work underpins justice, affecting the lives of millions every year.
We have ambitious plans in place to transform the services we offer to users of the justice system; the government is investing £1bn across our change programmes which will modernise the court estate, updating and replacing its technology, speed up and streamline working practices, refurbish buildings to reduce maintenance costs and provide much improved services for users.
An effective courts and tribunals service is fundamental to our democracy, underpinning the rule of law. This is a unique opportunity to support and enable a major transformation portfolio, designed not just to give our courts and tribunals a sustainable and affordable future, but to further improve how we deliver justice.
Key purpose of the role
The post holder will be responsible for providing high quality, efficient and effective support to the Chief Executive of HMCTS, including preparing Ministerial submissions and briefings, priority papers for the HMCTS Board and its sub committees and the Executive and its sub committees.
The post holder will need to work effectively with the HMCTS Senior Management Team, Ministerial offices and senior teams across MoJ and Whitehall, the senior judiciary and the Judicial Office, as well as external partners and stakeholders, to ensure that HMCTS’s priorities are driven forward and communicated effectively.
The post holder will need to monitor progress and provide challenge to staff at all levels where it falls short. S/he will be expected to exercise judgement and speak authoritatively on behalf of the Chief Executive.
This is a pressured role where the post holder will work closely with senior leaders and have to work to short deadlines and deal with emerging and rapidly changing high profile situations regularly.
Key interactions and requirements will be to
- Manage an effective working relationship with the Chief Executive and the HMCTS Senior Management Team, proactively facilitating timely and high-quality delivery of key advice, briefings, papers and other products.
- Foster and manage effective working relationships with all senior managers and key staff within the HMCTS HQ function and in the regions.
- Work closely with Ministers’ Private Offices, senior MOJ teams, SMT Directors’ offices, Judicial Office, HMCTS Communications and MoJ Press Office.
Key responsibilities
Operational management
- Resolve complex or difficult issues, dealing with situations as and when they arise and ensuring the reputation of HMCTS is protected as far as possible. This will involve reacting to fast moving unusual situations where the postholder will speak for the Chief Executive and ensure the agency’s view are promoted.
- Provision of high quality, timely, accurate and clear advice/briefing to the Chief Executive and, as required, the SMT, on a wide range of issues. This requires being aware of what is going on right across the agency, so the postholder will need to understand and be able to summarise complex policy and operational issues quickly.
- Structure the Chief Executive’s work programme in order to meet their priorities, tracking progress and delivery.
- Ensure systems, practices and procedures operating within the Chief Executive’s office reflect the continuous improvement culture and examples of good practice learnt from others.
- Proactively identify, manage and be accountable for minimising the risk to the business arising from change.
- Lead on identification of risks and support the development of mitigation action plans for those identified
External relations
- Actively manage media handling issues which arise, working closely with the Press Office to reduce potential damage or impact on HMCTS or MoJ. Ensure lines are developed and cleared.
- Build and maintain relations with key stakeholders and act as a primary contact, facilitating positive working relationships despite difficult relationships. The postholder will need to influence and persuade to ensure the Chief Executive’s aims are met.
Representation of the Agency
- Ensure issues are dealt with in line with the Chief Executive’s views, exercising judgement on their view in their absence.
- Act as primary contact between the Chief Executive and wider HMCTS, MoJ central business groups, Ministerial offices, the Directorate of Judicial Offices (DJO) and external stakeholders, whilst ensuring that the Chief Executive’s attention is focused on business critical issues.
Policy
- Drafting of complex and priority submissions and briefings on behalf of the Chief Executive, which require minimal amendment due to time pressures.
- Quality checking and approval of submissions provided to the Chief Executive.
- Use relationships, judgment and understanding of the wider context to provide advice on agency activity adding value to the process and substance of decision making. This will involve changes to handling strategies or advice offered to Ministers.
- Tracking and monitoring performance against work taking place across HMCTS to ensure it is delivering. Providing challenge and support where this is not the case and ensuring that issues are resolved.
Team leadership
- Line management of Chief Executive’s office team (Business Manager and Personal Assistant).
- Manage SCS PB1s upwards, ensuring that more senior colleagues are carrying out the Chief Executive’s wishes, using influencing and persuasion to ensure activities are delivered.
Resolution of complex and difficult problems
- Critical issue management on behalf of the Chief Executive across a range of media, stakeholder and operational matters.
Accountability
- Reporting to the HMCTS Chief of Staff and working directly to the Chief Executive.
Other duties
The post holder is 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 this post.
Location of Post
Due to the nature of this role, the location requirement is 102 Petty France, London.
Key Civil Service Competencies
You will be required to provide evidence of the following key competencies at Level 4 (Grades 6/7).
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
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.
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
Collaborating and Partnering
- Actively build and maintain a network of colleagues and contacts to achieve progress on objectives and shared interests
- Demonstrate genuine care for staff and others – build strong interpersonal relationships
- Encourage contributions and involvement from a broad and diverse range of staff by being visible and accessible
- Effectively manage team dynamics when working across Departmental and other boundaries
- Actively involve partners to deliver a business outcome through collaboration that achieves better results for citizens
- Seek constructive outcomes in discussions, challenge assumptions but remain willing to compromise when it is beneficial to progress
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
- Ensure adherence to legal and regulatory requirements in service delivery and build diversity and equality considerations into plans
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
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.
Eligibility
Staff on fixed term appointments must have been recruited through fair and open competition
29/05/2017, 23:55 hours.
Closing Date: 29th May 2017 at 23:55 hours
If you require any assistance please call 0845 010 3512 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment@noms.gsi.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.
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.