86282 - Policy and Practice Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION: 

Policy and Practice Manager

Grade: HEO

Reporting to SEO Lead for Member Policy and Guidance

About the Parole Board

The Parole Board is an independent court-like body that carries out risk assessments on prisoners to determine whether they can be safely released into the community. We do that with great care and public safety is our number one priority.

All Parole Board decisions are solely focused on whether a prisoner would represent a significant risk to the public after release. Not all decisions members make are popular, but they make these decisions fairly and objectively.

The Board is made up of about 180 secretariat staff and approximately 300 Members who make decisions on risk and hold hearings remotely and at prisons around the country.

The Parole Board is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Ministry of Justice. Staff who work for the Parole Board Secretariat are Public Servants and not Civil Servants.

The Parole Board recruits on a national basis and our Head Office is in Canary Wharf, London. Your salary will be determined by your location on the Civil Service pay scales.

You will be required to spend 20% of your time in person contact. This is either at the Head Office, a Ministry of Justice (MoJ) hub office, with Parole Board colleagues, members or MoJ colleagues, or in training. If you are a national candidate, please be aware that if successful, you will be expected to attend the Canary Wharf office at least quarterly for team or staff meetings. Travel for these purposes will be reimbursed for national employees. This role will require some travel outside of these requirements.

About the role

The Policy & Practice Manager is part of the Policy Hub. The post provides advice and support with policy and guidance development and helps to ensure that it is informed by best practice and incorporates amendments resulting from changes in legislation, case law and other external factors. 

You will gain an understanding of how parole policy develops and how existing policy is kept under review.  You will work with both the two Leads for Member Policy and Guidance (SEO) and the Lead for Policy & Research (SEO) to develop and maintain comprehensive and accurate guidance materials and other resources. The role will also involve managing day-to-day practice enquiries alongside the Policy & Practice Advisor (HEO) and contributing to the timely and effective delivery of specific projects and other initiatives.

It is expected that over the coming year the postholder will become involved in work flowing from legislation and other parole system reforms.

This role provides excellent opportunities to:

• Work collaboratively on a variety of interesting policy and research areas
• Work closely with senior stakeholders, judicial, independent and specialist (psychologist/psychiatrist) Parole Board members, and colleagues at all levels
• Work with external stakeholders across criminal justice agencies
• Gain experience in an environment of continuous improvement
• Manage business critical and high profile workstreams

Person specification

The job holder will need:

• Excellent interpersonal skills to deal with challenging situations and build relationships with key stakeholders
• Excellent communication (oral and written) skills
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to plan ahead and effectively manage a workload with competing priorities
• The ability to analyse and summarise information in a relevant way for different audiences

Main Duties

Policy Development

• Develop and maintain comprehensive and accurate policy and guidance materials for members, in liaison with the two Leads for Member Policy & Guidance, the Lead for Policy & Research, other Parole Board functional hubs, members and external stakeholders. Lead on the development of guidance in specific areas. Notify and guide the membership about practice developments.
• Provide advice to members in response to enquiries about any aspect of practice. This will include general enquiries about practice guidance and operational matters, casework specific enquiries and assessing whether enquiries require legal advice or operational input. Escalate enquiries to the two Leads for Member Policy and Guidance where necessary.
• Ensure the content of policy and practice sections of both the internal and external platforms are updated as needed.
• Manage effective development and change in policy and guidance, in response to external and internal factors, such as new legislation, outcomes of judicial reviews, and learning from practice issues, complaints and other feedback. 
• Contribute to responding to external consultations and peer reviews of documents from criminal justice agencies.
• Work with other criminal justice agencies to align policy, where appropriate, and ensure their policy development takes into account the requirements of parole.
• Work with the Policy and Research Manager to ensure findings and recommendations from research inform policy and practice and support the research function, as needed.
• Support and manage work flowing from legislation and other parole system reviews and their impact on existing policy, practice and guidance.

General

• Contribute to the Policy Hub’s business plan and appropriate organisational and corporate policies.
• Support member engagement and training activities related to policy and research, including assisting in the planning, preparation and delivery of such activities.
• Project manage specific projects for the Chief Operating Officer and/or Head of Policy as delegated.
• Other tasks appropriate to the role as assigned from time to time by the Chief Operating Officer and/or, Head of Policy as delegated.
• Attend national and regional meetings and events which may require occasional travel and overnight stays.
• Contribute and support the continuing development of equality and diversity aims, reflected across staff, members and our work.
• Role model management and professional behaviours in line with the Parole Board’s vision, values, and competence framework.
• Undertake these responsibilities in line with current legislation, local and national policies, and the key documents listed below.

It is essential that you have:

• Experience of developing and advising on policy and practice
• Proof-reading skills
• Experience in communicating with internal and external audiences
• Good analytical skills to understand complex legislation, research, and other technical information
• Excellent planning and organisational skills
• Skills in building good working relationships and networks with internal and external contacts

It is desirable that you have:

• Understanding of the parole process
• Experience of working in the criminal justice system

Behaviours

We will assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and influencing
• Delivery at pace
• Working Together

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Check.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Strengths. At the sift stage you will be assessed against Behaviours and a statement of your suitability for the role and of how you meet the essential criteria. At the interview stage candidates will also be required to complete a 30-minute written assessment.

Should a large number of applications be received, the initial sift may be conducted using a lead behaviour. This will be the behaviour which is listed first in the job advert.

Any persons successful in gaining an interview will need to bring in photographic ID, and two items which prove address dated within the last three months. Failure to do this may result in the successful applicant’s offer being withdrawn.

If you are part of the Civil Service and are applying for a job in a non-departmental public body (NDPB) (or vice versa) by moving jobs this will involve a change of employer and you may break the statutory rules on continuity of employment.