24956 - Governance & Secretariat Manager
Position: Governance and Secretariat Manager (Band B)
The Permanent Secretary’s Office is a fun, busy and energetic place to work – the interface between Ministers, Executive, Non-Executive Directors and the rest of the department.
The Governance and Secretariat Manager acts as a deputy to the Head of Board Secretariat, responsible for ensuring good governance across the department, promoting strategic planning and good decision making on a range of business in the department.
Due to the high and frequent level of exposure to sensitive and high-profile issues, you will be expected to work professionally and exercise discretion. The post would provide an excellent opportunity to gain a real insight into how the department operates as well as a chance to build a network of contacts across the MoJ at a senior level. You will have a good understanding of the benefits of good governance and how this can help a department deliver successfully.
You will be working in a fast-paced environment and need to be flexible and responsive to changing priorities. You will also need to work closely and collaboratively with a number of Director Generals and CEOs and their Private Offices, requiring resilience and good judgement.
Key responsibilities
The role involves:
- Leading on providing professional Secretariat services to the weekly Executive Committee meeting, setting strategic agendas and advising the Permanent Secretary on issues that require escalation/navigation. This includes minute writing, driving forward ExCo Actions and ensuring there is an appropriate Forward Look of business;
- Working closely with Director Generals and CEOs for HMCTS/HMPPS to ensure issues that require their attention are prioritised and escalated appropriately;
- Making sure the Committees and department work in a co-ordinated, efficient and transparent way;
- Proactively engaging with the wider Department, sharing best practice and advising on good governance.
- Seeking ways to continually improve the service and advice we offer to Committees, the wider Department and the Permanent Secretary.
- Ensuring the information provided to and from Committees is of the highest quality, produced on time and enables informed decision-making.
- Line management of a Band C who services the Financial Management and Investment Committees;
- Acting as a Deputy to the team, providing leadership to make sure the overall team is delivering a tailored, effective and efficient service.
Skills & Qualifications
Candidates must possess:
Essential:
- Good political understanding in order to identify potential issues of interest to senior officials.
- Track record in maintaining effective relationships with a wide variety of people, including very senior officials, such as Director Generals.
- Excellent persuading, influencing and negotiation skills including the ability to push back on senior officials.
- Strong self-starter, able to get to grips quickly with a range of different policy/ delivery areas.
- Proactive approach, with excellent organisational skills, attention to detail and an ability to work under pressure.
- Excellent communications skills, particularly minute writing.
- Strong level of proficiency of Office 365.
Desirable:
- Knowledge and awareness of key policy and change initiatives across the MoJ or willingness to develop this;
- Experience of working closely with corporate governance in a public sector organisation.
- Understanding of good practice in corporate governance.
Competencies
You will be required to provide evidence of the competencies as set out in the Civil Service Competency Framework including:
Seeing the Big Picture
Making Effective Decisions
Leading and Communicating
Delivering at Pace
Managing a Quality Service
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.
22/03/2019, 23:55 hours.
Closing Date: 22nd March 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.
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.