28002 - Policy Advisors - Bail, sentencing and release policy

£30,389 - £37,806
2
12 Months
London
Westminster
102 PETTY FRANCE (MOJ) LONDON, SW1H 9AJ
HEO
C
Permanent
Full Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working
Policy

The Ministry of Justice

We believe justice is the foundation of a safe, fair and prosperous society.

The department is at the heart of the justice system, an organisation working together with our partners, to bring the principles of justice to life for everyone in society. One of our aims is to protect and advance the principles of justice: from our civil courts, tribunals and family law hearings, to criminal justice, prison and probation services; from seeing to it that sentences are served and offenders are encouraged to reform, to keeping the public safe; from safeguarding victims and the vulnerable, to regulating our legal services.

Together, we create the circumstances for our country to prosper and for our citizens to thrive. This has never been more important than it is today.

The Bail, Sentencing and Release Policy team sits at the heart of the Ministry of Justice’s mission of delivering a world class justice system that works for everybody. We oversee a wide range of challenging and stimulating policy priorities relating both to the court system and prisons and probation.

Questions of the use of custody, policy on the release of offenders and the prison population are always high on the political agenda. We are responsible for delivering some of the top priorities for the Justice Secretary, supporting the departmental objective to ensure a sustainable prison population, in particular through creating policy on short custodial sentences, co-ordinating cross-departmental management of the prison population, developing policy on the release of prisoners (including on home detention curfew), sponsorship of the Sentencing Council, and implementing reform of the Parole Board.

We are looking for two highly motivated individuals, one working on adult custodial sentencing policy and one working on parole policy and the delivery of reforms to the parole system.

Custodial sentencing team

The team is responsible for a variety of areas related to sentencing policy, including consolidation of the law governing sentencing procedure (via the Law Commission’s Sentencing Code project), ensuring that maximum custodial penalties for offences ranging from domestic abuse to knife crime to terrorism are proportionate and effective, policy responsibility for the Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme, and sponsorship of the Sentencing Council. We also provide input into the policy on the use of short custodial sentences, a major priority for Ministers.

Key responsibilities for the custodial sentencing team role

We have an urgent need to resource work on the Law Commission’s Sentencing Code project, the landmark consolidation of sentencing procedural law, published in November 2018. Ahead of the consolidation the Government needs to make substantive amendments to the law to allow the new code to work, through a government Bill, the Sentencing (Pre-consolidation Amendments) Bill, currently before the House of Lords. Amongst other responsibilities, the Bill will need a Policy Advisor to support its successful delivery on time.

This will include:

  • preparing key Bill documentation, Ministerial briefing and Q&A;
  • supporting Ministers in Parliament as the Bill progresses;
  • responding to queries and considering any amendments;
  • finalising the Government’s response to the Law Commission’s report on the Sentencing Code;
  • supporting progress of the Sentencing Code itself, including preparing for its successful implementation.

This comes at a time when broader sentencing reform is one of the top priorities of the Justice Secretary, and the new team member will be involved in a range of activities to support policy development on sentence reform as well as contributing to reporting on the prison population. You will also be responsible for drafting correspondence in relation to custodial sentencing policy, providing advice to Ministers as required, responding to queries and drafting answers to Written and Oral Parliamentary Questions in this policy area.

We operate as a flexible team and there will be the opportunity to work on a range of these priorities, to provide for your development and to experience a breadth of different policy areas.

Essential skills

For this role you are required to have:  

  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Ability to build relationships with a range of stakeholders
  • Ability to work flexibly in a fast-paced environment
  • Experience of the policy development processes

Further to this it would be desirable, but not essential, for the post-holder to:

  • Knowledge of parliamentary processes
  • Experience of law reform and a grounding in legislation
  • Experience in criminal justice policy

Parole Policy and Reform Team

The independent Parole Board for England & Wales is responsible for determining whether it is safe to release certain types of prisoners back into the community on licence. The work of the Parole Board is high-profile and its decisions are frequently the subject of attention from national media, Members of Parliament and groups representing both prisoner and victim interests.

The Ministry of Justice is the sponsor department for the Parole Board and the new Parole Policy and Reform Team is responsible for the government’s policy on parole and the legislative framework under which it operates. The team was set up in the wake of the extensive reviews of the parole system following the John Worboys case in 2018 – to identify, develop and deliver reforms to the parole system (mainly aimed at improving transparency and re-building confidence in the system). The primary functions of the team are to work with the main stakeholders (HM Prison & Probation Service, the Parole Board and victim policy leads) to deliver the reforms to come out of the reviews – including a new Reconsideration Mechanism for Parole Board decisions and a new set of Parole Board Rules. The team will monitor and evaluate the success of the reforms and advise ministers on progress and any further changes that may be required to further improve the system.

The team will also be responsible for identifying and resolving any barriers preventing the effective operation of the parole process, and to keep the Parole Board Rules under regular review. Future changes to the Rules will be initiated by a new Rules Committee to be established later this year. The team will provide Secretariat functions to the Committee, will contribute to its decisions and will be responsible for delivering the secondary legislation necessary to amend the Rules.

This is an exciting opportunity for the post-holder to work on a high profile, wide-ranging and interesting subject. You will need to work with stakeholders who sometimes have conflicting priorities and you have regular contact with senior officials, legal advisors, press office and private office.    

Key responsibilities for the Parole Policy and Reform team

  • Work with the team and key stakeholders to identify, analyse and devise solutions to any issues that need to be addressed in order to maintain an effective and efficient parole process
  • Support the creation of a new Rules Committee and to provide secretariat functions for future Committee meetings
  • Work with team in preparing for Committee meetings and acting on their recommendations. If the Committee recommends further changes to the Rules then this will require secondary legislation
  • Monitoring and reviewing the implementation and impact of the Parole Board Rules 2019 – working with stakeholders on collecting data and management information to measure performance, actual costs and other impacts
  • Provide policy advice and support in response to stakeholder enquiries about the operation of the parole process
  • Providing briefings / submissions / responses to questions and correspondence

We operate as a flexible team and there will be the opportunity to engage in related work across the area of sentencing and release policy to provide for your development and to experience a breadth of different policy areas.

Essential skills/experience

For this role you are required to have:  

  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Ability to build relationships with a range of stakeholders
  • Ability to work flexibly in a fast-paced environment
  • Experience of policy development

Further to this it would be desirable, but not essential, for the post-holder to have:

  • Knowledge or understanding of the parole process, prisons and/or probation services
  • Knowledge of parliamentary processes

Application process

These vacancies are using Success Profiles. For more information visit:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

You will be required to provide evidence of the following behaviours at application stage, and we recommend you use the Situation Task Action Result (STAR) format in structuring your answer.

  • Communicating and influencing
  • Seeing the big picture
  • Working together
  • Delivering at pace

If we receive a large volume of applications, we will sift on the lead behaviour: ‘Communicating and influencing’.

The application will also require you to briefly explain your employment history and any relevant skills or experience for the post. (Please note we cannot provide detailed feedback if you are unsuccessful at sift stage.)

If you are invited to interview, we will assess you on the behaviours listed above and on a range of strengths. For more information on strengths we may assess, visit: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717274/CS_Strengths_2018.pdf

Please note, as well as appointing two people from this recruitment, we will be keeping a reserve list for 12 months.

These vacancies are using Success Profiles. For more information visit:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

You will be required to provide evidence of the following behaviours at application stage, and we recommend you use the Situation Task Action Result (STAR) format in structuring your answer.

          If we receive a large volume of applications, we will sift on the lead behaviour: ‘Communicating and influencing’.

          The application will also require you to briefly explain your employment history and any relevant skills or experience for the post. (Please note we cannot provide detailed feedback if you are unsuccessful at sift stage.)

          If you are invited to interview, we will assess you on the behaviours listed above and on a range of strengths. For more information on strengths we may assess, visit: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717274/CS_Strengths_2018.pdf

          Please note, as well as appointing two people from this recruitment, we will be keeping a reserve list for 12 months.

          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 voluntary benefits,retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
          • For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers
          • 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.

          Expected Between w/c 12th August - w/c 26th August

          02/08/2019, 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 - 28002.

          Contact details

          Adult custodial sentencing: Ollie.Simpson@Justice.gov.uk

          Parole Policy and Reform: Kevin.Breame1@justice.gov.uk

          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
          Communicating and Influencing - word limit
          Seeing the Big Picture - word limit
          Working Together - word limit
          Delivering at Pace - word limit
          Experience
          Statement of Suitability - 250 word limit

          Interview stage assessments

          There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.
          Behaviours
          Communicating and Influencing
          Seeing the Big Picture
          Working Together
          Delivering at Pace
          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.