25056 - Policy Advisers, Vulnerabilities Division

£23,647 - £37,806 (Salary will depend on location)
2
12 Months
London, North East
Leeds , London
102 PETTY FRANCE (MOJ) LONDON, SW1H 9AJ, 5 WELLINGTON PLACE LEEDS, LS1 4AP
HEO
C
Permanent
Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working
Policy

About the MoJ

The principal role of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is to uphold the rule of law, the cornerstone of the British way of life. It delivers services that are some of the most fundamental in a democratic society. In doing so it has responsibility for a number of key elements of the justice system, including prisons, courts, tribunals, legal services, youth justice and the probation service.

The Ministry of Justice supports the Secretary of State and the Justice Ministerial team to deliver the Government’s programme. Our work spans criminal, civil, family and administrative justice, together with responsibility for making new law and safeguarding human rights. The Ministry works in partnership with other Government departments and agencies to serve the public, improve the justice system and support victims of crime.

Working with ministers and senior leaders, you will form a detailed understanding of how policy proposals are developed, delivered and managed in government. Further, you will do so on policy areas which have a significant impact on our society: protecting the public, upholding the rule of law, and providing a just, proportionate and accessible justice system.

 

About the Directorate

The Family & Criminal Justice Policy Directorate sits at the heart of MoJ’s policy agenda, working to reform complex systems that deal with some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Vulnerabilities Policy Unit is a fast paced, exciting team delivering on a high-profile portfolio. We work closely with Ministers, No10, the Senior Judiciary, and a wide range of other Whitehall departments, to tackle a range of complex issues and everything the teams do to deliver wide ranging portfolios is uniquely focussed on supporting those that need it most.

Joining our team(s) will give you opportunities to:

  • Use and develop policy making, problem solving and strategic thinking skills across a number of complex and challenging issues
  • Work closely, and often at speed, with senior officials and Ministers, as well as press and private offices on high profile issues;
  • Work in partnership with other government departments, operational partners at a local level, and a wide range of high-profile stakeholders on a suite of interesting policies;
  • Demonstrate and enhance your financial and analytical skills working closely with finance and analytical colleagues to understand the financial impact of policy ideas and make innovative policy within wider financial constraints;
  • Manage key relationships with senior judiciary and other external stakeholders and ensure that the Government, prisons, probation and the Courts work together effectively to deliver for vulnerable people; and
  • Develop your leadership skills.

Flexible working (including home working, condensed hours and job sharing) is encouraged but successful applicants will be expected to spend a proportion of their working week in London.


About the roles

There are currently up to 2 Policy Officer (Band C) vacancies in the following teams.

Policy Advisers – Vulnerabilities Policy Unit

The Vulnerabilities Policy Unit leads on the Ministry of Justice’s cross-cutting vulnerabilities agenda, and aims to improve the experience of vulnerable people across the justice system. The division includes teams working on domestic abuse, mental capacity, child sexual abuse, criminal injuries compensation, and Registered Intermediaries, allowing us to bring a greater focus to supporting vulnerable users and protecting their rights whilst also playing a key part in the Government’s wider vulnerabilities agenda. We are a relatively new team which offers the opportunity to help shape a new team ethos and culture as well as contribute to forming the strategic narrative around these issues. Our team is comprised of people from different backgrounds and professions with a range of flexible working arrangements.

We are looking to recruit a policy officer in the Mental Capacity Policy team. This team is responsible for all aspects of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA), which is the legal framework which empowers, supports and protects vulnerable people who may have impaired mental capacity due to disability, injury or illness. The role will be responsible for developing policy on the application of the MCA, including policy relating to the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) and the Court of Protection, and will also provide secretariat support for the Court of Protection Rule Committee. This role provides the opportunity to work with senior members of the judiciary, as well as legal stakeholders and social care practitioners, and other government departments on a complex and evolving area of public policy.

We are also seeking a policy officer to join the the Domestic Abuse Policy Team. The team recently published a Government consultation response and draft bill. Between the draft Bill and its consultation response, the Government is making 120 commitments to tackle domestic abuse, which will now need to be implemented. The post holder will be joining a small team to work jointly with the Home Office on driving this important programme of work. We are looking to recruit a policy advisor who is a motivated, self-starter to help shape, deliver and promote the work of the Domestic Abuse Policy Team, including taking personal ownership for particular work strands. The team works closely with Ministers, No10, and the senior judiciary to tackle a range of complex high-profile and fast-evolving issues.

 

Skills & Qualifications

You are required to have:

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • The ability to make sound judgements and to articulate these persuasively.
  • Knowledge and familiarity with basic project management approaches is desirable.
  • Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, tact and diplomacy and experience in dealing with senior figures;
  • Good political awareness and the proven ability to communicate effectively to a wide range of audiences and to negotiate solutions to problems.

 

You will be required to provide evidence of the following competencies:

Making Effective Decisions (Lead Competency)

  • Identify a broad range of relevant and credible information sources and recognise the need to collect new data when necessary from internal and external sources
  • Recognise patterns and trends in a wide range of evidence/ data and draw key conclusions, outlining costs, benefits, risks and potential responses
  • Invite challenge and where appropriate involve others in decision making to help build engagement and present robust recommendations

Collaborating and Partnering

  • Encourage collaborative team working within own team and across the Department
  • Establish relationships with a range of stakeholders to support delivery of business outcomes
  • Readily share resources to support higher priority work, showing pragmatism and support for the shared goals of the organisation

Delivering at Pace

  • Show a positive approach in keeping their own and the team’s efforts focused on the goals that really matter
  • Take responsibility for delivering expected outcomes on time and to standard, giving credit to teams and individuals as appropriate
  • Coach and support others to set and achieve challenging goals for themselves

Seeing the big picture

  • Be alert to emerging issues and trends which might impact or benefit own and team’s work
  • Develop an understanding of own area’s strategy and how this contributes to Departmental priorities
  • Ensure own area/team activities are aligned to Departmental priorities

Leading and communicating

  • Continually communicate with staff, helping to clarify goals and activities and the links between these and Departmental strategy
  • Recognise, respect and reward the contributions and achievements of others, valuing difference
  • Communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner with all stakeholders and stand ground when needed

Further information about each competency can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-competency-framework

 

How to apply

Applicants should send a one page CV and covering letter setting out how you meet the competencies above by x. In the event of receiving a high number of applications we will sift initially on the making effective decisions competency. Applicants who are successful at the sift stage will be invited to interview where they will also be required to complete a written exercise.

If you would like to find out more about the roles, please contact Mel Panteli at mel.panteli5@justice.gov.uk or on 07989 657 846. Roles are available to applicants already at the substantive grade and on promotion.

Please be aware, if successful and you are not currently a Civil Servant, the Ministry of Justice does not negotiate pay, you are expected to start at the minimum pay scale.

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.

To be communicated

28/03/2019, 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 - 25056.

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.



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
Making Effective Decisions
Collaborating and Partnering
Delivering at Pace
Seeing the Big Picture
Leading and Communicating

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

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.

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.