48847 - Portfolio Briefing Lead

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New recruits to the Civil Service joining MoJ are expected to join at the band minimum. This position is available for external applicants as well as existing civil servants on level transfer or promotion. Secondments and loans will be considered on an individual basis. This appointment will be made on a fixed term appointment, due to the time limited nature of the Reform Programme. For existing civil servants, whilst the role itself is time limited, successful appointment on promotion will secure this grade on a substantive basis.

Background:

It is an extremely exciting time here at HM Courts and Tribunals Service. We are currently undertaking a first-of-its-kind Change Programme-The Reform Programme, aimed at delivering pioneering modernisation of judicial services, exploiting digital technologies to deliver services that better serve the public. With over £1 Billion of funding this is the most ambitious programme of its kind anywhere in the world, working to ambitious timescales this is an exciting and rewarding portfolio to be part of.

Reform provides the opportunity to place citizen needs and expectations at the very heart of HMCTS.  People will be able to participate with confidence, be treated with respect and understand what is happening at all stages of their case. Transformation will reduce cost and increase confidence of the judiciary, delivery partners and stakeholders in the justice system whilst delivering benefits both to HMCTS and to the taxpayers. Importantly, service transformation is key to ensuring that HMCTS is on a sustainable financial footing for the future and will enhance the UK justice system as a global leader.

As part of the Strategy & Change Directorate you will be at the forefront of creating and implementing change in our world-leading justice system. The Programme is ambitious, and we need resilient, resourceful and adaptable people, with programme delivery experience, to make it happen.  This is an opportunity to gain fantastic experience in a major transformation programme, develop a range of effective business skills and play a key role in how justice is delivered in this country.

Portfolio Delivery Team:

Reform is delivered by over 50 projects within 5 programmes and 6 workstreams. The Portfolio Delivery Team (PDT) operates as a central management function, overseeing Portfolio reporting, progress analysis and tackling delivery issues. PDT owns the overall delivery plan for the portfolio, performance framework, the 7-steps project delivery framework, risk and issues log and other such key documents for controlling the portfolio. The team ensures that together, all the programmes and projects will deliver the changes in line with the business case; managing dependencies across the portfolio and monitoring the various critical paths to ensure a coordinated transition to the new operating model. PDT owns planning, performance monitoring and reporting, and is responsible for analysing issues, providing insight and recommending solutions to the Senior Management Team (SMT).

PDT is split into two teams: 1) Planning and Performance and 2) Delivery & Insight. This role sits within the Delivery and Insight team. The team enables strategic oversight and management of the Reform portfolio through:

• Providing insight and analysis on the delivery of the portfolio through the reporting function to enable SMT to make effective decisions;
• Producing and delivering regular high-quality briefing papers, working closely with the Directors’ and the Chief Executive’s offices, and responding quickly and appropriately to ad-hoc requests such as responses to the Public Accounts Committee or Justice Select Committee;
• Ensuring that robust processes are in place for risk and issue management and reporting across the portfolio
• Providing a portfolio level intervention approach that is easy to understand, informed and has sufficient insight for both SMT and external partners.
• Aligning briefing and reporting through robust processes with the work of other teams at corporate level and within PDT’s planning, performance, risks and issues, benefits and delivery management teams;
• Implementing long term strategic improvements to ensure that the function can adapt to the changing needs of Reform;

Key Responsibilities:

As the briefing lead you have the exciting opportunity to lead on portfolio-level briefing for the Reform Programme, telling a clear and consistent story of progress:

• Working closely with the Head of Briefing and Reporting to produce both proactive and reactive briefing materials. These will be used by the change directorate for meetings with Ministers, the National Audit Office, Major Project’s Review Group (MPRG), Cabinet Office and other senior members and groups, both within Government and externally;

• Produce concise, relevant and timely assessments and responses for Ministers and senior civil servants with respect to progress of reform;

• Overseeing delivery of engagement products such as briefing packs, scripts, slide packs, technical notes etc. Coordinating the timely delivery of the products;

• Develop subject matter expertise - use knowledge to understand, explain and communicate complex issues to non-specialists verbally and in writing;

• Build and maintain good working relationships with key stakeholders including senior managers / judges, Ministers private offices, wider MoJ colleagues and across other government departments.

• Support the production of the monthly Portfolio Performance Pack (PPP) and associated annexes to update senior civil servants in HMCTS, MoJ, HM Treasury and Cabinet Office on the progress of Reform, ensuring timely delivery and accuracy of information.

Other duties

We are a highly interdependent team and the postholder will be expected to work flexibly and undertake any other duties reasonably requested which are commensurate with their grade and level of responsibility.

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Communication and Drafting: you will lead the production of portfolio briefing material for senior audiences. Strong written communication skills are essential as the work requires the ability to summarise a complex set of facts and technical details and provide advice where there are choices to be made, clearly and succinctly for Ministers and senior civil servants.
• Analytical Skills and Insight: The ability to analyse and present large volumes of qualitative and quantitative data in a concise and meaningful way through working alongside programmes and other portfolio functions.
• Organisation Skills and ability to deliver quality products at pace: This is a fast-paced and exciting team dealing with a wide range of important, and often urgent, briefings. You will need to be able to work flexibly, reprioritising your workload to respond to urgent, reactive requests and deliver products to a consistently high standard.
• Stakeholder Management skills: build a strong network of contacts to respond flexibly to varied briefing requests and manage clearance processes in tight timescales.

If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without a new competition.

The MoJ is proud to be Level 3 Disability Confident. Disability Confident is the approach through which we offer guaranteed interviews for all people with disabilities meeting the minimum criteria for the advertised role as set out in the job description.

Terms & Conditions:

Fixed Term Appointment

This appointment will be made on a fixed term basis, due to the time limited nature of the Reform Programme.

For existing civil servants, whilst the role itself is time limited, at the end of the fixed term period, you will retain your permanent status but will be placed on the re-deployment register.  Successful appointment on promotion will secure this grade on a permanent substantive basis.

Secondments and loans will be considered on an individual basis.

Flexible working options

HMCTS offers a flexible working system in many of its offices.

Job Sharing and Reduced Hours

All applications for job sharing or reduced hours will be treated fairly and on a case by case basis in accordance with the MoJ’s flexible working policy and equality policy.

Excess Fares and Relocation Allowances

This job is not eligible for relocation allowances, but excess fares may be considered in accordance with MoJ’s excess fares allowance policy.