20717 - Head of Operations in Jarrow

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is here to protect the public, reduce offending, and deliver swift access to justice. We recognise that information plays an integral role in delivering our day-to-day business, underpins our operational delivery and policies and ensures our legal obligations are met.

The Offender Subject Access Request Team (OSARs) ensures that offenders are supported through their sentence and rehabilitation by having access to the right information, at the right time, by responding to requests in full and within statutory timescales. This permanent role is essential to ensuring that SARs are processed in line with our legal obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018.

OSARs manages and processes data protection subject access requests (SARs) on behalf of HMPPS, liaising with business areas to retrieve personal information and preparing it for release in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. The team handles more than 7000 requests annually and provides a vital service across HMPPS.

The OSARs team receive requests (from offenders and their representatives) and source all of the information directly from HMPPS systems or by reaching out to establishments. Once all of the requested information is received by the team, they review and redact any information that is exempt from disclosure (known as vetting). The team includes around 100 people working on: logging requests and sourcing the information to respond, vetting, despatching the responses, quality assurance and training. Vetting is a key safeguard, but a significant undertaking.

Main activities/responsibilities:

• Operational Management – embedding strong operational management within the team. Scoping, managing and tracking deliverables, managing risks and resources effectively, and ensuring that accountable decision making is well managed through effective governance. Setting out clear processes and standards for delivery, ensuring delivery of timely, high-quality outcomes. Ensuring adherence to legal, regulatory and security requirements across area. Motivating staff to ensure delivery of overall targets and the ISD business plan.
• Contracting and Delivery – contract work with delivery partners to establish effective outcomes, with the aim of improving service delivery.
• Transformation – researching and applying new ideas and ways of doing things. Encouraging and supporting innovations from others, willing to experiment and follow ideas through to implementation. Identifying, highlighting and actioning further opportunities for services and process improvements.
• Team Leadership – acting as the champion for the team, taking ultimate authority and personal accountability for effective delivery across all workstreams. Providing clear leadership and strategic direction to the team and senior managers. Planning, leading and effecting positive cultural change, securing commitment and buy-in and promoting a positive long-term vision. Having a well-defined Communication and Engagement model in place to ensure all teams understand the performance of the business and understanding the teams’ needs.
• Knowledge management – identifying, sharing and promoting best practice and lessons learned to create a culture of learning and good practice that supports continuous improvement to optimise delivery. Responsible for developing the operational talent pool by optimising the skills of the existing team and attracting the very best external talent.
• Stakeholder engagement – identifying, analysing and communicating with stakeholders, using appropriate channels, to ensure outputs (including guidance) and other communications are high quality.

Person Specification:

• Strong operational leadership experience, and experience managing a large team.
• Proven ability to present a compelling vision to a team, setting direction and motivating everyone to work towards a common goal.
• Experience in leading by example, encompassing the Civil Service Code of Conduct and MoJ values.
• Commitment to engaging, motivating and coaching others, and creating an open and honest culture that promotes diversity and equality.
• Committed to challenging unacceptable behaviour.
• Experience adapting to changing circumstances and adverse situations while remaining calm, reassuring others and maintaining performance.
• Ability to demonstrate achievement of results in operational leadership e.g. business improvements, cost savings, performance management.
• Excellent leadership, people management, communication and influencing skills at a senior level, including writing compelling and persuasive submissions and business cases.
• Ability to translate business strategy into day-to-day delivery.
• Experience managing financial resources against budgets, securing value for money, and making the case for additional resource.
• Ability to build, maintain, manage and influence key stakeholders.
• We are particularly interested in candidates who have experience of data protection, or candidates who are willing to learn this area of work and have a keen interest in it.
• Strong quality assurance skills, with experience of monitoring performance, analysing outcomes and ensuring compliance with agreed standards, policies and legislation.