Change Officer - Midlands (Ref: 10816)

Overview

Change Officer at HMPPS (HM Prison & Probation Service). The Change Officer role is an integral part of Area and National Change Delivery teams, working across Prison and Probation. Change Officers report to Area Change Managers or, for National Directorates, the National Head of Change Delivery. The role oversees and delivers local and nationally identified change initiatives, working across multiple prisons or probation establishments. They may act as the lead or main point of contact for a specific establishment or geographical area and use digital systems and tools (such as Gateway Management System, GMS, and Project for the Web, PftW) to tier, record and track change activity and progress against defined metrics.

Team Role: Work collaboratively with colleagues to deliver change and provide oversight of active or led change projects. Engage in quality assurance and peer review and seek opportunities for professional development. Uphold civil service values and model equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging across the team.

Responsibilities and Activities

• Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain effective working relationships with regional or national change agent stakeholders across prisons and probations, including staff such as Business Managers and Heads of Business Assurance. Support the development and execution of communication strategies for change projects. Attend and present at local/group/regional/national meetings, including governance boards and stakeholder groups as required.
• Compliance: Ensure compliance with the Gateway Management System (GMS) and work according to national expectations defined in service level agreements and GMS/PftW protocols. Maintain accuracy and completeness of project records and monitor policy adherence.
• Change Management Excellence: Apply best practices in change management, manage projects to deliver them successfully and align with organizational goals. Lead task and finish groups, project meetings and focus groups to drive delivery.
• Performance Monitoring and Reporting: Contribute to monthly reporting within Prison Groups and Probation Regions. Interpret data and articulate its meaning at establishment or regional levels. Provide regular project updates to line managers and ensure PftW and GMS data are accurate. Track change impact, identify and resolve barriers or escalate issues when milestones are missed.
• Risk Management: Proactively identify risks, decisions and opportunities; develop mitigation strategies and escalate to line managers as appropriate. Maintain and update risk registers for change activity.
• Continuous Improvement: Apply continuous improvement and lean methodologies to identify system improvements and enhance project delivery. Seek ways to expand knowledge of operational change and share insights with the team.

About the Change Delivery Group

Thank you for your interest in joining the HMPPS Change Group, led by Deputy Director Matthew Wilson and part of the Change Directorate (CD), led by Executive Director Matt Grey. The group includes approximately 175 staff across three functions and represents about half of the Change Directorate. The team is evolving in response to the OneHMPPS HQ redesign and wider HMPPS commitments. Since last year, the Gateway Management System (GMS) has expanded to include the prison service to capture, coordinate and sequence change and minimise frontline impact. There are 6 Area Change Delivery Teams and 3 National Change Delivery Teams that coordinate local and national change projects across HMPPS. The Midlands Area Change Delivery Team is led by Jenna Titley and covers East and West Midlands Probation and Prison Groups. We are committed to evolving the service, benefiting from the directorate’s experience and investing in your potential.

Change and Governance Context

Across HMPPS, numerous change workstreams operate at any time. Some workstreams fall within portfolios with governance and mandatory reporting, while others are outside portfolios yet still supported. On a monthly basis, the Change Board, chaired by the Executive Director, reviews change across the agency on behalf of the HMPPS Leadership Team (HLT).

Change Lifecycle and How We Capture Change

We forecast, coordinate and manage change to minimise frontline impact. The Gateway Management System is the mandatory central system for capturing change proposals or information requests, mapping and sequencing them to provide leaders with a clear view of workload and priorities. The system supports operational excellence and aligns with our strategic principles.

The Basic Lifecycle of a Change Programme

Most projects follow a similar lifecycle with four key stages:

• Planning and preparation
• Development and initiation
• Design and delivery
• Handover and closure

Our Change Group provides support throughout the lifecycle, with some teams offering post-closure evaluation support.

Selection Process and Behaviours

There will be an information briefing about the role on a given date and time; assessments will consider the following behaviours: Changing and Improving; Delivering at Pace; Making Effective Decisions; Managing a Quality Service; Working Together.

Benefits

• Access to learning and development
• Flexible working options to enhance work-life balance
• A culture that promotes inclusion and diversity
• Civil Service pension with employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave and Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance

Additional Information

For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances, and answers to general queries, please visit the Candidate Information Page. The vacancy uses Success Profiles and will assess Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. Feedback is provided for interview or assessment attendance. A criminal record check and baseline security checks are required. Nationality requirements apply as outlined in the posting. The Civil Service Code and merit-based recruitment principles apply, including diversity and equal opportunities. The Civil Service also offers recruitment and support schemes for candidates with disabilities and redeployment opportunities as appropriate.