7170 - Deputy Secretary to the Civil Justice Council, Judicial Office

A unique opportunity to help lead the work of the Civil Justice Council (CJC), considering how to make the Civil Justice system more accessible, fair and efficient, and supporting its development. This role offers genuine scope to develop and demonstrate broad policy making skills, to facilitate and help lead thinking, policy, and the commissioning of projects and academic work, all from a critical position at the heart of the Civil Justice System.

The Judicial Office (JO) is a unique branch of the civil service, independent from the machinery which supports the Government, and dedicated to supporting the judiciary as the third arm of the state. We promote and safeguard judicial independence to maintain confidence in the rule of law. We are answerable not to Ministers but instead, through our Chief Executive, to the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales and the Senior President of Tribunals as we help them to fulfil their responsibilities to the judiciary. We support c.22,000 judicial office holders, providing policy, legal and handling advice, and operational support.

The postholder will join the Judicial Private Offices directorate. The business units include operational private offices; jurisdiction and policy private offices; and the Judicial Executive Board Secretariat.

You will have significant autonomy in the day to day running of the Council. Strong working relationships with members of the judiciary, officials, lawyers and other diverse stakeholders in the civil justice system are integral to the role. You will need to be able to work with and value the contributions of people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Your responsibilities will be broad and will include:

• Planning and attending Council meetings, working group meetings, and events;
• Policy support and the production of policy papers;
• Being a public face for the Council;
• Providing line management to a small secretariat team;
• Overseeing the Council’s publications and website;
• Engagement with stakeholders, and its wider administration, strategy, and governance.

In becoming a recognised figure in the field, you will be expected to remain in touch with developments across the Civil Justice System, developing and maintaining your own knowledge. The Civil Justice Council is a statutory non-departmental advisory body which is chaired by the Master of the Rolls. This post sits within the wider Master of the Rolls’ Private Office, and you will have access to the broader opportunities and experience that working as part of a busy Private Office brings.

Main Activities / Responsibilities: The main responsibilities of the post include, but are not limited to:

• Managing effective working relationships with the senior judiciary, CJC members, and wider stakeholder groups.
• Drafting sometimes complex and often important submissions, briefings, or consultation responses.
• Attending, planning, and organising meetings of the Council and its working groups; including the preparation of agenda, papers, briefings, minutes and reports.
• Identifying and communicating issues which may be of interest to the Council and its members.
• Conducting research for and drafting papers on civil justice topics as necessary.
• Recruiting Council members.
• Ad-hoc projects such as running a public consultation or conference organisation.
• Management of a small secretariat team.
• Contributing to the wider work of the Master of the Rolls and Deputy Head of Civil Justice’s Private Office.

The successful candidate will be required to line manage the Assistant Secretary to the Council (HEO) and a Business Support officer (EO). The post-holder will report to the Private Secretary to the Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice and Secretary to the Civil Justice Council.

The successful candidate will be organised and strategic. They will have excellent and concise communication skills and be able to prioritise and handle multiple issues concurrently. They will be confident using their own initiative to take forward actions whilst overseeing the work of others to ensure a strong team performance. They will be able to facilitate constructive discussions and will be able to build long lasting professional relationships with others. These relationships will reflect their ability to collaborate and share information, resources and support. They will be strong at seeking out and sharing knowledge and experience. It would be of benefit, though it is not essential, for them to already have experience of the Civil Justice System. They will be confident in using evidence from a range of sources to make decisions where appropriate, and will be able provide advice to, invite challenge from, and consult with others when considering issues. They will be able to work with stakeholders to set priorities, objectives and timescales, and deliver high quality outcomes, resolving issues efficiently with an awareness of value for money. They will be happy working as part of a team.

Desirable Knowledge and Skills:

• Experience of the Civil Justice System.

The support provided by judicial Private Offices necessarily involves working before and after court, in keeping with the judge’s diary commitments and sitting patterns. Some early mornings and late evenings can be expected, though every effort will be made to accommodate flexibility where necessary. These roles are not suitable for reduced hours working.

This post is primarily based in London, at the Royal Courts of Justice but does require some travel, accompanying the MR to events across England & Wales, and occasionally abroad. Length of Deployment: We are looking for the successful candidate to be in post as soon as possible. This is a permanent post.

Work with stakeholders to set priorities, objectives and timescales. Establish ways to find and respond to feedback from customers about the services provided. Identify risks and resolve issues efficiently. Involve a diverse range of colleagues, stakeholders and delivery partners in developing suggestions for improvements.

Seeing the Big Picture: Align activities to contribute to wider organisation priorities. Remain alert to emerging issues and trends which might impact your work. Understand how the strategies and activities of the team create value and meet the diverse needs of all stakeholders.

Working Together: Encourage joined up teamwork within own team and across other groups. Establish professional relationships with a range of stakeholders. Actively seek and consider input of people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

Delivering at pace: Show a positive approach to keeping the whole team’s efforts focused on the top priorities. Promote a culture of following the appropriate procedures to ensure results are achieved on time whilst still enabling innovation. Act promptly to reassess workloads and priorities when there are conflicting demands to maintain performance.

Should we receive a large number of applications we will sift primarily on the lead behaviour of managing a quality service. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Candidates invited to interview: Please note that interviews will be carried out in person at the Royal Courts Justice in London. During the panel interview, you will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of, and strengths-based questions to also explore what you enjoy, and your motivations relevant to the job role. There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.

If you wish to discuss the role before submitting an application, please contact Amy Shaw, Acting Private Secretary to the Master of the Rolls, Secretary to the Civil Justice Council.

Additional Information: The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and/or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks.

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.

Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid. HMPPS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the HMPPS’ Flexible Working policy.

If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff. The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non-standard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment.

Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays: You are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays. These hours are added to your annual leave allowance. There is a requirement to work some public and bank holidays subject to your shift pattern and the operational needs of the establishment.

Pension: The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Work Life Balance: HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) is keen to encourage alternative working arrangements. Work life balance provides greater opportunities for staff to work more flexibly wherever managers and establishments can accommodate requests to do so. HMPPS offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period.

Training: HMPPS is committed to staff development and offers a range of training and development opportunities, including areas such as Equality and Diversity, Dealing with Challenging Behaviour, Suicide Prevention and Anti Bullying Programmes. There are opportunities to access promotion programmes and HMPPS provides a variety of training appropriate to individual posts. All staff receive security and diversity training and an individual induction programme into their new roles.

All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post. All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint.

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace.

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.

For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit: Redeployment Interview Scheme. Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant.

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).

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.