21887 - Head of the Ministerial Priorities and Delivery Unit in London

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Ministry of Justice

21887 - Head of the Ministerial Priorities and Delivery Unit

21887 - Head of the Ministerial Priorities and Delivery Unit in London

London Full-Time No working from home possible

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General Information

Working Pattern

Full Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working

Vacancy Approach

External

Location

London

Region

London

Closing Date

27-Sep-2026

Post Type

Permanent

Civil Service Grade

SCS 1

Number of jobs available

Reserve List

12 Months

Job ID

21887

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

The Role

This role is one of the most senior in Private Office, offering a unique opportunity to work at the centre of ministerial decision-making and support one of government’s biggest and most complex departments.

Key Responsibilities

The postholder will lead a high performing team in a fast paced and challenging environment, responsible for supporting the Lord Chancellor to:

Set priorities: leading a 12-month cycle of priority and delegation letters to Junior Ministers. These set out priorities for the Department and policy delegations for Junior Ministers.
Track delivery: lead across the Department on a quarterly stocktake of the priorities set out in letters. This provides an update on progress and an early warning system for anything that is off track.
Enhance delivery: overseeing a Delivery Unit function that works directly with policy and operational teams on a small number of priority projects, where delivery is off track.
Forward Plan: responsibility for a six-month forward look, which brings together all the known events and moments - legislative, parliamentary, policy, operational, statistical releases, internal and external publications. This is designed to reveal crunch points, potential risks and opportunities to articulate key messages.
Articulate key messages: leading through others to ensure high-quality written briefing for parliamentary-appearances, reflecting key messages and priorities. The postholder will also oversee Ministerial correspondence, as part of this.

Additional Responsibilities

Leadership: this role provides leadership to two Grade 6s, two Grade 7s and the wider Ministerial Correspondence Support Team.

Essential Experience:

A track record of leadership in high profile roles.
A clear understanding of both political and departmental priorities.
Confidence in engaging with senior officials, Ministers and external stakeholders.
A track record of success in service delivery.
Clear written and verbal communication.
The ability to thrive and lead in a fast-paced environment.

Desirable Experience:

Prior exposure to ministerial or senior official support roles
Understanding of parliamentary processes
Understanding of ministerial correspondence

Additional Information

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

Contact Information

If you require any assistance please contact us on scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk. Please quote the job reference in your email to enable us to support you more quickly.

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Application form stage assessments

Experience

We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Statement of Suitability

Guidance for the Statement of Suitability

Please set out clear evidence of how you meet the essential and desirable experience below:

Essential Experience:

• A track record of leadership in high profile roles.
• A clear understanding of both political and departmental priorities.
• Confidence in engaging with senior officials and external stakeholders.
• A track record of success in service delivery.
• Clear written and verbal communication.
• The ability to thrive and lead in a fast-paced environment.

Desirable Experience:

• Prior exposure to ministerial or senior official support roles
• Understanding of parliamentary processes
• Understanding of ministerial correspondence

Evidence of Experience

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates

Week Commencing 26th October 2026

Behaviours

Communicating and Influencing

Seeing the Big Picture

Leadership

Other Assessments

Which assessment methods will be used?

SEE

Level of security checks required

Security Clearance (SC)

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.