Ministry of Justice UK
21896 - CJS Governance Secretariat Lead
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CJS Governance Secretariat Lead
This vacancy is only available to existing Civil Servant employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). Please review the "Eligibility" section before you apply.
Description & Requirements
Job Description
This is an exciting opportunity to lead governance at the heart of one of the most complex public systems in government.
Working at the centre of the Criminal Justice System, the CJS Governance Secretariat Lead will oversee the operation and continuous improvement of the Criminal Justice System's most senior governance structures, including the Criminal Justice Board (CJB), Criminal Justice Action Group (CJAG), their sub-groups, and new governance forums as they are developed.
Operating in a fast-paced and high-profile environment, the postholder will work closely with Ministers, senior officials and operational leaders across the Criminal Justice System to ensure governance forums drive effective decision-making, delivery and accountability. They will play a key role in shaping strategic agendas, identifying emerging issues requiring collective action and ensuring governance arrangements operate as a coherent and effective system.
The directorate is in its early stages and both the team and its remit will continue to evolve. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in ambiguity, enjoys working at the centre of complex systems, and is comfortable operating with senior stakeholders in a dynamic environment.
The CJS Governance Unit is a small, high-performing team. The successful candidate will work closely with the Governance Reform Policy Lead to ensure governance reform, governance forums and stakeholder engagement operate as a coherent whole.
As part of a small and growing team, all members are expected to work flexibly across the portfolio, responding to emerging priorities and providing collective leadership for the wider function.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the operation of the Criminal Justice Board and Criminal Justice Action Group, ensuring they provide effective system leadership, drive collective accountability and focus senior attention on the issues that matter most to the Criminal Justice System.
- Shape strategic agendas across the Criminal Justice System's most senior forums, working closely with senior officials and operational partners to identify priorities, surface emerging risks and support informed decision-making.
- Lead the secretariat of CJAG sub-groups and emerging governance forums, ensuring governance arrangements remain effective and responsive to evolving system priorities.
- Lead the engagement with Local Criminal Justice Boards (LCJBs), maintaining strong relationships with LCJB Chairs and secretariats, coordinating national engagement forums and communications, and ensuring local insights and issues are effectively fed into national governance discussions.
- Drive collective grip on delivery across the Criminal Justice System, maintaining oversight of decisions, actions, risks and dependencies, and ensuring governance mechanisms support resolution of cross-system issues and barriers to progress.
- Strengthen how the Criminal Justice System is governed, identifying opportunities to improve governance arrangements, increase accountability and ensure forums operate as a coherent and effective system.
- Build trusted relationships across government and the wider Criminal Justice System, working with senior leaders across policy and operational organisations to support collective ownership of priorities and delivery.
- Lead and develop a high-performing team while helping shape a new and growing function at the centre of the Criminal Justice System, fostering an inclusive culture, building capability and supporting colleagues to respond confidently to emerging priorities and cross-system challenges.
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Skills and Experience
The work of this team is highly dynamic and requires a proactive approach. The successful candidate must demonstrate strong flexibility and agility, including the ability to respond to new and changing strategic priorities, create clarity in ambiguity and influence delivery through others.
Essential
- Governance and delivery leadership: Experience leading or shaping senior governance forums, boards or decision-making structures within a complex organisation, ensuring they support effective leadership, accountability and delivery.
- Strategic thinking and judgement: Ability to identify priorities, assess complex issues and provide trusted advice and recommendations that support effective decision-making by senior leaders.
- Stakeholder engagement and influencing: Strong experience engaging and influencing senior stakeholders, building consensus across organisational boundaries and securing collective ownership of priorities and delivery.
- Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including drafting high-quality advice, papers and briefings for Ministers, senior officials and other senior audiences.
- Working in ambiguity: Proven ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced and evolving environment, balancing competing priorities and adapting quickly to changing circumstances and senior direction.
- Leadership: Experience leading teams, workstreams or complex stakeholder groups, creating an inclusive and high-performing culture and delivering outcomes through others.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the Criminal Justice System and its governance landscape.
- Experience supporting ministerial, board-level or cross-government governance.
- Experience improving governance structures, forums or decision-making processes.
Additional Information
Working Arrangements & Further 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). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.
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: All successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale. This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO) – See Map. All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity).
For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within the National Office Network and moved its location’s respective pay scale (any legacy arrangements/locations will need to be amended).
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.
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MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.
All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.
Flexible working hours
The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ 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 MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.
Benefits
The MoJ offers a range of benefits:
Annual Leave
Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.
There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
Pension
The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.
Training
The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.
Networks
The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.
Eligibility
Staff on fixed term appointments must have been recruited through fair and open competition.
Vacancies advertised “cross-government” are only open to all Civil Service employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) who were appointed on merit following a fair and open competition; or were appointed to a permanent post through an exception in the Civil Service Commissioners' rules.
Support
- A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
- Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
- For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on www.GOV.UK or Childcare Choices. You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
- Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
- Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.
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