Data Discovery Lead (up to 5 posts)
Location: National
Closing Date: Tuesday 9th December 2025
Interviews: Interviews likely to commence from w/c 5th January 2026
Grade: G7
(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)
Salary: The national salary is £58,511 - £65,329, London salary is £63,343 - £70,725. Your salary will be dependent on your base location.
Working pattern: Full-Time, Part-Time, Job Share, Flexible Working.
Contract Type: Loan/Secondment
Contract Type: Fixed Term (6 months)
*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP
We’re recruiting for a Data Discovery Lead here at the Ministry of Justice, to be part of our warm and collaborative Data Directorate.
This role is being recruited for on a Fixed Term basis for six months (with possibility for extension) for up to five Grade 7 Data Discovery Leads to be part of our warm and collaborative cross-government team. This campaign is being run externally and so is open to all who consider themselves suitable for the roles and meet the eligibility criteria in the wider advert within Civil Service Jobs.
Please note that if you are a current Civil Servant, you will be appointed on a Loan or Secondment opportunity. If you are applying to this role on promotion, please refer to your own departments policy in respect of your grade on return from Loan. If you are not a current Civil Servant, you will be offered a Fixed Term Contract.
The roles will sit in one of the three new workstreams and will work part of a multi-disciplinary team in the Ministry of Justice, comprising of professionals from Policy, Analysis, Operations, Data, Digital and Transformation and as part of a cross-government partnership.
Youth Justice
The aim of this workstream is to inform early interventions, help reduce children’s reoffending, and support the government’s key crime prevention priorities. This work will positively impact the future outcomes of children in contact with the youth justice system. It will also support the response to emerging recommendations from the Southport Public Inquiry and previous recommendation from the Lammy Report.
Mental Health
The aim of this workstream is to improve the joining up, completeness and consistency of data on mental health of offenders that is available to health and probation colleagues for policy making, operational activities, monitoring and potentially evaluation. This work will support the Sentencing Review recommendations and DHSC priority to improve access to health of the offenders on probation and broader, the 10-year health plan. The work will inform using data linking to better understand the mental health needs and treatments of offenders on probation and taking these insights into changes that improve outcomes for offenders.
Prevention
The workstream will aim to join up data and produce analysis to improve our knowledge of people’s socioeconomic needs, interaction with public services, and outcomes. The focus will be on improving prevention and early intervention to support individuals with multiple disadvantages and complex needs such as intersections between offending, homelessness, substance misuse, and employment and income needs. This work will support the Government’s Prevention agenda, working alongside cross-government initiatives such as Changing Futures, Community Help Partnerships, and Combatting Drugs.
The successful candidates will support the relevant Head of team to accelerate the initial delivery phase. The roles will identify data priorities, map processes, and set requirements for integrating external datasets to support evidence-based policy and operational delivery. It would suit someone with an excellent understanding of data, systems and processes and with excellent interpersonal and engagement skills.
Work with policy, operational, data and technology colleagues in to identify priority outcomes and data needs which, if addressed, would add value for policy making, operations, commissioning, monitoring, and evaluation.
Build and maintain a strong stakeholder network across the MoJ, agencies, government, third sector organisations, and other data providers to improve data sharing, coordination, and use of linked data.
Conduct mapping to identify data & system gaps & data flows to help form the future delivery of these workstreams - what is the data we need, where, how good is it/trusted and mechanisms for getting it that help support the outcomes of our partners.
Strengthen cross departmental alignment and readiness for expansion in these areas including the overlaps with reducing reoffending, probation and broader Justice System.
Acquire and set requirements to link external datasets e.g. NHS health data into MoJ systems with the relevant workstreams
Deep dives and workshop facilitation to bring together diverse stakeholders to understand the data landscape which will be relevant to the workstreams.
If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!
37 hours per week and flexible working options including working from home, working part-time, job sharing, or working compressed hours.
A £1k per person learning budget is in place to support all our people, with access to best in class conferences and seminars, accreditation with professional bodies, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms
Staff have 10% time to dedicate to develop & grow
Generous civil service pension based on defined benefit scheme, with employer contributions of 28.97% from April 1st 2024 (Contribution Rates)
25 days leave (plus bank holidays) and 1 privilege day usually taken around the Kings’ birthday. 5 additional days of leave once you have reached 5 years of service.
Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!
Wellbeing support including access to the Calm app.
Bike loans up to £2500 and secure bike parking (subject to availability and location)
Season ticket loans, childcare vouchers and eye-care vouchers.
5 days volunteering paid leave.
Free membership to BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.
Some offices may have a subsidised onsite Gym.
The following experience and skills will be required:
A self-starter, who can take a vision and goals and make them reality, and can shape this role rather than waiting to be given instructions
Have strong written and oral communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to explain complex programme concepts and practices to non-technical stakeholders, including senior leaders.
You will demonstrate a strong understanding of customer needs and expectations, developing clear plans to meet these needs that make a significant difference to policy or operational colleagues and delivering them to time and quality.
Demonstrable experience in understanding data or systems level requirements, ideally in the subject domains listed above to deliver specific project level outcomes.
Previous experience working in Health, Youth Services, Local Authority Services, Probation or Justice and the ability to leverage those experiences, knowledge and networks to progress discovery.
Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for BPSS clearance
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 D&I Strategy.
Candidates must submit a current CV as well as a Personal Statement of up to 1000 words outlining how you meet the requirements set out in the Person Specification above.
We are recruiting using a combination of the Success Profiles Frameworks and Strengths We will assess your Experience, Strengths and the following Behaviours during the assessment process:
Communicating and Influencing
Seeing the Bigger Picture
You will also be asked about Strengths which are not notified in advance. You can refer to the CS Strengths dictionary for more details: Success Profiles - Civil Service Strengths Dictionary (publishing.service.gov.uk)
A diverse panel will review your application against the Person Specification above.
Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a 1-hour panel interview held via video conference.
Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrate the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and offer you the position without needing a further application.
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, from which further appointments may be made.
Please review our Terms & Conditions which set out how we recruit and provide further information related to the role and salary arrangements.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact datarecruitment@justice.gov.uk