Ministry of Justice

Job title: Joint Head of Strategy 

Directorate: Strategy, Analysis and Change  

Workstream: HMCTS Strategy Unit - Strategy and User Insight Division 

About us  

Courts and tribunals underpin justice and affect the lives of millions every year. We process more than four million legal cases a year, ranging from serious crimes to traffic offences, civil claims and family law cases as well as appeals against decisions made by employers, public bodies and other organisations. We are exceptionally proud of the services we provide and of the important part they have played in our history as a nation founded on justice, human rights and fairness. We are now transforming to meet the changing demands of the population and to respond to the technological opportunities of the 21st century, making sure our justice system continues to lead the world. You can find out more about what we do and how we work here. 

We are looking for an ambitious strategy professional to co-lead the work of the Strategy Unit that sits at the heart of HMCTS. The role will involve working closely with teams across the whole MoJ and Judicial Office, operations and with wider stakeholders to drive high quality strategy and planning as well as to deliver a range of priority projects to support the HMCTS Board and Executive Team in delivering ministerial and judicial priorities. 

About the role 

The Strategy and User Insight Division sits at the heart of HMCTS, working across the whole organisation to develop and drive strategy and strategic priorities. We engage both with senior leaders and teams across HMCTS, the wider Ministry of Justice and other justice system partners to seize the opportunities and meet challenges ultimately to deliver access to justice.   

You will lead a high performing group of strategy and programme officials within the division, working to – and on occasion deputising for – the Deputy Director, Strategy and User Insight. 

The role will involve working closely with others, including Service teams who are responsible for the operational implementation of policy, MoJ policy teams, the Court and Tribunals Joint Unit, the Judicial Office, as well as analysts and colleagues in the wider Strategy and User Insight Division. We are looking for a candidate who can balance working with and through others as well as getting stuck-in personally on delivering high priority areas. This means having an interest in strategy and policy development to think strategically and analytically to deliver outcomes. 

Main Activities/Responsibilities 

• Lead a team up of circa 10, made up of up to 3xG7s and a mix of SEOs and HEOs 
• Take an active role in the wider leadership and management of the division, working collaboratively with your G6 peers and deputising for your Deputy Director 
• Oversee the timely delivery and continuous improvement of the annual judicial recruitment programme, working in partnership with MoJ policy, the Judicial Appointments Commission, the Judicial Office and Judicial College at senior and operational levels to do everything required to ensure we have the right number of judges in the right place at the right time to deliver timely justice  
• Drive and embed a parallel programme to secure system wide productivity improvement working with policy and judicial office/Judiciary and with high levels of senior/Board/Ministerial interest and scrutiny. 
• Innovate and systematise how as HMCTS we engage with and act as a good partner to the policy making processes of MoJ, as well as parallel priorities of the judiciary, through priority projects.  
• To be an intelligent commissioner, recipient and interrogator of data and analysis with strong personal analytical skills as well as the curiosity to understand, and as necessary develop, our evidence and assumptions across the courts and tribunals system. 
• To be a credible and influential leader and build a reputation as someone who delivers on key strategic priorities across all the above. 
• We expect all our Grade 6s to be flexible and proactive in taking on new areas of work as they emerge to meet ministerial and judicial priorities – so the list above is illustrative but not necessarily exhaustive or the forever position. 

Who are we looking for? (Person Specification) 

The ideal candidate for this position should demonstrate:  

Essential: 

• Experience designing and delivering strategy and plans that support business and operational delivery 
• Proven ability to translate complex qualitative and quantitative evidence into clear analysis, narratives and recommendations for senior audiences (written and oral). 
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with credibility at senior levels plus ideally with judges/ministers. 
• Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity — planning work packages and adapting at pace in a political, complex environment. 
• Inclusive leadership with a passion for coaching and developing others, building a high performing, engaged and happy team. 

Desirable: 

Experience of the courts and tribunals as well as the organisation of the judiciary. 

How to apply

Application Stage

Please submit

• An anonymised CV. Please ensure your CV is uploaded in a simple format to prevent any formatting issues when it's downloaded or reviewed.

Your CV should:

• Be succinct and clear
• Be factually accurate – You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV and statement of suitability are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.
• Include your qualifications, highlighting any modules or accreditation relevant to the role
• Include your relevant experience, providing dates.
• Provide detail – we are interested in how you have used different tools to solve problems.

• Statement of suitability demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria (up to 1000 words).

Your Statement of Suitability should be no more than 1000 words and should give us real life examples of how your skills and experience match those needed for this role. This is an opportunity to add depth to the best evidence in your CV. Consider addressing points in the person specification requirements and key responsibilities. We recommend following the STAR format.

We will aim to sift the CV and Statement of suitability but, in the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift may be conducted on the CV only. Candidates who pass the initial sift of the CV will either: 

• progress to a full sift where all application assessment criteria is then assessed. 
• or progress straight to further interview. 

Interview Stage 

If successful at sift, you will be invited to attend a remote interview, via Microsoft teams.  

During your interview, you will be assessed against the following Civil Service Success Profiles which will include:  

Shortlisted candidates should expect questions relating to the following ‘success profiles’ Civil Service Behaviours  

• Leadership
• Seeing the Bigger Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace

You will also be assessed on your experience against the person specification set out for this role through a presentation, followed by panel questions. The presentation brief will be sent to the shortlisted candidates in advance of interviews.  

Further information on the Civil Service Success Profiles and required standards for this post (Grade 6), can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles    

Further details  

Working pattern 

Due to the nature of the role, the minimum working hours are 30 hours per week. All applications for flexible working, job sharing or reduced hours will be treated fairly and, on a case, -by-case basis in accordance with the MoJ’s flexible working policy and equality policy. 

Travel requirements 

Travel to 102 Petty France, SW1H 9AJ as well as the Royal Courts of Justice and any other HMCTS site may be required, subject to business needs. 

About our benefits 

We reward our people for their hard work and commitment. We have a number of family friendly and flexible working polices that will help you achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition, we offer a range of employee benefits which include generous annual leave, a highly competitive contributory pension scheme, childcare benefits, season ticket and bicycle loans. 

Proud to Serve. Proud to keep justice going.