Head of Fees and Administrative Justice Policy

Grade 6

Civil, Family, Tribunals and Administration of Justice Directorate (CFTAJ)

The Civil, Family, Tribunals and Administration of Justice Directorate is recruiting permanently for a Grade 6 Head of Fees and Administrative Justice Policy. This campaign is open to current civil servants on level transfer and suitable candidates on promotion.

Location:

Successful candidates will have the option to be based at one of the following locations:

• 102 Petty France, London

• 5 Wellington Place, Leeds

Occasional travel between the two locations may be required. We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your base location (102 Petty France or 5 Wellington Place Leeds).

Ways of Working

At the MoJ we believe and promote alternative ways of working, these roles are available as:

• Full-time, part-time or the option to job share

• Flexible working patterns

If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without a new competition.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

Salary

Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules.  

Security Clearance

This role requires National Security Vetting given the access to sensitive information afforded by the job role. You can find more information by reviewing the information held in the following links:

United Kingdom Security Vetting: Applicant - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The vetting charter - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In addition, there is a minimum UK residency requirement set by the Cabinet Office which is dependent on the security level required for the role.

This role requires SC and to be eligible to apply for this role you should have been present in the UK continuously for the past 3 years.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ)

MoJ is the largest government department, employing over 90,000 people with a budget of approximately £10 billion. Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK - including at 500 courts and tribunals, and 133 prisons in England and Wales.

Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

The Work of the Fees Policy Team

The Fees Policy team is a small unit within the Tribunals, Fees and Irregular Migration Division. The team has responsibility for shaping and implementing fees policy across the MoJ. The team works with experts and stakeholders - financial, legal, analytical services, operational teams, the judiciary, legal professions and other government departments to design the way we set fees across HM Courts and Tribunals Service, the Office for the Public Guardian and the Supreme Court. Delivering effective fees policy ensures that essential income is generated for the department (reducing the burden on the taxpayer), while protecting access to justice for people and organisations to enforce, defend or protect their rights.

The Work of the Tribunals Policy Team

The Tribunals system is part of the system of Courts and Tribunals. Tribunals deal with a wide range of matters, including appeals in relation to welfare benefits, entitlement to come to, or remain in, the UK, the lawfulness of detention under the Mental Health Act 1983, as well as appeals against tax assessments, and decisions of regulators appeals. The Tribunal system also handles disputes about employment rights, and in relation to certain housing matters.

The Tribunals Policy Team supports the Lord Chancellor on all aspects of the policy area, including taking forward primary and secondary legislation; developing and implementing policy reforms to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Tribunal system; as well as providing briefings for Ministerial meetings, and for answers to Parliamentary Questions; and supporting the work of the Tribunal Procedure Committee.

Head of Fees Policy and Administrative Justice Policy - the role

We are looking to recruit a Grade 6 Head of Fees and Administrative Justice Policy, to lead the team responsible for driving MoJ policy on Fees and Administrative Justice policy who will work closely with a range of cross government stakeholders and MoJ agencies, including key delivery partners such as HMCTS, Judicial Office and the Legal Aid Agency, as well as with analysts, legal and finance leads.

This is an exciting senior leadership role which will provide strategic direction on departmental fees policy, delivering an ambitious programme of income-raising options while maintaining affordability and access to justice. With the range of Government reforms underway in the Tribunals space, this is also a fast-paced role; the post holder will be required to respond to developments and changing priorities at short notice, as well as set a strategic vision for the tribunals for the future.

The role will include:

• Providing (and coaching teams to provide) the highest quality advice to Ministers to help shape and define the overall direction of travel in fees policy; advising Ministers on particularly sensitive and contentious areas; advising Ministers on key strategic risks and mitigating actions; and ensuring that Ministerial decisions are translated into policy at pace.

• Ensuring that multi-year income-raising reforms are delivered to time, including where they are novel or controversial, working closely with Finance, Legal and Analytical Services to meet Ministerial expectations and support the Department’s budget. This role involves significant engagement with the centre of the department and the government more widely, and the postholder will need to demonstrate credibility and authority in the role.

• Initiating policy development, working at pace and in partnership with analytical, legal and operational colleagues to respond to government policies and plans on employment rights, renters rights and special educational needs and disabilities. The post holder will advise Ministers directly on whether the Tribunals are ready to implement new rights, and negotiate with OGDs. Overseeing the team’s delivery plans to manage unexpected and unplanned additional reactive work from OGDs and operational partners (both HMCTS and OPG); advising Ministers on the best way of integrating and delivering this work while maintaining focus on the Department’s core deliverables and priorities.

• Developing and maintaining influential and effective working relationships with a range of stakeholders within Government including Ministers, special advisers, finance, legal, analytical and operational colleagues and the judiciary; developing a strong internal policy network within MoJ and key contacts in relevant other departments as well as at the centre. Using these to support overall delivery of all strands of fees and administrative justice policy.

• Represent the Ministry in meetings with the senior judiciary, HMCTS, other government departments, and the centre as necessary.

• Leading and developing high functioning policy teams, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, innovation and diversity in policy making.

Skills and Experience

Narrative Required

Essential:

• Excellent strategic thinking skills, including the ability to set direction for a portfolio of work in a high-pressured and complex policy area.

• Ability to lead, manage and mobilise experts, including analytical and legal as well as operational teams, to deliver policy outcomes through and with others, including those requiring initiative and creativity to resolve.

• Highly effective communication skills and the ability to analyse, interpret and translate complex policy and legislative issues into clear advice for Ministers.

• Personal credibility and excellent stakeholder and relationship management skills, with the ability to build effective relationships, influence and challenge at senior levels, including with colleagues in OGDs and operational organisations.

• Ability to establish and manage a high performing team, creating a culture of diversity, inclusion and continuous improvement.

• Ability to manage staff through periods of ambiguity and change, and to help teams navigate the day-to-day complexity of working with OGDs and operational organisations.

Desirable:

• Knowledge and understanding of the courts or tribunal system or fees policy.

Candidates applying from HMPPS should note that the Ministry of Justice does not have the same conditions of employment as HMPPS. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful.

The MoJ is proud to be Level 3 Disability Confident. Disability Confident is the approach through which we offer guaranteed interviews for all people with disabilities meeting the minimum criteria for the advertised role as set out in the job description.

Application process

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework.

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, 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.

Experience

You will be asked to provide a CV during the application process in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role.

You will also be asked to upload a Statement of Suitability of no more than 1,000 words stating what you would bring to the role, with reference to the Skills and Experience listed above.

Behaviours

During the application process you will be asked to provide an example of how you have met the following behaviours (see Annex A for more information):

• Leadership (Lead Behaviour)

• Seeing the Big Picture

Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717275/CS_Behaviours_2018.pdf

Should we receive a large number of applications, we will sift primarily on the lead behaviour of Leadership. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview, testing both behaviours and strengths.

Candidates invited to Interview

Please note that interviews will be carried out remotely/in person at 102 Petty France.

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.

In addition to the Behaviour(s) listed in the application form, you will be asked by the interview panel to provide examples of how you meet the additional behaviours listed below.

• Working Together

• Making Effective Decisions

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.

You can refer to the CS Strengths dictionary for more details: Success Profiles - Civil Service Strengths Dictionary (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Interviews are expected to take place towards the end of January 2026.

Contact information  

Please do get in touch if you would like to know more about the role or what it is like working in our team. Rawfiah.Choudry@justice.gov.uk.

Annex A - The STAR method

Using the STAR method can help you give examples of relevant experience that you have. It allows you to set the scene, show what you did, and how you did it, and explain the overall outcome.

Situation - Describe the situation you found yourself in. You must describe a specific event or situation. Be sure to give enough detail for the job holder to understand.

• Where are you?

• Who was there with you?

• What had happened?

Task - The job holder will want to understand what you tried to achieve from the situation you found yourself in.

• What was the task that you had to complete and why?

• What did you have to achieve?

Actions - What did you do? The job holder will be looking for information on what you did, how you did it and why. Keep the focus on you. What specific steps did you take and what was your contribution? Remember to include how you did it, and the behaviours you used. Try to use “I" rather than “we" to explain your actions that lead to the result. Be careful not to take credit for something that you did not do.

Results - Don’t be shy about taking credit for your behaviour. Quote specific facts and figures. Explain how the outcome benefitted the organisation or your area. Make the outcomes easily understandable.

• What results did the actions produce?

• What did you achieve through your actions and did you meet your goals?

• Was it a successful outcome? If not, what did you learn from the experience?

Keep the situation and task parts brief. Concentrate on the action and the result. If the result was not entirely successful describe what you learned from this and what you would do differently next time. Make sure you focus on your strengths.