Role Profile

HQ Job Description (JD)
Band 11
Directorate: Custodial Contracts Directorate
Job Description - Head of Education Contracts

Document Ref.
HQ-JES-2665 Head of Education Contracts v3.0
Document Type
Management
Version
3.0
Classification
Official
Date of Issue
16th November 2022
Status
Baselined
Produced by
Job Evaluation Assurance and Support Team
Authorised by
Reward Team
JD Evidence

HQ-JES-2665 Head of Education Contracts v3.0

Job Description
Job Title
Head of Education Contracts
Directorate
Custodial Contracts Directorate
Band
11

Overview of the
The Head of Education Contracts post holder is accountable to
job
the Senior Business Owner for all Education Contracts; these
are delivered through new, innovative contracts with current
contracts worth in excess of £140m pa and across 103 private
and public prisons in England. The post holder will oversee
effective operational delivery of those contracts and ensure
proactive, system-wide strategic developments of Education
services are delivered.

They will also lead the team responsible for ensuring that the
necessary systems, processes evidence, strategic links and
relationships are in place at a national operational level to
continually develop and introduce new and revised systems to
allow effective and high quality education provision.
Summary
Prison Education is a high profile and proven contributor to
reducing reoffending, delivered by various suppliers on behalf of
HMPPS/MoJ. The total value of the four contracts required to
deliver core Prison Education is currently around £140million
p.a., delivering a dispersed service across the whole of England.
It inhabits a complex contractual landscape, with a need for
proactive management of risk and a highly complex supply chain
and range of stakeholders. The issues resulting from the
previous contracts and the latest procurement means it is likely
to remain an area of very significant parliamentary, public and
press focus for the life of the new contracts.

The post holder will be responsible for leading and managing a
team to:

•  Manage those contracts, ensuring Value For Money, delivery
of specified outcomes, challenge and service of assurance on
behalf of Government.
•  Ensure that new policies are implemented in a way that
understands and articulates the impacts and benefits of
Prison Education across the wider Government landscape
and are operationally viable, including seeking feedback and
innovation from stakeholders and contractors.
•  Exercise an appropriate change management and charging
structure.
•  Initiate direct engagement with senior representatives of
Prison Education service users including prisons and
prisoners to ensure that they have systems and processes in
HQ-JES-2665 Head of Education Contracts v3.0

place to deliver the requirements of the relevant Secretary of
State, and to work effectively with the education contractors.
•  Develop and manage an effective communications and
handling strategy to support the operational delivery of Prison
Education. The post holder will be responsible for managing
these interfaces and servicing these stakeholders.
•  The Head of Education Contracts will be required to lead
work, in collaboration with Senior representatives of
HMPPS/MoJ, Service Users and Stakeholders, to develop
and drive thinking on delivering operational requirements and
develop systems required to deliver Government policy.
•  The post‐holder will be required to carry out other tasks
commensurate with the nature of the role and grade of the
post.
•  The geographical base for the post can be flexible and will
require some work in London and other locations.
Responsibilities,
The job holder will be required to carry out the following
Activities and
responsibilities, activities and duties:
Duties

•  Provide leadership in holding the prison education
contractors to account for meeting their contractual
obligations.  Also accountable for monitoring the contractors’
compliance with the law and their overall alignment with
policy objectives.
•  Responsible as the lead accountable manager, ensuring the
contract is managed effectively. Ensuring the contract is
providing value for money.  Responsible for assuring and
ensuring accurate and timely payment.  Management of risk
and rigorous scrutiny and change management process
around the contracts.
•  Accountable for managing diligence on Contractor
performance including, but not limited to, auditing SLA data
collection, processing and reporting by managing team
members embedded on the contractors’ premises; and
conducting investigations to confirm evidence that the
Contractors have fulfilled their contractual obligations.
•  Set the agenda for, and prioritise, all improvement projects
and be accountable for delivery within budget, and to the
quality required by the contract.
•  The post will have responsibility in ensuring all contractors’
compliance with government policy and national legislation
e.g. GDPR.
•  Perform a range of operational and communication duties
including:
o  Engage with senior representatives of HMPPS/MoJ
decision makers at an operational level to introduce
systems to deliver the future needs and requirements of
Prison Education services.
o  Representing HMPPS in meetings with outside
organisations and stakeholders on senior management
committees with Ministers and to OGDs.
•  When required, represent prison education on international
engagement and development activities including
representing HMPPS, MoJ and the Government on
HQ-JES-2665 Head of Education Contracts v3.0

International visits, conferences and request for information
about prison education and overarching delivery of services.
•  Sign off responses to Freedom of Information requests,
Letters to Ministers, Parliamentary Questions, Topical
Briefings, Subject Access Requests, Legal/Solicitor requests
for prison education information/data.
•  Deliver support in responding to External Agency Requests
that require MoJ review and provide overall support on issues
relating to GDPR within the team.
•  Oversee the management of a team with responsibility for
holding the prison education contractors accountable for
meeting their contractual obligations and for employing an
end-to-end process approach to optimising the performance
of the prison education system.
•  Set the direction for the HMPPS Education Contract
Management Team by communicating priorities and actively
holding the Contractors to account for improvement plans.
•  Use insight into individuals, groups and organisational
dynamics to deliver contract value and minimise risk; involve
and influence everyone necessary to get the job done.
•  Analyse risk/issue and potential impact; advise senior
stakeholders on root causes of any lapses in Contractor
performance or quality failures in end-to-end delivery of
prison education.  Act as the point of escalation for the
Contractors on all Contract Management issues as they
arise.
•  Ensure the onsite teams play a key role in establishing
continuity for new Contractors during internal changes in
service delivery and external changes in the prison education
landscape.  Take account of the bigger picture, the political
context and sensitivities in delivering contract assurance on a
day-to-day basis.
•  Assess, negotiate and advise the Head of Prison Education
Framework on operational and reputational risks and
potential consequences of contract changes (e.g. efficiency
savings, demand for services). Hold accountability for
implementation of the Contract Change Notice (CCN)
process.
•  Monitor and report on performance measures on a monthly
basis, highlighting deficiencies both to the Contractor’s Senior
Representative and the Head of Prison Education
Framework.  Manage formal contract governance process
e.g. by maintaining contract review meetings and working
with the Head of Prison Education Framework and others,
establishing a robust governance link with the HMPPS board.
•  Responsibility as the Asset Owner (as per PSO 9050),
ensuring the maintenance of the information assurance
register. PSO 9015 (information assurance), PSO 9020 (data
protection/freedom of information) and PSO 9025 (HMPPS
archiving retention and disposal).
•  Undertake investigations as required, including reporting to
the Head of Prison Education Framework on any allegations
made against the Contractor’s staff delivering prison
HQ-JES-2665 Head of Education Contracts v3.0

education; ensuring that the Contractor takes appropriate
action where required.
•  When necessary, ensure there is daily cover available, and
that both HMPPS and the Contractor are clear of the
arrangements to report incidents that may result in media
attention or risk to the public.
•  Responsible for ensuring effective end-to-end operations of
the prison education process; create and realise a strategy
for enabling effective and efficient delivery of front-line
operation by enabling collaboration with suppliers, prisons
and other key stakeholders.
•  Accountable for ensuring prison education contract
management decisions abide by the GDPR and in line with
the guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office
(ICO).
•  Accountable for ensuring all financial processes are
discharges appropriately, ensuring that the correct levels of
payment are made for satisfactorily delivered services, and
where necessary ensuring any deductions from service
credits are refunded to the authority.
•  Reconcile the monthly delivery of services to those procured
and invoiced.
•  Accountable for working closely with the operator to confirm
that assets have been agreed by the suppliers.
•  Manage and be accountable for the HMPPS Education
Contract Management Team budget.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is
at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is
expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of
a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments
may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme
and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence
through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales)
Welsh.

Behaviours
•  Seeing the Big Picture
•  Making Effective Decisions
•  Leadership
•  Working Together
•  Managing a Quality Service
•  Changing and improving
Strengths
It is advised strengths are chosen locally, recommended 4-8.
Ability
•  Strong interpersonal, influencing and relationship
management skills with the ability to relate and influence
effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
HQ-JES-2665 Head of Education Contracts v3.0

•  It is essential that the post holder can demonstrate
commercial acumen and a thorough understanding of
financial, governance and risk management strategies.
Experience
•  Track record in delivering high performance and continuous
improvement within an increasingly complex and financially
challenging change environment.
•  Experience of presenting recommendations at an executive
level.
•  Experience as senior stakeholder in high profile
project/programme management.
•  Large scale commercial experience at a senior level.
Technical
•  A degree level qualification or professional equivalent through
strategic level experience in one of the following areas:
Governance; Operational (Education); Risk Management;
Contract Management; Business Administration.

Minimum
Please do not alter this box
Eligibility

•  All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to
taking up post.
•  All external candidates are subject to 6 months’
probation.  Internal candidates are subject to probation if they
have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS.
•  All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a
group or organisation which HMPPS consider to be racist.

Hours of Work
37 hour working week.
(Unsocial Hours)
Allowances

HQ-JES-2665 Head of Education Contracts v3.0

Success Profile

Strengths

It is advised
Behaviours
Ability
Experience
Technical
strengths are
chosen locally,
recommended 4-8
Seeing the Big Picture

Strong interpersonal,
Track record in delivering  A degree level qualification
influencing and
high performance and
or professional equivalent
relationship
continuous improvement
through strategic level
management skills
within an increasingly
experience in one of the
with the ability to relate  complex and financially
following areas:
and influence
challenging change
Governance; Operational
effectively with
environment.
(Education); Risk
stakeholders at all
Management; Contract
levels.

Management; Business
Administration.

Making Effective Decisions

It is essential that the
Experience of presenting

post holder can
recommendations at an
demonstrate
executive level.
commercial acumen
and a thorough

understanding of
financial, governance
and risk management
strategies.
Leadership

Experience as senior

stakeholder in high profile
project/programme
management.
HQ-JES-2665 Head of Education Contracts v3.0

Working Together

Large scale commercial

experience at a senior

level.
Managing a Quality Service

Changing and Improving

HQ-JES-2665 Head of Education Contracts v3.0