General Information
Descriptions & requirements
Head of Portfolio Risk
Location: National*
Closing Date: 09 January 2026
Interviews: from 20 January 2026
Grade: 6
(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)
Salary: London: £75,674 - £85,257; National: £71,381 - £80,419
Working pattern: Full-time, part-time, flexible working
Contract Type: Permanent
*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
The Role
We’re recruiting for a Head of Portfolio Risk here at Justice Digital, to be part of our warm and collaborative Justice Digital Delivery Governance Office team.
The Head of Risk will have a proven track record of successfully managing a team of risk professionals. You will be responsible for implementing, developing, and maintaining risk strategies that ensure consistency in approach and compliance with the Justice Digital and Ministry of Justice’s risk management framework. A key part of the role involves promoting best practices and supporting collaboration across finance, commercial, and risk teams, as well as with internal stakeholders, to enhance Justice Digital’s overall risk maturity.
To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital please take a look at our blog and our Digital and Technology strategy 2025
Key Responsibilities:
Working closely with the Portfolio, Governance and Assurance Lead, you will contribute to the delivery of key reporting on risks, issues, and controls to senior boards and committees. You will ensure that directorate risk registers and issue logs are regularly reviewed, and that strategic risks and issues are escalated appropriately. This includes providing expert guidance and constructive challenge to risk owners and senior management to support effective decision-making.
The ideal candidate will also assist in the delivery of routine assurance activities and risk analysis, including the management and periodic review of all risk policies and registers. You will present findings and updates to the MoJ’s Executive Committee and the Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee.
As part of this role, you will provide line management to the Head of Strategic Risk Management within Justice Digital, supporting their development and ensuring effective delivery of their respective functions. You will provide strategic direction and oversight for the risk management function, ensuring it aligns with Justice Digital’s broader organisational goals and objectives.
You will be responsible for establishing and maintaining governance frameworks for risk management across Justice Digital and Data, ensuring compliance with all relevant regulations and standards. A key aspect of the role involves engaging with senior stakeholders, including executive leadership and board members, to communicate risk management strategies and secure organisational buy-in.
The role also includes preparing and delivering strategic risk management reports to senior leadership and external stakeholders at designated governance boards. You will champion continuous improvement in risk management practices, driving transformation initiatives and embedding best practices across the organisation.
Additionally, you will review and approve quarterly Risk Commissions and co-lead other commissions as required, ensuring strategic alignment and effective execution of risk-related initiatives.
If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!
Benefits
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37 hours per week and flexible working options including working from home, working part-time, job sharing, or working compressed hours.
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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.
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Staff have 10% time to dedicate to develop & grow.
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Generous civil service pension based on defined benefit scheme, with employer contributions of 28.97% from April 1st 2024 (Contribution Rates).
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25 days leave (plus bank holidays) and 1 privilege day usually taken around the King’s birthday. 5 additional days of leave once you have reached 5 years of service.
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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!
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Wellbeing support including access to the Calm app.
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Bike loans up to £2500 and secure bike parking (subject to availability and location).
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Season ticket loans, childcare vouchers and eye-care vouchers.
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5 days volunteering paid leave.
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Some offices may have a subsidised onsite Gym.
Person Specification
Essential
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Experience of leading multifunctional teams in people risk management in a digital and technology environment, ensuring resilient and scalable operating models across the full service life cycle.
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Experience of managing risk management data and governance and using risk management tools to generate user-centred analysis and actionable insight that informs strategic decision-making and benefits realisation.
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Leadership: Ability to lead multifunctional service teams, set and deliver a clear service strategy, take accountability for outcomes, manage budgets, apply financial controls, and develop business cases to secure sustainable funding.
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Working Together: Ability to set and drive a stakeholder engagement strategy, building strong, trusted relationships with colleagues, senior leaders, suppliers and partners to influence effectively and enable delivery of shared workforce and organisational outcomes.
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Managing a Quality Service: Ability to set and maintain high standards for people operations and workforce data services, ensuring they are reliable, efficient, user-focused and continuously improved, with strong governance, assurance and performance measures in place.
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Seeing the Big Picture: Ability to align workforce data and people operations to Justice Digital’s long-term strategic priorities and the wider MoJ context, ensuring service direction and investment decisions remain strategically aligned.
Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for BPSS clearance
We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring and do not discriminate based on culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor.
Our values are Purpose, Humanity Openness and Together. Find out more here about how we celebrate diversity and an inclusive culture in our workplace.
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.
How to Apply
Candidates must submit CV and submit statements (up to 500 words each) which describe how you meet the following requirements set out in the Person Specification above:
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Experience of leading multifunctional teams in people risk management in a digital and technology environment, ensuring resilient and scalable operating models across the full service life cycle.
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Experience of managing risk management data and governance and using risk management tools to generate user-centred analysis and actionable insight that informs strategic decision-making and benefits realisation.
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Leadership: Ability to lead multifunctional service teams, set and deliver a clear service strategy, take accountability for outcomes, manage budgets, apply financial controls, and develop business cases to secure sustainable funding.
Application Guidance
Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement
In Justice Digital, we recruit using a combination of the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability and Success Profiles Frameworks. We will assess your Experience, Technical Skills and the following Behaviours during the assessment process:
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Leadership
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Managing a Quality Service
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Seeing the Big Picture
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Working Together
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. Candidates will be required to deliver a presentation relevant to the Seeing the Big Picture behaviour.
Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based on your experience of leading multifunctional teams in people risk management in a digital and technology environment, ensuring resilient and scalable operating models across the full service life cycle. will be conducted before the sift.
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.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
Please review our Terms and 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 digitalanddatarecruitment@justice.gov.uk
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.
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.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.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order
- To Transformative Business Services (0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk);
- To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team (resourcing-management-office@justice.gov.uk);
- To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)
As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.
You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.
For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos.
Diversity & Inclusion
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 Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
Redeployment Interview Scheme
Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.
MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.
Civil Service Nationality Rules
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules
Reserve list
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.
MoJ:
If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
Please quote the job reference 13001
HMPPS
If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
Please quote the job reference 13001
Job Description Attachment
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JD - Head of Portfolio Risk.docx (Job Description Attachment)
Application form stage assessments
Interview stage assessments
Other Assessments
Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.