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
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
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!
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 King’s 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.
Nurturing professional and interpersonal networks including those for Carers & Childcare, Gender Equality, PROUD and SPIRIT.
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.
Some offices may have a subsidised onsite Gym.
Essential
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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
Application Guidance
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:
Leadership
Managing a Quality Service
Seeing the Big Picture
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
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.
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