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General Information

Salary
The national salary range is £56,975 - £67,543, London salary range is £61,007 - £72,239. Your salary will be dependent on your base location
Working Pattern
Full Time
Vacancy Approach
External
Location
London, National
Region
London, National
Closing Date
27-Jan-2026
Post Type
Permanent
Civil Service Grade
Grade 7
Number of jobs available
1
Reserve List
12 Months
Job ID
13440

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

Job Title

Head of Operations (BAU)

Department

Operations

Team

Operations BAU

Job Grade

Grade 7

Number of Posts

1

Reports to

Director of Operations

Job Purpose

As the Head of Operations (Business as Usual) your overarching responsibility is ensuring parole reviews are progressed effectively, in a timely manner.

You will work with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders both internally and externally, managing staff at SEO grade, team leaders and multiple staff across up to 11 distinct teams including; the centralised work allocations team, regional case management team, 3rd party direction and operational MI.

You will provide leadership with a strong and clear steer to operations staff to ensure quality, efficiency and effectiveness are maintained. This role also includes supporting any significant operational change at the Parole Board ensuring new processes are being implemented effectively and staff affected are engaged with these.

As Head of Operations, you will deputise for the Director of Operations.

Main Duties and Scope of Responsibilities:

•             Part of the Senior Leadership Team.

•             Actively participate in internal and external stakeholder engagement as required.

•             Working in accordance with the Operational objectives in the Parole Board business plan.

•             Responsibility for supporting Operations teams to deliver business activities in line with the Parole Board business plan and BAU Operations hub plan.

•             Continuously supporting the members in concluding parole reviews and producing high quality Parole Board decisions in line with statutory timescales.

•             Manage operational performance and delivery ensuring that effective secretariat support is provided to Parole Board members, to comply with business plan targets whilst maintaining the prisoner’s right to a fair hearing.

•             Develop positive relationships with Parole Board members ensuring they are supported to make effective risk assessments that are rigorous, fair, and timely.

•             Work with the Director of Operations to plan, forecast and monitor member resource and the Parole Board Members fees budget, in order to meet the workload demands.

•             Achieving all performance measures for timeliness of Parole Board hearings and other Generic Parole Process, Recall, and internal processes.

•             Working with other hubs at the Parole Board to bring about business change that improves operational processes and performance.

•             Line management of x3 Senior Operations Managers to ensure that performance management processes are being followed. This includes manging the following teams – Regional Case Management, Listings, Workload Allocation, MCA, Hearing Support, Panel Chair Support, Operational Support.

•             Develop positive relationships with stakeholders to ensure that they are held to account by assisting us to undertake effective parole reviews.

•             Attend and present at relevant Parole Board Governance Committees on the work of the Operations Hub as required, including regional probation forums.

Primary Deliverables

To ensure Operations Hub delivers:

•             An effective secretariat to support the Parole Board membership for the purposes of paper reviews and oral hearings.

•             To ensure cases are progressed to enable the Operations hub to meet the relevant Key Performance Indicators.

Person Specification            

Essential

•             Experience of leading operational delivery.

•             Proven ability to maintain operational delivery through change.

•             Proven leadership skills with the ability to provide a clear vision for your function aligned to business strategic priorities.

•             Evidence of turning around operational performance.

•             Ability to maintain and motivate a team with varied and challenging workloads.

•             Evidence of data management and communication of complex data.

•             Experience of influencing internal and external colleagues at senior levels.

•             Ability to make effective decisions as well as provide evidence-based information to inform decisions by senior leaders within the organisation.

•             Strong ability to give quality written and oral advice/presentations to inform critical decision making.

•             Resilience and ability to stay focused and positive in the face of complexity and uncertainty.

•             Ability to deal with potentially difficult and challenging situations.

•             Excellent IT skills and experience in using programmes, including Microsoft Excel, Teams, Word, and PowerPoint.

•             Ability to follow processes, policies, and guidelines

Desirable

•             Experience of managing several diverse teams within a large operational department.

•             Understanding of the Parole Process.

Main Duties:

As set out in the job description above.

Behaviours

We will assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

•             Leadership

•             Communicating and Influencing

•             Managing a Quality Service

•             Working together

•             Delivering at Pace

Accessibility

The Parole Board is a disability confident recruiter. Accessibility requests will be carefully considered and, where reasonable, actioned.

Whilst the Parole Board office is principally located in London, and, for the purposes of organisational management and administration, it is not required to conduct business in Welsh. However, the Parole Board welcomes applications from candidates who speak Welsh and English as part of its commitment to treat both languages on a basis of equality in the conduct of public business and administration of justice in Wales, as far as is both appropriate and reasonable, and to reflect the community it serves.

Office requirements

This role is hybrid. You will be required to spend 20% of your time in person contact. For some SLT meetings as well as Operations team away days, you will be required to attend in person in London.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and Experience. At the interview stage you will be assessed against Behaviours and Experience.    

Additional Information

The Parole Board offers a range of benefits:

For nationally advertised campaigns, candidates will be appointed to their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) on the completion of pre-employment checks.

The Parole Board offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. Parole Board 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 Parole Board’s Flexible Working policy.

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 Parole Board 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.

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.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.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's 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.

Contact Information

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 13440

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

Application form stage assessments

Behaviours
A sift based on the lead behaviour, Leadership, may be held if a large number of applications are received. If a large number of applications remain after the initial sift, your application will be progressed to a full sift, where all behaviours will then be considered.
Behaviours Application Form Question Word Limit
250
Leadership
Communicating and Influencing
Managing a Quality Service
Working Together
Delivering at Pace
Experience
We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods
Statement of Suitability
Statement of Suitability
Guidance for the Statement of Suitability
In your statement of suitability you should demonstrate how you meet the following criteria:
• Experience of leading operational delivery.
• Proven ability to maintain operational delivery through change.
• Proven leadership skills with the ability to provide a clear vision for your function aligned to business strategic priorities.
• Evidence of turning around operational performance.
• Ability to maintain and motivate a team with varied and challenging workloads.
• Evidence of data management and communication of complex data.
• Experience of influencing internal and external colleagues at senior levels.
• Ability to make effective decisions as well as provide evidence-based information to inform decisions by senior leaders within the organisation.
• Strong ability to give quality written and oral advice/presentations to inform critical decision making.
• Resilience and ability to stay focused and positive in the face of complexity and uncertainty.
• Ability to deal with potentially difficult and challenging situations.
• Excellent IT skills and experience in using programmes, including Microsoft Excel, Teams, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to follow processes, policies, and guidelines
Evidence of Experience
Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates
Expected Week commencing 16/02/26
Behaviours
Leadership
Communicating and Influencing
Managing a Quality Service
Working Together
Delivering at Pace
Level of security checks required
Baseline Personnal Security Standard (BPSS)

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.