HQ Job Description (JD)
Band 9
Directorate: Prison Supply Directorate
Job Description - Senior Strategic Policy Lead
Document Ref.
HQ-JES-2914 Senior Strategic Policy Lead v1.0
Document Type
Management
Version
1.0
Classification
Official
Date of Issue
21 September 2021
Status
Baselined
Produced by
Job Evaluation Assurance and Support Team
Authorised by
Reward Team
JD Evidence
HQ-JES-2914 Senior Strategic Policy Lead v1.0
Job Description
Job Title
Senior Strategic Policy Lead
Directorate
Prison Supply Directorate
Band
9
Overview of the job
As a lean commissioning body, the HMPPS Intelligent Client Function (ICF) will
provide the strategic interface between HMPPS and Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
Property Directorate.
It will:
• Own the estates and asset strategy and priorities.
• Oversee implementation of the strategy, commissioning MoJ Property
Directorate for the works and services to deliver the strategy and keep
prisons in good working order.
• Hold MoJ Property Directorate to account for delivery against agreed
outcome, providing assurance for HMPPS Leadership Team.
In delivering its remit, the ICF will foster a strong partnership with MoJ Property
Directorate, maintaining and building on the close working relations with Prison
Maintenance Group (PMG) colleagues.
This is a senior management post within HMPPS, reporting to the Head of Estates
Strategy and Strategic Risk within the Intelligent Client Function (ICF).
The job holder provides leadership across HMPPS and MoJ on the key issues he/she
is responsible for, and is responsible for planning and managing the relevant work of
the ICF.
Summary
The post holder will lead on the development of a HMPPS estates strategy, providing
strategic planning of maintenance and renewal activity on a site-by-site level. They
will provide strategic leadership of risk and assurance management, to colleagues
across HMPPS and MoJ on maintenance and renewal activity.
Deliver briefings to senior leaders and ministers for the most part, as well as to
support cross cutting work such as the spending review, as and when circumstances
dictate.
The job holder will be a subject matter expert on the prison estate, its maintenance
and renewal requirements, and how these support effective prison operations. In
turn they will need to understand the strategic priorities to ensure consistency
across the piece and will be the source of expertise for the strategic position of the
estate, in relation to maintenance, within HMPPS.
They will be responsible for agreeing operational policy priorities with Ministers and
senior HMPPS officials, ensuring delivery of agreed outputs and business plan targets
and develop strategic relationships with internal and external partners and
stakeholders at a CEO and Director level.
Responsibilities,
The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities
Activities and Duties
and duties:
• Ensure that policies are legal, compliant with relevant legislation, provide
value for money, and are sensitive to operational needs.
• Responsible for replies to ministerial submissions, ministers’ cases, PQs,
IMB and HMIP recommendations.
HQ-JES-2914 Senior Strategic Policy Lead v1.0
• Work closely with strategic policy holders within the MoJ and across
government to deliver Ministerial ambition through operational policies.
• Build strong working relationships with Ministers’ Private Offices, senior
officials, external non-departmental public body stakeholders and third
sector partners.
• Accountable for strategic policy that is appropriately tailored and conforms
to the HMPPS business plan and wider organisational objectives.
• Develop and implement a strategic business plan that addresses how
HMPPS can deliver its responsibilities; including the staffing and budgetary
resource required and delivery costs.
• Provide appropriate governance for projects, identifying risks and
mitigating actions and reporting on progress to senior managers and
stakeholders. Quality assure and approve advice to Ministers and senior
HMPPS officials related to policy area.
• Oversee and approve draft business cases and impact assessments arising
from policy development/modification. Ensure requirements for any
central monitoring arrangements have been discussed with relevant
stakeholders and have been set up and are fit for purpose.
• Interpret relevant performance data and research evidence to develop
explanations for disproportionality in outcomes - and other examples of
unfairness - for offenders of different protected groups.
• Accountable for the delivery of well researched, quality assured and timely
responses.
Strategic Activities
• Lead the estates strategy and development of site by site analysis to
develop a more granular understanding of the prison estate.
• Oversee projects within team, ensuring appropriate governance
arrangements to support the project, identifying risks and mitigating action
and reporting on progress to senior managers and stakeholders.
• Responsible for the delivery of well researched, quality assured and timely
strategies that support identified business need.
• Provide the strategic direction for the intelligence client function, as well as
the broader Agency and Ministry on issues relating to the operation and
management of the prison estate from a maintenance perspective.
• Provide strategic and managerial direction for a specialist team of strategic
advisors, ensuring the team provides clear and consistent messaging on the
team’s overall strategic priorities and strategic direction and input for MoJ
policy, property and other colleagues
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.
Behaviours
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
Strengths
It is advised strengths are chosen locally, recommended 4-8.
Ability
• Excellent briefing skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Excellent inter-personal and presentational skills.
HQ-JES-2914 Senior Strategic Policy Lead v1.0
Experience
• The role requires relevant experience in the management, review and
development of policy at a national level.
• Has demonstrated competence of strategic understanding at a high level.
Technical
Minimum Eligibility
Please do not alter this box
• 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
Leave Blank
(Unsocial Hours)
Allowances
To be used by the JES Team only
HQ-JES-2914 Senior Strategic Policy Lead v1.0
Success Profile
Strengths
Behaviours
It is advised strengths
Ability
Experience
Technical
are chosen locally,
recommended 4-8
Seeing the Big Picture
Excellent briefing skills.
The role requires relevant experience
in the management, review and
development of policy at a national
level.
Leadership
Excellent communication
Has demonstrated competence of
skills.
strategic understanding at a high level.
Working Together
Excellent analytical skills.
Communicating and Influencing
Excellent inter-personal and
presentational skills.
Delivering at Pace
HQ-JES-2914 Senior Strategic Policy Lead v1.0