Role title:

Publications Manager

Team/Directorate:

Publications/Judicial College

Overview of the Judicial Office

The Judicial Office (JO) reports to, and is accountable, to the Lady Chief Justice (LCJ). It was established in 2006 to provide support to the LCJ and to the wider judiciary in upholding the rule of law and in delivering justice impartially, speedily and efficiently, following the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.

In addition, we support, and are accountable to, the Senior President of Tribunals, whose responsibilities extend to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The JO is an interesting and unique place to work. Everything we do is in support of upholding the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. We work closely with HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and others across Government as well as with the legal professions.

We are an Arm’s Length Body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice. This creates an interesting and complex environment in which to work where we agree our priorities with the senior judiciary and receive our funding to deliver them from the Ministry of Justice. The Judicial Office has been through a period of significant growth resulting from an expansion of our remit and responsibilities.

See JO staff talk about working here: https://design102.wistia.com/medias/uhgtmbtnlv

Overview of the team

The Publications team is a small, specialist department (based across our London, Leeds and Loughborough offices) responsible for supporting the production of a wide range of internal and external publications and training materials for the judiciary, ensuring that products are accurate, accessible, produced on schedule and are of high quality.

Hybrid Working Requirement

This position is eligible for hybrid working (current minimum requirement for time spent at base location is 60%, which is subject to business requirements).

Summary of the role

Reporting to the Senior Publications Manager, you will be responsible for managing your own work as well as that of a small team of publications assistants. You will review, format and proofread a variety of high-profile legal publications (including the Equal Treatment Bench Book and Crown Court Compendium), assist in the production of face-to-face and digital learning resources, and work across a range of internal and public-facing communication and support materials, including reports, eLetters and the Judicial College’s annual training prospectus. You will work alongside your fellow Publications Manager to support the Senior Publications Manager in establishing and maintaining the governance of Judicial College publications and manage the handling of enquiries submitted to the team.

Responsibilities,

Activities & Duties:

As Publications Manager, you will:

• Lead and manage a small team of publications assistants, including reviewing and quality-checking their work.

• Use excellent spelling, grammar, writing and editing skills to help authors express their ideas clearly, concisely and creatively.

• Ensure consistency, accuracy and adherence to templates, formatting and house style across all publications.

• Build relationships with both internal colleagues and external stakeholders through strong communication skills.

• Ensure that all Judicial College publications comply with governance/approvals processes and meet accessibility regulations.

• Help produce diverse communications products to complement major workstreams (briefs, forum posts, eLetters, notices).

• Support your fellow Publications Manager in the implementation of new processes and best practice.

• Monitor and manage parts of the team budget.

• Handle internal/external enquiries regarding Judicial College publications.

• Attend planning meetings to track requirements of the team and to support the Senior Publications Manager in resource planning and managing deadlines.

• Support the Senior Publications Manager in the design and development of new business processes for servicing the increased demand for magistrates’ training, leading implementation across the team and evaluating performance.

Essential Knowledge, Experience and Skills

• Leadership and team-management experience.

• Previous professional sub-editing or proofreading experience.

• Excellent attention to detail and understanding of written English, with first-rate spelling, grammar and punctuation skills.

• Ability to juggle multiple projects simultaneously and work quickly and accurately under pressure.

• Strong team and relationship-building skills.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively, and on own initiative, with stakeholders at all levels.

• A flexible, can-do approach, and a willingness to learn and adapt to meet the current and future needs of the team.

Desirable Knowledge, Experience and Skills

• Experience of publication design/layout using Adobe InDesign.

• Proficiency in MS Word (in particular, using templates and working with tracked changes).

• Knowledge of accessibility best practice.

• Experience of working with editorial teams and knowledge of editorial processes.

• An understanding of the judiciary, and/or the business of courts and tribunals.

Behaviours (for Recruitment/Success Profiles):

• Leadership.

• Working Together.

• Managing a Quality Service.

• Delivering at Pace.

Assessment process at application

• CV.

• Statement of Suitability (750-word limit).

• Behaviours (250-word limit for each).

• A sift based on the lead Behaviour of Leadership and the Statement of Suitability may be held if a large number of applications is received.

• Interviews will be held on Microsoft Teams.

Assessment process at interview

• There is one interview stage for this appointment.

• At interview, we will assess your Experience, Behaviours and Strengths. There will be a short editing/proofreading skills test at the end.

Security clearance required:

CTC.