Ministry of Justice

Job role: Head of Business Change

Grade: G6
Directorate: Strategy, Analysis & Change

Workstream: National Business Change

About us

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for administering criminal, civil, and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales. Our mission is to deliver justice effectively and efficiently, helping people and businesses access justice.

The Change Directorate plays a pivotal role in shaping and delivering HMCTS’s strategic objectives through effective portfolio management. Our team of experienced portfolio and project professionals ensures that HMCTS can adapt swiftly to evolving priorities, delivering initiatives that align with organisational goals and maintain high standards of quality.

We oversee a diverse portfolio of 20 to 30 active projects at any given time, each targeting improvements in the efficiency, effectiveness, and accessibility of courts and tribunals. Through structured portfolio oversight, we ensure that resources are optimally allocated, risks are managed proactively, and benefits are realised across the full spectrum of change initiatives.

We’re looking for individuals with a passion for public service and who also want to make a difference in people’s lives in delivering justice. If you're looking to build a career with real purpose, we encourage you to apply. Join us and be part of a team where your experience directly supports the delivery of justice for all.

Background

Over the past few years, HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has been working to modernise the Courts and Tribunals service by using new technology and innovative practices.  

Following the closure of the Reform Programme, we have a new phase of projects to deliver. Our portfolio of change comprises of many projects aimed at improving the efficiency and accessibility of the courts and tribunals. Our projects include digital transformation, policy and legislative change, innovation, and efficiency improvements. This role is critical to lead a professional business change team to support our operational colleagues implement the new ways of working.

About the role

We are looking for a candidate who has a proven track record of building and sustaining robust relationships with senior stakeholders in a complex multi-agency environment, and someone who is resilient and content to provide critical challenge and innovative thinking in identifying solutions to mitigate the risk of delays to the delivery of benefits and the required business outcomes. 

The Head of Business Change reports to the Deputy Director Business Change. Your role is to develop and lead delivery of the Business change strategy. You are responsible and accountable for driving and overseeing the delivery of business change, through strategic planning and oversight, to create and develop a business change partnering model which fully supports the End-to-end integrated change function.

You will have a strategic overview of the change portfolio and requirements and change specific jurisdictional responsibilities. You are responsible for partnering and working in close collaboration with key senior stakeholders across regions, the integrated change function, Services, Judiciary and DTS and to ensure change across HMCTS is delivered and managed.

You are responsible for implementing new change policies or approaches, acting as project leads when required, ensuring standards and best practice are role modelled and adhered to using the standard toolkit and frameworks, providing a business partner role between the project and the business users to ensure that activities are planned, completed, and properly supported to enable the business to implement the agreed change and realise the business benefits.

You will have oversight of change planning and resourcing to make key decisions and recommendations on the prioritisation of change implementation and deployment of change resource to support implementation and effective delivery of change. Representing the central change function at Service boards to advise and inform on change activity and influence change implementation planning decisions.

You are responsible for building change capability across the wider change community to drive and deliver a standardised and consistent implementation approach and the establishment of business change as a professional service within the organisation.

You will ensure lessons learnt and best practice are embedded across all of the programmes to deliver the most effective business change approach to meet the organisation and stakeholder needs.

You will support the Deputy Director to act as the Head of profession for the business change community across the whole of HMCTS, including developing training, support, coaching and establish a clear community of practice.

This role requires significant leadership, management, representational and influencing skills both within the organisation and with other stakeholders in the wider MoJ/other government departments. Delivery of results through others and effective negotiation at senior levels will be key. The role will develop and maintain strategic partnerships and relationships, and influence others where there may be divergent and conflicting views. You will be expected to coach and mentor team members across the profession to build professional capability and a Centre of Excellence for business change, forecasting demand for business change resource across the organisation and matching resource to priorities.

Main Activities / Responsibilities

Your role as the Head of National Business Change encompasses several key aspects (but not limited to):

• Accountable for the development, standardisation and professionalisation of the End-to-End Integrated Change function to create, establish and embed specialist change roles within the organisation and build change capability.  
• Provide visible and effective strategic leadership of the Integrated Change function and more broadly across the Portfolio and organisation. Covering all activities related to business change and business readiness, process optimisation and embedding change across the organisation. 
• Set the vision, developing the strategic plan and translate this into strategic and delivery objectives for the team.
• Provide a business partnering role to the Heads of Service Performance and Improvement with responsibility for the business change activities across multiple services.  
• Accountable as the strategic lead for continuously developing and refining HMCTS’ Business change approach,
• Leading the Business Change Leads to identify and deliver national and regional change initiatives to ensure standardisation of approach and delivery through use of standardised tools and techniques.
•  Own change plans for a portfolio of projects and provide input into the overall portfolio plan.
• Represent HMCTS in cross-government and departmental meetings, including with the MoJ and Judicial Office, to influence where necessary; suggest joint initiatives where appropriate; and contribute to the existing or proposed initiatives of others.
•  Build strong partnerships and own the relationship with a network of change community, internal and external stakeholders to identify and understand impacts of change to support implementation plans.
• Lead a team of Business Change professionals, who will business-partner with project management professionals and Change Portfolio Office to establish and deliver an effective integrated, responsive change function. Support projects in delivering high quality business case content, co-ordinating any specialist input.
• Accountable for ensuring strategic and operational risks and issues are identified, prioritised, assessed and mitigated. Ensure senior stakeholders are briefed, updated and where appropriate, enrolled in the management and control of key risks. Identify and engage specialists as appropriate.
• Provide strategic leadership in benefit validation to maximise both cashable and non-cashable benefit, ensuring the benefits validation process is integrated into change management planning and activities to support the realisation of benefits associated to change.
• Work alongside Service Owners, Heads of Service and Performance Improvement and other senior leads to develop implementation plans and record and manage risks, issues, and dependencies.
• Responsible as strategic lead for continuously developing and refining the Business Change communications to senior stakeholders and for the engagement with DTUS ensuring comms support the strategic narrative, where necessary and approving and clearing comms for internal and external publication, identifying potential risks and sensitivities, and alerting others as appropriate
• Represent Business Change at Service and Governance boards using change load and readiness data to support and inform their input on any planning, implementation, or go-live decisions. 

Other duties:

The post holder is required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post

What are we looking for? (Person Specification)

The ideal candidate for this position should demonstrate:

Essential

•  Proven track record in delivering large scale change and transformation projects
•  Experience of delivering complex change at scale into an operational environment
• Exceptional senior stakeholder management skills, including presenting at Director level
•  Excellent facilitation and negotiation skills
• Experience of leading and managing a high performing team
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced environment with evolving and competing requirements and priorities

Desirable

The criteria below are desirable only. These will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process, but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates  

• Understanding of HMCTS Change Load Heat Map, HMCTS Local Change Assessments, HMCTS Change Playbook, HMCTS Change Community Forums, HMCTS Benefits Management Strategy
• Should hold or be willing to work towards project and change management qualifications and levels such as: 

• Project Leadership Profession accreditation
• APMG Change Management Practitioner
• APM Chartered Project Professional

 Location of Post:

The successful candidate will be required to regularly travel to London, however base location can be flexible. Travel to other HMCTS sites may also be required as part of these working arrangements. In line with the department’s policies, travel and subsistence and, where appropriate, overnight accommodation will be available in line with organisational policies.

How to apply

Please submit a CV outlining your skills and experience against the essential criteria whilst ensuring it aligns with the following:

• Concise and Structured: Limit to 2 pages, clearly formatted for readability.
• Accurate and Accountable: All content must be factually correct. If generative AI tools are used, you are responsible for verifying the accuracy of all information provided.
• Qualifications Overview: Include relevant academic and professional qualifications. Highlight modules, certifications, or accreditations that align with the role.
• Experience Timeline: Detail your relevant portfolio experience, including clear start and end dates. We value insight into how you’ve applied tools, methodologies, or frameworks to deliver outcomes. Please describe how you’ve approached challenges, managed resources, and driven solutions.

Please also submit a statement of suitability of no more than 1000 words setting out evidence and examples of how you meet the essential criteria for this role. Please ensure you cover both ‘what’ you do but also ‘how’ you do it. (i.e., the effective skills, knowledge & experience needed to undertake the role).

Please note: We review all applications manually, no automated or algorithmic sifting is used.

Interview

If successful at sift you will be invited to attend a formal interview remotely via Microsoft Teams. Candidates should expect interview questions relating to the following Civil Service Behaviors:

·       Communicating and Influencing

·       Leadership

·       Making Effective Decisions      

Further information on the relevant frameworks and the required standards for this G6 post can be found at:

• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles 

About our benefits

We reward our people for their hard work and commitment. We have a number of family friendly and flexible working polices that will help you achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition, we offer a range of employee benefits which include generous annual leave, a highly competitive contributory pension scheme, childcare benefits, season ticket and bicycle loans.

Proud to Serve. Proud to keep justice going.