Ministry of Justice

Overview of role

Prisons and Probation Ombudsman – HEO (Band C) Information Technology (IT) Officer Job Description

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) is an Arm’s Length Body (ALB) of the Ministry of Justice. We have three key duties:

• to investigate complaints made by prisoners, young people in detention, offenders under probation supervision and immigration detainees; and
• to investigate deaths of prisoners, young people in detention, approved premises’ residents and immigration detainees.
• to investigate deaths of recently released prisoners that occur within 14 days of release from prison (except homicide).

The Ombudsman receives around 4,000 new complaints a year, of which around half are assessed as eligible for investigation. The number of deaths in custody requiring investigation is generally between 300 and 350 per year.

To support these investigations, we require an Information Technology (IT) Officer, who will be responsible for the day-to-day running of our IT systems and our case management system, known as PPUD.  They will also be expected to be the PPO’s AI champion, so devising ways that our staff can benefit from this new technology, and, in the future, to work with internal and external stakeholders to drive forward with the creation of a new case management system. 

This is a key role and it is part of the Learning, Analysis and Business Services (LABS) team, who are responsible for supporting the PPO’s main duties.  While the post holder will be part of the LABS Team, they will regularly liaise with staff from our Complaints and Fatal Incidents Teams.  The post holder will report to the SEO Head of Business Support.

This post will suit individuals who are motivated and proactive, experienced with IT and are at the forefront of developments in this field.  They will need to be well-organised; have good communications skills, particularly with staff who are nervous of or inexperienced with IT; be able to build relationships with multiple stakeholders; and be confident with project management.  The post holder will also need to be comfortable working predominantly by themselves, albeit as part of a wider team of colleagues.

Previous IT experience is essential but previous experience of the Criminal Justice System is not required.  

The PPO is based at the HM Government hub at 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf.  Staff are expected to work at least three days of the week at the London office (based on full time hours), with the rest of the time spent working at home or at commuter hubs.

While you will usually have some flexibility to decide which days of the week you work in the office to enable you to manage your office attendance around your personal circumstances, there will be occasions when you will be required to attend the office (for example, team meetings, office or function-wide meetings) or visit establishments belonging to our services in remit on particular days.

Please note that the PPO is unable to offer home working contracts or allow you to permanently work at any other location, other than 10 South Colonnade, for the required office attendance days.  Also, due to current immigration rules, it is unlikely that we will be able to sponsor any candidate who does not have the right to work in the United Kingdom. 

If you are successful, you may need to attend the office more frequently in your first six weeks, to undertake key training and induction activity. 

Interviews will be held virtually using Microsoft Teams. 

The salary range is £40,014 to £42,859. 

Successful candidates who are already at HEO will keep their base salary on transfer.  Allowances do not transfer.  Successful candidates joining on promotion will start on either the minimum of the salary range or receive a 10% increase to their current base salary, whichever is higher.

Job Description

The post holder will be responsible for the following:

IT Management

• Ensuring that all PPO staff have access to the IT equipment and software necessary to carry out their core work.
• Keeping PPO staff updated on IT and software developments that could improve their ability to carry out their core work.
• Liaising with the Ministry of Justice’s IT department to ensure the smooth running of our IT equipment and software.
• Training staff, with differing levels of IT knowledge and expertise, on IT software and the functionality of our case management system.
• Running and devising reports to provide performance management information to senior managers in our complaint and fatal incident teams.
• Any other business as usual IT task as required.

AI Champion

• Managing the PPO’s adoption of AI, including chairing the AI working group.
• Devising different ways of using AI that will benefit our staff in being more efficient or effective in their core work.
• Training staff, with differing levels of IT knowledge and expertise, on how to use AI.
• Liaising with the Ministry of Justice’s IT department to ensure access to appropriate AI systems.
• Being at the forefront of any new IT system or application that could benefit our staff in being more efficient or effective in their core work.

PPUD Champion

• Managing the day-to-day running of our case management system.
• Liaising with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the development of the case management system.
• Training staff, with differing levels of IT knowledge and expertise, on how to appropriately use the case management system.
• Ensuring the suitability and accuracy of data contained in the case management system.

New Case Management System Project Manager

• When appropriate funding is available, acting as the PPO’s project manager for the development of a new case management system.
• Liaising with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the suitability of the new case management system for the PPO’s core tasks.
• Attending all necessary meetings, including discovery sessions and development sprints.
• Keeping the PPO’s Senior Leadership Team and PPO staff up to date on developments.
• Ensuring that the project is delivered on time and on budget.

Essential Requirements

• Knowledge and experience of working in IT and with AI.
• Being able to communicate with and train PPO staff with differing levels of IT knowledge and experience.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks or projects simultaneously.
• Ability to respond quickly to emerging IT issues or errors.

The Application and Interview Process

The PPO is a Disability Confident Committed Employer, and we ensure our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible. Please complete the application information on reasonable adjustments and disabilities if relevant.  Further information on the types of reasonable adjustment that can be provided can be found at https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

This is a two-stage process. 

Stage 1:

• Submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV).
• Submit a statement of suitability (250 words) setting out how your skills and experience match what the post holder would be responsible for, together with the essential requirements for the role as stated above.
• Provide examples of where you have demonstrated the skills required for the Civil Service Behaviours “Managing a Quality Service”, and “Changing and Improving”.   

If we receive a high number of applications for the post, we may complete an initial sift on the “Managing a Quality Service” behaviour.  We may not review the rest of the application for any candidate who does not meet the required mark for this behaviour, which we have set at four out of seven. 

Furthermore, to be considered for the next stage of the recruitment campaign, a candidate will need to score a minimum of four out of seven on each behaviour and two out of three on their statement of suitability.  If we receive a high number of high scoring applications, we reserve the right to increase this minimum benchmark.

The CV will not be scored but will be used to give context to the statement of suitability. 

Stage 2: 

Those who meet the required level at the application stage will be invited to a short final interview.  During the interview, you will be asked questions about the Civil Service Behaviours “Managing a Quality Service”, “Changing and Improving”, “Communicating and Influencing”, and “Working Together”, as well as strength-based questions relating to the role.

To be considered appointable, you will need to score a minimum of four out of seven on each behaviour question, and a minimum of three out of four on each strength question.  If we receive a high number of high scoring interviewees, we reserve the right to increase this minimum benchmark. 

Recruitment across the Civil Service changed from July 2019 with the introduction of Success Profiles. Further guidance can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles.

Managing a Quality Service

Examples of managing a quality service at HEO and SEO grades or equivalent are when you:

• develop, implement, maintain and review systems and services to ensure delivery of professional excellence.
• work with stakeholders to set priorities, objectives and timescales.
• successfully deliver high quality outcomes that meet the customers’ needs and gives value for money.
• identify risks and resolve issues efficiently.
• involve a diverse range of colleagues, stakeholders and delivery partners in developing suggestions for improvements.
• establish ways to find and respond to feedback from customers about the services provided.

Changing and Improving

Examples of changing and improving at HEO and SEO grades or equivalent are when you:

• work with others to identify areas for improvement and simplify processes to use fewer resources.
• use technology where possible to increase efficiency.
• encourage ideas for change from a wide range of sources.
• clearly explain the reasons for change to colleagues and how to implement them, supporting individuals with different needs to adapt to change.
• encourage an environment where colleagues know that they can challenge decisions and issues safely.
• take managed risks by fully considering the varied impacts changes could have on the diverse range of end users.

Communicating and Influencing

Examples of communicating and influencing at HEO and SEO grades or equivalent are when you:

• communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner - choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact.
• encourage the use of different communication methods, including digital resources and highlight the benefits, including ensuring cost effectiveness.
• ensure communication has a clear purpose and takes into account people’s individual needs.
• share information as appropriate and check understanding.
• show positivity and enthusiasm towards work, encouraging others to do the same.
• ensure that important messages are communicated with colleagues and stakeholders respectfully, taking into consideration the diversity of interests.

Working Together

Examples of working together at HEO and SEO grades or equivalent are when you:

• encourage joined up team work within your own team and across other groups.
• establish professional relationships with a range of stakeholders.
• collaborate with these to share information, resources and support.
• invest time to develop a common focus and genuine positive team spirit where colleagues feel valued and respect one another.
• put in place support for the wellbeing of individuals within the team, including consideration of your own needs.
• make it clear to all team members that bullying, harassment and discrimination are unacceptable.
• actively seek and consider input of people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

When answering questions about the behaviours, you might want to use the STAR approach to help you to present your evidence more successfully.  This approach provides structure and focus to your answers.

The STAR approach stands for:

Situation – briefly describe the context and your role.

Task – the specific challenge, task or job that you faced.

Action – what you did, how and why you did it.

Result – what you achieved through your actions.

You should keep the situation and task parts brief, concentrating on the actions you took and the result. If the result was not entirely successful describe what you learned from this and what you would do differently next time. STAR may help you to cover all the points you need to make.

When using STAR, you should use one specific example per behaviour and you should explain what you did rather than others.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made should further vacancies become available.