Policy Manager

Team/Directorate:

Strategy, Governance and Change team, Judicial College

Overview of the Judicial Office

This is standardised wording and cannot be amended.

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 Judicial College provides training courses and guidance for 24,000 judicial office holders on behalf of the Lady Chief Justice, Senior President of Tribunals and Chief Coroner. Its vision is to be a world leader in judicial education. This is an exciting time to join the College as it continues to deliver, develop and enhance the training programme at a time of change across the justice system.

Hybrid Working Requirement

This is standardised wording and cannot be amended.

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

The successful candidate will join the strategy, governance and change team - a central, cross-cutting team that sits at the heart of the College and provides direct support to three leadership judges. This includes leading on priority projects and policy work on their behalf, managing the College’s governance and coordinating our public facing engagement.

The successful candidate will lead policy development and governance within their areas of responsibility including developing new process to oversee international training engagement. They will have countersigning responsibility for 1 HEO.

The strongest candidate is likely to be a team player who is confident using their own initiative to take forward actions whilst overseeing the work of others to ensure a strong team performance.

This is a full-time position but we will consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements such as job shares and other arrangements where business need allows.

Responsibilities,

Activities & Duties:

The post-holder will:

Ensure that our policies and governance structures remain robust and up to date, including leading on policy projects as required
Coordinate the College’s approach to international training, including developing, embedding and overseeing policy and guidance in this area
Lead governance and support for the International Training Committee
Draft briefings and papers as required
Be a member of the Strategy, Governance and Change Senior Management Team

Essential Knowledge, Experience and Skills

Experience of policy development and implementation

Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Ability to prioritise and handle multiple issues concurrently
Sound judgement and problem-solving skills
Highly effective organisation and planning skills
Ability to form trusting and collaborative relationships with stakeholders at all levels

Desirable Knowledge, Experience and Skills

Experience or understanding of the judiciary or justice system.

Previous line management experience.

Behaviours (for Recruitment/Success Profiles):

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Managing a quality service (lead)
Making effective decisions
Communicating and influencing
Changing and improving

Assessment process at application

This vacancy is using Success Profiles.

You are asked to provide a statement of suitability (max. 500 words) and two behaviour examples on managing a quality service and making effective decisions (max. 250 words each). Your statement of suitability should set out your interest in the role and how you meet the essential criteria. Applications may be sifted on the lead behaviour - managing a quality service - if a large number are received.

Assessment process at interview

During the panel interview you will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of and you will also be asked strength-based questions to explore what you enjoy and your motivations relevant to the job role.

There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.

Interviews will be held remotely, via MS Teams. Interview dates will be confirmed with candidates in due course.

Security clearance required:

Select one of the below.

(this will be determined by the location)

DBS
CTC
SC
DV

Please note:

Central Government policy dictates that applicants for National Security Clearance must be a resident in the UK for these minimum periods:

CTC - 3 years
SC - 5 years
DV - 10 years

CTC