17085 - Principal Adviser - 17085 - Ministry of Justice

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

Principal Adviser – Business Architecture
Grade 7
Business Architecture and Transformation Directorate

The Business Architecture Team is recruiting permanently for up to four Grade 7 roles. This campaign is open to current civil servants and external candidates.

Background

We are recruiting for multiple Principal Advisers – Business Architecture roles. They will work to Grade 6’ Heads of Business Architecture, focusing on portfolios supporting the Department around its core workforce, infrastructure, skills and capability needs in the long term, and work on the development of an organisational strategy to support and guide decision making of Ministers and senior leaders. The role will have line management responsibility, oversight of work and projects, and contribute to the development of the team culture and performance – including corporately.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ)

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is responsible for everything that goes into running the UK’s criminal and civil justice systems, creating the foundations for a safe, fair and prosperous society. We are one of the largest government departments with around 90,000 staff based across England and Wales. We are responsible for 500 courts and tribunals, 122 prisons, the policies underpinning the system and much more.

What we do

The Business Architecture and Transformation (BAT) Directorate sits at the heart of MoJ within the People & Capability Group. It supports and works closely with the MoJ leadership team, and in turn advises ExCo, on the people, skills, capability, resilience and infrastructure needed across the department to put us in the best possible place to deliver for the current and future Governments. We will work in partnership with the MoJ Chief Operating Officer (COO) Group, and closely alongside other functions and teams to ensure the machinery of the department is efficient but maintains a strong ‘people first’ culture.

The Business Architecture division is a core part of the BAT Directorate that helps identify opportunities and in turn formulate a strategy to improve the way services are delivered, the organisation is structured and ensure we invest in the right skills and capability for our future workforce. We work hand in hand with colleagues across the department, and closely with core People, Policy, Strategy and Strategic Finance colleagues in the preparation, delivery and implementation of fiscal and political events for the MoJ through the lens of people, infrastructure and capability.

Principal Adviser - Business Architecture – job description

This is an exciting opportunity to be a key player in the leadership of the Business Architecture division. You will be responsible for (among other things):
• Working across the MoJ, its agencies and arms length bodies (ALBs), and other key stakeholders internally and externally, to drive forward the agenda for pan-MoJ Business Architecture ambitions
• Leading and contributing in major change projects, focused on department-wide Organisational Transformation, and on more bespoke or ad-hoc and high priority organisational issues
• Contributing to the development of the MoJ organisational strategy, owning one or more specific thematic area/s, that sets out the department’s future workforce, skills, capability and infrastructure agenda
• Owning and nurturing relationships with key stakeholders across people, strategy, strategic finance and others to ensure that cross-department ambitions are aligned to the future organisational strategy, decisions made by the department and senior leaders are informed by this, and that we are progressive in organising ourselves according to our necessary future departmental capabilities
• Being an active contributor in the preparation, delivery and implementation of fiscal and political events for the MoJ through the lens of your thematic area/s
• Building and leading your team, providing coaching and support to potentially multiple SEOs and ensuring quality work is progressed within your portfolio
• Being an active leader, engaging across the directorate and the group corporately, and assisting in setting up and maintaining corporate culture across the team.

More generally, you will be expected in your role to:
• Build strong relationships across the department and balance competing interests to ensure advice and decisions are based on an understanding of the whole picture
• Play a leading role in developing and communicating the organisational strategy for the department in line with senior leaders and ministers’ priorities, and the key strategic challenges the department faces
• Lead your team effectively, demonstrating best practice in line management, overseeing and providing strategic input into their work, and supporting their development
• Convene policy, strategy, functional and operational teams across the department to coordinate future work
• Act as an advocate for the MoJ and build effective relationships with critical partners across the department and externally.

In practice, this can include a wide range of activities – such as drafting clear advice to ministers or senior officials to enable decisions to be taken; running workshops with policy, strategy, functional and operational teams across the department; preparing papers or slide packs to support discussions; presenting your work at meetings; briefing ministers or senior officials in person or in writing; or scoping and delivering projects to help the department answer important strategic questions about our future as an organisation.

Person specification

These Grade 7 roles will be a central part of the Business Architecture Division management, working alongside Grade 6s and the Deputy Director. We are looking for people who are highly motivated in leading teams and building capability, with demonstrable experience operating and delivering in a large scale and complex organisation where transformation and change are prioritised.

Essential

• The ability to develop an understanding of how your work fits into the department’s priorities and provide strategic insight, drawing on your understanding of the wider context to ensure your work is clear, effective and relevant.
• Strong problem-solving skills, bringing structure to complex issues and able to draw sound conclusions.
• Confidence in drawing on a range of evidence and analysis to deliver high-quality, innovative and inclusive advice.
• Strong prioritisation skills and the ability to make effective decisions on how to structure your work to make best use of your resources.
• The ability to impose structure on complex problems, allocate scarce resources in the context of the department’s strategy and political direction, and set-up and lead teams and bring colleagues together to reach your end goal.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to build and maintain strong relationships, and influence across the department and beyond to ensure that the work of your team has maximum impact.
• Openness to challenge and able to effectively navigate conflicting priorities.

Desirable

• Experience working in a strategy, or strategic finance function within government or in the private sector
• Experience working in the field of business architecture within government or the private sector

Please note that whilst we don’t assess or score ‘desirable’ criteria, we may consider evidence provided that demonstrates meeting the desirable elements of the role, only after essential criteria is assessed and where there is a need to differentiate between closely scored candidates.

Location

National.

MOJ employees based in a MoJ building should be attending the office a minimum of two days a week. You will be based at one of our 37 JCCs/JSOs nationwide, but travelling to see your team to one of our clustered sites (London, Leeds, Cardiff, Newbold Revel and Manchester) around twice a month will be expected. This, alongside any other travel to different sites will be classed as a day’s office attendance.

Ways of Working

At the MoJ we believe in and promote alternative ways of working, these roles are available as:
• Full-time, part-time or the option to job share
• Flexible working patterns

If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without a new competition.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

Application process

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework.

You will need to submit an anonymised CV and Statement of Suitability as part of your application. You will also be required to provide a behaviour example, for the lead behaviour of Seeing the Big Picture.

Your CV should be no more than 2 pages long and should show us your work history and previous experience. It should be well structured, succinct and written in clear language.

Your statement of suitability should be no more than 750 words. Please use your statement to explain how you are the right person for this role linking it to your skills, experience and any evidence in relation to the behaviours and essential criteria that has been outlined.

Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade (Grade 7):

Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours - GOV.UK

Should we receive a large number of applications, we will sift primarily on the statement of suitability. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview, testing both behaviours and strengths.

Candidates invited to Interview

During the interview, we will be assessing you on your Experience, Behaviours and Strengths from the success Profiles framework.

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework at interview stage, with a focus on your experience and the following behaviours:

• Seeing the Bigger Picture (lead behaviour)
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working together
• Changing and Improving

You will be required to give a five-minute presentation at interview. Details of this will be sent to those candidates who are invited for interview.

Please note that interviews may be carried out remotely.

Contact information

Candidates are encouraged to get in touch to find out more about the role, the team and the wider ambition of the Business Architecture division.

If you have any enquiries please contact Holly.Hobart@justice.gov.uk.

Additional Information

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.

Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised role: all successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale. This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO) – See Map. All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity).

For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within the National Office Network and moved its location’s respective pay scale (any legacy arrangements/locations will need to be amended).

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.

All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.

Benefits

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Annual Leave

Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.

There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Pension

The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Training

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

Networks

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Support

A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on www.GOV.UK or Childcare Choices. You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

To Transformative Business Services (0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk);
To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team (resourcing-management-office@justice.gov.uk);
To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.

For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos.

You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

Civil Service Nationality Rules

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

Reserve list

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.

Contact Information

MoJ:

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Please quote the job reference 17085

HMPPS

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Please quote the job reference 17085

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Application form stage assessments

Behaviours

A sift based on the lead behaviour, Seeing the Big Picture, may be held if a large number of applications are received. If a large number of applications remain after the initial sift, your application will be progressed to a full sift, where all behaviours will then be considered.

Behaviours Application Form Question Word Limit

250

Seeing the Big Picture

Experience

We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Statement of Suitability

Guidance for the Statement of Suitability

Please use your statement to explain how you are the right person for this role linking it to your skills, experience and any evidence in relation to the behaviours and essential criteria that has been outlined.

Evidence of Experience

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates

Expected early June

Behaviours

Seeing the Big Picture

Communicating and Influencing

Working Together

Changing and Improving

Strengths

Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here.

Other Assessments

Which assessment methods will be used?

Presentation

Level of security checks required

DBS Standard

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.