Thank you for your interest in this exciting role at HM Courts and Tribunals

The Strategy and Analysis directorate sits at the heart of HMCTS, shaping the future direction of the organisation. We champion the vision set by the HMCTS Board and assist the Executive Team to grip challenging issues and deliver strategic outcomes.

We are responsible for helping HMCTS to make the right strategic choices to deliver access to justice for users and citizens. Our teams aim to empower the organisation to be evidence-led, providing and encouraging the use of high-quality data, insight and expertise to support effective decision-making.

The Deputy Director for HMCTS Business and User Strategy leads one of the four divisions in this directorate and will play a pivotal role in delivering these responsibilities. This involves working closely with HMCTS senior leaders to drive forward ministerial and judicial priorities and supporting the organisation to be user-led, whilst also driving up the effectiveness and efficiency of everything we do.

You will be leading a busy but energised and friendly team with backgrounds both in the courts/tribunals and wider justice system and also from across government and other sectors. The uniqueness of this role is in bringing that all together to drive the strategic direction of the overall organisation.

If you have the skills, experience and motivation to take on this challenge, I would be very keen to hear from you.

Beset Wishes,

Ed Wagstaff

Director, HMCTS Strategy and Analysis

The Ministry of Justice is a major government department at the heart of the justice system. We deliver some of the most fundamental public services including courts, tribunals, prisons, legal services, youth justice, probation services, and attendance centres.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) works to protect and advance the principles of justice. Our vision is to deliver a world-class justice system that works for everyone in society.

The justice system plays a crucial role in our success as a nation - keeping people safe, emphasising fairness, guaranteeing individual rights and giving businesses confidence to flourish.

The delivery of our three strategic outcomes are central to doing this:

Punishment that cuts crime: to rebuild confidence in the criminal justice system by protecting the public and reducing reoffending with a sustainable and effective prison and probation service.
Swifter justice for victims: to rebuild confidence in the criminal justice system by ensuring timely, just outcomes for victims and defendants through a modern and efficient criminal courts system.
A beacon for justice and the rule of law: to uphold the rule of law at home and abroad; promote our world-leading legal services, which contribute to economic growth; and deliver accessible and timely civil, family and administrative justice.

For more information on who we are and what we do, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice.

HMCTS is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. We operate on the basis of a partnership between the Lord Chancellor, the Lady Chief Justice and the Senior President of Tribunals.

HMCTS provides the system of support, including infrastructure and resources, for the administration of the business of the courts in England and Wales, and those tribunals throughout the United Kingdom for which the Lord Chancellor is responsible. We provide the support necessary to enable judges, tribunal members and magistrates to exercise their judicial functions independently.

The aim of HMCTS is to run an efficient and effective courts and tribunals system, which supports an independent judiciary in the administration of justice, enabling the rule of law to be upheld and providing access to justice for all.

HMCTS is governed by a Framework Document, which formally sets out the duties and responsibilities of the board of HMCTS and its Chief Executive. For further information see:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/corporate-reports/hmcts/2014/hmcts-framework-document-2014.pdf

We’re responsible for:

Providing the supporting administration for a fair, efficient and accessible courts and tribunal system.
Supporting an independent judiciary in the administration of justice.
Driving improvements across all aspects of the administration of the courts and tribunals.
Collaborating effectively with other justice organisations and agencies, including the legal professions, to improve access to justice.
Working with government departments and agencies to improve the quality and timeliness of their decision-making, which will reduce the number of cases coming before courts and tribunals.

Our vision is to have an efficient and effective courts and tribunals system which enables the rule of law to be upheld and provides timely access to justice for all.

About the role

Job Title

Deputy Director, HMCTS Business and User Strategy

Location

National.

The MoJ is working to open more Justice Collaboration Centres and Justice Satellite Offices over time. Click here to learn more about where our currently open Justice Collaboration Centres and Justice Satellite Offices are, to identify where you may be based.

Please note the requirements for travel and level of flexibility available as set out in the FAQs section.

Salary

The salary for this role is set within the MoJ SCS PB1 range (£81,000 - £117,800).

Existing Civil Servants will be appointed in line with the Civil Service pay rules in place on the date of their appointment.

Contract Type

This role is being offered on a permanent basis.

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years - in line with the deliverables identified. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by.

The Role

Key Responsibilities

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is seeking an effective Deputy Director to lead the Business and User Strategy division within the Strategy and Analysis directorate.

This Deputy Director role provides strategic leadership and delivery oversight for HMCTS’ business strategy, judicial workforce and planning and strategy, policy and legislative priorities, corporate governance and Board Secretariat, and user strategy. This is a crucial function for HMCTS’s ambitions to drive business and user outcomes and run an effective and efficient courts and tribunals service meeting ministerial and judicial ambitions.

You will:

Work with the HMCTS Non-Executive Chairman and Board as well as Chief Executive Officer and senior executive and leadership teams to set HMCTS strategy.
Translate that strategy into annual business plans which drive HMCTS delivery and progress as well as linking through to the Ministry and the Judiciary.
Ensure that strategy and business plans are informed and underpinned by robust horizon scanning on the opportunities and challenges ahead and make links into international jurisdictions and opportunities to learn from others internationally (e.g. OECD, Council of Europe). Co-lead and chair the HMCTS international oversight group to drive and co-ordinate engagement in meeting DPM priorities.
Lead engagement with MoJ policy on legislative and policy development to embed operational priorities and perspectives.
Lead or co-lead in HMCTS the development of key set piece events - e.g. for the King’s Speech, for Spending Reviews and Budgets (with Finance) and be the central point for new Minister/Parliament preparations and briefings.
Lead the HMCTS central role in judicial recruitment and capacity planning working with MOJ, the Judicial Appointments Commission, Judicial Office and Judicial College (which covers the recruitment and training of c1000 new judicial office holders each year).
Drive the development of strategic and innovative solutions to key issues and challenges identified by the Chair and CEO through running timely and impactful strategic priorities joining up across the agency and beyond.
Lead the development of the organisation’s approach to supporting users, especially the most vulnerable. As such act as Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the Digital Support service which aims to combat digital exclusion.
Promote equalities across HMCTS, lead the provision of subject matter expertise and advice on Equalities Impact Assessments and oversee a programme of sectoral engagement to bring the user perspective into HMCTS business.
Lead the corporate governance function across the agency, complying with MOJ and cross-government standards and role modelling best practice. In parallel oversee the management of the Board Secretariat support to the Chair, Board and seven executive committees.
Across all of the above, represent HMCTS at departmental and judicial fora, ensuring operational reality informs policy decisions and court/tribunal practice.

It is important through the recruitment process that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the essential and desirable criteria.

Later on in the pack you will be told what is being assessed at which stage of the process.

Essential Experience:

Strategic leadership through strategy development, alignment and planning in a complex organisation.
Policy engagement and influencing the development of services and programmes underpinned by confident use of evidence and data.
Flexibility and agility to juggle multiple and changing priorities and working to very senior principals, such as ministers or the judiciary (or equivalent leaders in other sectors).
Stakeholder engagement, securing the confidence of very senior colleagues and communication in writing and in person.
Programme leadership (including SRO responsibilities) and stewardship of critical business as usual activity.

Desirable Experience:

Experience of the justice system and understanding of courts and tribunals.
Familiarity with user and digital inclusion and governance/public sector accountability (as the focus of two of the teams within the division).

MoJ SCS Pay Band 1 Behaviours:

You will also be assessed against the following Behaviours during the Recruitment Process:

Leadership
Seeing the big picture
Making effective decisions
Communicating and influencing

Read more in the Civil Service Success Profiles Section.

Recruitment Process

The selection process will be chaired by Ed Wagstaff, Director, Strategy and Analysis, HMCTS. The other panel members will be confirmed in due course.

Support during the selection process

If you need any support or have any questions during any stage of the selection process, please contact the SCS Recruitment Team scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk.

Stages of the selection process

Application

You will need to complete the online application process accessed via the advertisement for this role.

This should be completed no later than 23:55 on 10^th May 2026. As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

Responses to the eligibility questions to check you are eligible to apply for the role.
A response to whether you would like to request reasonable adjustments during the selection process. The Disability Support section explains how adjustments can be made to the selection process to accommodate a disability.
You will also need to complete a CV and Statement of Suitability. It is important that your CV and Statement of Suitability give evidence and examples of how you meet the essential experience. The Statement of Suitability should be no more than 1000 words.

Find out more information about our application process here.

After the Application Stage

You will be advised whether your application has been shortlisted for the next stage of the selection process. If you are shortlisted, we will contact you to arrange the next stage of the selection process.

Unfortunately, due to the anticipated number of applicants for this role, we are unable to provide feedback to those not successful at shortlist stage. Candidates who are shortlisted and attend an interview will be offered verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel.

Panel Interview and Presentation

You will be invited to attend an interview and presentation with the selection panel. You will be asked to prepare a verbal 5-minute presentation based on a topic that will be provided in advance. The interview and presentation will last for approximately 45 minutes.

What is being assessed?

Behaviours, as listed on page 9.

Following the interview, the performance of all candidates will be reviewed, and the successful candidate identified. All candidates will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible after the conclusion of all interviews. If you are not the successful candidate but you meet the standard required, you may be invited to have your details retained on a merit list to be considered for future SCS roles.

What are Behaviours?

The Civil Service recruits using Success Profiles and Behaviours are an element of Success Profiles used to see whether candidates are able demonstrate specific Behaviours associated with the role they are applying for during the selection process.

In this process the below Behaviours are most relevant to this role and will be assessed during the interview stage of the process. The definitions of Behaviours are as follows:

Leadership

You visibly demonstrate the organisation’s values in all your activity, leading authentically. You seek to engage staff in the aims of the organisation and communicate the organisation’s strategy in an inspiring way. You create an inclusive and fair culture which creates a sense of belonging by treating staff as individuals and actively valuing diversity within the organisation. You empower teams and individuals to excel by creating a shared vision and objectives and demonstrate trust in staff by giving autonomy.

Seeing the Big Picture

You understand the wider context of the organisation’s work, considering the political, social, economic, and technological environment both currently and in the future. You create and implement strategies to achieve the organisation’s aims and meet the needs of the public. You promote the organisation externally, advocating positive outcomes for the sector you operate within. You motivate staff by ensuring they understand how their work fits into the big picture.

Making Effective Decisions

You make defensible, objective and fair high-impact decisions, considering the impact on the service user and wider organisation. You are willing to take ownership of your decisions, being transparent and open about the reasons for them. You effectively analyse data to make evidence-based decisions, whilst being comfortable taking considered risks based on the best evidence available. You consult with others to incorporate views and professional expertise, ensuring appropriate individuals are involved in the decision-making process.

Communicating and Influencing

You communicate clearly and with confidence, both verbally and in writing. You are open, honest and transparent in your communications. You communicate effectively with internal and external senior stakeholders to present information in a convincing and influential manner. You tailor your communication methods and content to the audience, simplifying strategic messages.

You proactively maintain relationships with peers and external senior stakeholders and utilise these to achieve positive outcomes.

Please click here or more information on Behaviours and Success Profiles.

As part of the application process, you need to submit a Statement and CV. Both your Statement and CV should demonstrate how you meet the essential experience outlined in the Person Specification section.

Ensure you read through the role information thoroughly and identify the essential criteria for each area. You should ensure you provide evidence for each of the essential experience which are required for the role in your Statement and CV. You may not be progressed to the next stage of the assessment process if you do not provide this evidence.

When structuring your Statements try to:

Group evidence of the same experience skills together by using subheadings and paragraphs. This will help to ensure you are writing about the experience that is directly relevant for the role you are applying for.
You should ensure that you detail recent and relevant examples of the essential experience required for the role and describe the outcome that came from this.

Using AI in your application

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.

Providing a name-blind CV and Success Profile Statements

In both your CV and Success Profile Statements please remove references to any personal information that could identify you. For example:

Name and title
Educational institution names
Age and gender
Email address
Postal address and telephone number
Nationality and immigration status.

This will help us to recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not on your background, gender or ethnicity. Recruiting this way is called name-blind recruitment.

For more information on how to write your Statement and CV please visit the Civil Service Careers Website

Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing

Our departmental values - purpose, humanity, openness and together - are at the heart of our commitment to create a culture where all our people are able to thrive and flourish in the workplace.

We want to attract and retain the best talent from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. We want everyone to be the best of themselves, to feel supported and have a strong sense of belonging in the workplace. Our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce is reflected in all of our people policies and strategies.

Benefits

As an HMCTS employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits which include but are not limited to:

Pension

The Civil Service Pension Scheme is one of the best workplace pension schemes in the UK public sector. Visit www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk for more details.

Generous Annual Leave and Bank Holiday Allowance

25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays. This will be complemented by one further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the King’s Birthday.

Flexible Working

While not every type of flexible working will be suitable for every role and business area, flexible working can take many forms and The Ministry of Justice is committed to delivering its business effectively and sustainably by creating modern and inclusive workplaces that enable smart, flexible and hybrid working.

For more information on our amazing benefits including our Civil Service Pension Scheme, annual and special leave, and our Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing schemes please visit our Senior Civil Service website.

What reasonable adjustments can be made if I have a disability?

We are committed to supporting all candidates to take part in the recruitment process. This includes supporting individuals who have a disability by making reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.

If you feel you require any kind of support and/or would like to discuss this with someone, please indicate ‘yes’ to requesting reasonable adjustments in your application form and ensure that you respond to the Reasonable Adjustments Scheme team by email.

How we can support you

There are many types of reasonable adjustments that can be made during assessment processes.

Examples of some types of adjustments include:

Extra time to complete assessments.
Providing a break within an assessment.
Providing interview questions in a written format at the interview as well as orally.
An interview at a certain time of day.

This is not an exhaustive list but rather some examples of how we can support you during the SCS Recruitment Process.

Whilst we aim to confirm all adjustments requested, there may be occasions where this isn’t possible. If an adjustment cannot be provided, the reasons for this will be explained to you.

Help with your application

It is important you contact us as early as possible by email if you would like to request reasonable adjustments so that the recruitment process runs smoothly for you.

If you do decide during the process that you do require adjustments and you have not completed all your assessments, please contact the SCS recruitment team in advance of your next assessment.

If you have any questions in advance of making your application regarding reasonable adjustments, please contact the SCS recruitment team at scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk.

Do you offer a Disability Confident Scheme for Disabled Persons?

As a Disability Confident employer, the MoJ offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. This could be in terms of the advertised essential skills and/or application form sift criteria. Within the application form, you will be asked if you would like to be considered for an interview under this scheme, so please make us aware of this when prompted

Can I apply if I am not currently a civil servant?

Yes.

Is this role suitable for part-time working?

This role is available for full-time or flexible working arrangements (including job shares). To discuss your needs in more detail please get in touch with the SCS Recruitment Team.

Where will the role be based?

If successful you can be based Nationally.

This role will also require frequent travel to London.

Relocation costs will not be reimbursed.

Can I claim back any expenses incurred during the recruitment process?

Unfortunately, we will not be able to reimburse you, except in exceptional circumstances.

Am I eligible to apply for this role?

For information on whether you are eligible to apply, please visit Gov.UK.

Is security clearance required?

Yes. If successful you must hold, or be willing to obtain, security clearance to SC level. More information about the vetting process can be found here.

Will this role be overseen by the Civil Service Commission?

No. However, the recruitment process will still be governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

What do I do if I want to make a complaint?

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on 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 and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk in the first instance.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order.

To Shared Service-Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 08.00 - 18.00) or e-mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com)
To Ministry of Justice Resourcing (resourcing-services@justice.gov.uk)
To the Civil Service Commission (https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/contact-us/)

What should I do if I think that I have a conflict of interest?

If you believe that you may have a conflict of interest you must declare it by contacting SCS Recruitment on scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk before submitting your application.

We will ensure that we will treat all personal information in accordance with data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018.

Data Sharing

To process your application your personal data will be shared with the Ministry of Justice SCS Recruitment Team, campaign Panel Members and anyone else necessary as part of the recruitment process.

The legal basis for processing your personal data is:

Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. Personal data are processed in the public interest because understanding civil servant experiences and feelings about working in the Civil Service can inform decision taken to improve these experiences, and ultimately organisation performance.

Sensitive personal data is personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person's sex life or sexual orientation.

The legal basis for processing your sensitive personal data is:

Processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest for the exercise of a function of the Crown, a Minister of the Crown, or a government department: it is important to know if groups of staff with specific demographic characteristics have a better or worse experience of working for the Civil Service, so that appropriate action can be taken to level this experience;

Processing is of a specific category of personal data and it is necessary for the purposes of identifying or keeping under review the existence or absence of equality of opportunity or treatment between groups of people with a view to enabling such equality to be promoted or maintained.
Please note if you are successful in your application your sensitive personal data will be used as part of the on-boarding process to build your employee record.

For further information please see the GDPR Privacy Notice.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent where it is found. To learn more, please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy

Advert Closing Date	23:55 Sunday 10^th May 2026
Outcome of CV and Statement of Suitability	Week commencing 25^th May
Panel Interview and Presentation	Week commencing 8^th June