MoJ Departmental Operations Centre (DOC) Role Profile

About the Department

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is a major government department, working to protect and advance the principles of justice. One of the largest government departments, we employ around 70,000 people, with an annual budget of approximately £9 billion. Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK - including at around 500 courts and tribunal centres, and 123 prisons in England and Wales. We are making a difference, and you could be part of it.

About the Team

The MoJ Departmental Operations Centre (DOC) leads corporate business continuity, resilience and incident/crisis management and response work across the MoJ, providing support to agencies and ALBs/NDPBs, and working with the centre of government to fulfil departmental requirements.

Through our work we aim to make the department more resilient to shocks and unforeseen events, ensuring that where they cannot be prevented, the department has the necessary plans and preparations in place to safeguard the continuity of critical business, and the necessary skilled resource and processes to run comprehensive incident and crisis response.

We operate in an environment in which we invest in staff through learning and development, promoting health and wellbeing, and putting the individual first.​ Everything we do is underpinned by an open and inclusive culture, within which staff feel confident in bringing their whole selves to work. Continuous improvement, innovation, and constructive challenge are both sought and encouraged.

This role sits within the Corporate Business Continuity & Resilience Team, specifically contributing to the DOC Assurance function. The Assurance Team plays a key role in:

• Providing independent validation of business continuity arrangements across MoJ

• Driving continuous improvement through structured assurance, reporting, and recommendations

• Ensuring alignment with internal standards and external best practice (e.g. BCI Good Practice Guidelines)

• Supporting senior leadership by providing insight into organisational resilience

The team works closely with operational colleagues across prisons, courts, probation, and HQ functions, as well as directly supporting ministers, the Permanent Secretary, and Executive Committee.

In addition to business-as-usual work, the team is trained to support the department’s response to live incidents and crises, often working alongside central government partners such as the Cabinet Office.

We are a highly engaged and supportive team that prioritises learning and development, wellbeing, and inclusion. We foster an open culture that encourages innovation, continuous improvement, and constructive challenge.

Job Description, Duties and Responsibilities

Purpose of role:

As a Assurance Officer, you will play a key role in strengthening organisational resilience by assessing, validating and improving business continuity arrangements across the Ministry of Justice.

You will:

• Deliver assurance activity that tests the effectiveness and maturity of business continuity capability

• Provide evidence-based insights and recommendations to drive improvement

• Support the development of a strong, connected business continuity network

• Contribute to wider DOC priorities, including incident response and resilience strategy

This role offers autonomy with opportunities to influence stakeholders and shape departmental resilience.

Responsibilities will include:

Business Continuity Assurance

• Deliver MoJ business continuity assurance processes, conducting in-person and virtual assurance visits to assess compliance and robustness across business areas, reporting against internal and external standards (e.g. BCI Good Practice Guidelines)

• Design and deliver validation exercises (discussion-based and scenario-driven) as part of assurance visits, capturing good practice and identifying recommendations for improvement

• Produce high-quality assurance reports with clear findings, risk-based recommendations, and actionable insights

• Track and monitor implementation of recommendations, producing follow-up reports and maintaining accurate records of progress

• Maintain accurate and auditable records of assurance activity and recommendation status

• Review business continuity plans and work with business areas to identify improvements, strengthening plan quality and alignment with best practice

• Commission and analyse the bi-annual self-assessment, identifying key themes and producing structured reports for stakeholders

• Deliver training and guidance to improve business continuity capability across the department

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of assurance methodologies, tools, and processes

Crisis/Incident Response

• Provide support to the DOC and wider department during incidents and crises

• Apply business continuity and resilience expertise in fast-paced, high-pressure situations

• Participate in training and development, including access to the Cabinet Office crisis management training programme

Expectations of the post holder

• Willingness to undertake national travel for assurance visits, exercises and team activities

• Ability to obtain and maintain Security Clearance (SC)

Skills and Experience

Essential

• Clear and effective written and verbal communication skills, including report writing

• Ability to work independently and make risk-based decisions using available evidence

• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities

• Analytical skills, with experience interpreting data to inform decisions and recommendations

• Experience of working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders

Highly Desirable

• Experience of working in assurance, audit, business continuity, resilience, or exercising environments

• Ability to build and maintain professional networks to drive improvement

• Experience engaging diverse audiences and encouraging participation

• Understanding of risk, governance, and assurance frameworks

• Awareness of how business continuity aligns to strategic organisational priorities

Prior business continuity experience is beneficial but not essential - full training and support will be provided.

Qualifications & Membership

The team will support the successful candidate in working towards gaining the Certificate of the Business Continuity Institute (CBCI).

Behaviours

• Managing a quality service (Lead Behaviour)

• Working together

• Communicating and influencing

• Making Effective Decisions