Senior Policy and Implementation Adviser (up to 6 posts available)
SEO
The CJS Strategy and Reform Directorate is recruiting permanently for 5 SEO Senior Policy and Implementation Adviser roles. This campaign is open to current civil servants on level transfer and suitable candidates on promotion.
Information Session:
If you would like to find out more about the role and what it is like working in our team, we will also be hosting a candidate information session on Friday 19 June 2026 at 1pm. Please join via the link below:
Click Here: Information Session Link
Meeting ID: 345 894 449 178 18
Passcode: Gd95eP6b
Location:
Successful candidates will have the option to be based at one of the following locations:
102 Petty France, London
5 Wellington Place, Leeds
Occasional travel between the two locations may be required. We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your base location (102 Petty France or 5 Wellington Place Leeds).
Ways of Working
At the MoJ we believe 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
Salary
Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
MoJ is the largest government department, employing over 90,000 people with a budget of approximately £10 billion. Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK - including at 500 courts and tribunals, and 133 prisons in England and Wales.
Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
The Work of the CJS Strategy and Reform Directorate
The government is pursuing major reforms across criminal justice this parliament - including criminal courts reform, sentencing reform, police reform and the Safer Streets mission. The Criminal Justice System Strategy and Reform Directorate has been set up to strengthen the MoJ’s capacity to work cross-system to deliver this change.
The CJS Strategy and Governance Unit holds responsibility for cross-CJS strategic thinking, collaboration and the overall governance of the CJS. This includes the day-to-day running of the Criminal Justice Board (CJB, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister) and the Criminal Justice Action Group (CJAG, chaired by the Permanent Secretary).
The CJS Reform and Implementation Unit has responsibility for working across government to drive forward the implementation of CJS reform. The unit is working to ensure reforms are delivered collaboratively and impactfully, as a unified package. It is also providing targeted leadership and support to cross-cutting reform initiatives.
Senior Policy and Implementation Adviser - the roles
There are a number of roles available within the directorate. As the teams and directorate are new, it can be expected that role specifications will develop over time and not be exhaustive.
These roles will be fast paced, stretching and varied, offering an opportunity to work in a high-profile area that has significant interest from both ministers and senior officials within both the MoJ and wider criminal justice system landscape. The postholder will need to quickly form a clear picture of the criminal justice system, the tensions in the system and the challenges it faces.
Individuals will be asked if they have any preference on role but the expectation is that staff will be flexible and may need to carry out work across the unit whilst the portfolio settles.
Responsibilities across the SEO roles will include:
Supporting the development of cross-CJS strategic thinking, driving forward reform of senior governance forums, and working within a programme management environment to drive forward the implementation of cross-system reforms.
Establishing strong working relationships with both MoJ teams and wider cross-CJS teams representing the appropriate areas of policy and operational work.
Supporting the growth and development of the directorate.
Skills and Experience
Essential:
Experience of policy development and implementation.
Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain excellent stakeholder relationships.
Ability to work towards important deadlines and milestones in a challenging and high-profile environment.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Proactive attitude and a drive for learning and personal development.
Desirable:
Experience engaging with a range of internal and external stakeholders, including Cabinet Office, No10, other government departments and operational partners.
Knowledge of the CJS and familiarity with the landscape of CJS reform across government.
For some roles, experience of strategy development.
For some roles, experience of managing governance forums.
For some roles, experience of programme or portfolio management.
Candidates applying from HMPPS should note that the Ministry of Justice does not have the same conditions of employment as HMPPS. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful.
The MoJ is proud to be Level 3 Disability Confident. Disability Confident is the approach through which we offer guaranteed interviews for all people with disabilities meeting the minimum criteria for the advertised role as set out in the job description.
Application process
You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework.
You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.
Experience
You will be asked to provide a CV during the application process in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role.
You will also be asked to upload a Statement of Suitability of no more than 750 words stating what you would bring to the role, with reference to the Skills and Experience listed above.
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
Please note that interviews will be carried out remotely.
Behaviours:
During the interview you will be asked by the interview panel to provide examples of how you meet the Civil Service behaviours listed below:
Working Together (Lead)
Seeing The Big Picture
Making Effective Decisions
It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in and use the WHO or STAR model to explain (see Annex A for more detail):
WHO - What it was? How you approached the work/situation? What the Outcomes were, what did you achieve? Or
STAR - What was the Situation? What were the Tasks? What Action did you take? What were the Results of your actions?
Strengths:
In addition, you will also be asked strength-based questions. It is difficult to prepare for strength type questions. However, you can think through your answers, focus on your achievements and aspects you enjoy and decide how these can be applied in the organisation and role. While strengths questions are shorter and we do not expect a full STAR response, the panel is interested in your first reaction to the question and information or reasoning to support this. Further information on Civil Service Strengths can be found here.
Presentation
You will be required to give a 5-minute presentation at interview. Details of this will be sent to those candidates who are invited for interview.
Interviews are expected to take place July 2026.
Contact information
Please contact Scott Kennard (scott.kennard@justice.gov.uk) if you would like to attend or to ask any other questions.
Annex A - The STAR method
Using the STAR method can help you give examples of relevant experience that you have. It allows you to set the scene, show what you did, and how you did it, and explain the overall outcome.
Situation - Describe the situation you found yourself in. You must describe a specific event or situation. Be sure to give enough detail for the job holder to understand.
Where are you?
Who was there with you?
What had happened?
Task - The job holder will want to understand what you tried to achieve from the situation you found yourself in.
What was the task that you had to complete and why?
What did you have to achieve?
Actions - What did you do? The job holder will be looking for information on what you did, how you did it and why. Keep the focus on you. What specific steps did you take and what was your contribution? Remember to include how you did it, and the behaviours you used. Try to use “I" rather than “we" to explain your actions that lead to the result. Be careful not to take credit for something that you did not do.
Results - Don’t be shy about taking credit for your behaviour. Quote specific facts and figures. Explain how the outcome benefitted the organisation or your area. Make the outcomes easily understandable.
What results did the actions produce?
What did you achieve through your actions and did you meet your goals?
Was it a successful outcome? If not, what did you learn from the experience?
Keep the situation and task parts brief. Concentrate on the action and the result. If the result was not entirely successful describe what you learned from this and what you would do differently next time. Make sure you focus on your strengths.