MoJ Business Architecture and Transformation Directorate Role Profile

Directorate Overview

The Business Architecture and Transformation Directorate support and work with the MoJ leadership team, and in turn advise 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 work alongside and in partnership with functions and business areas to ensure the machinery of the department is efficient but maintains a strong ‘people first’ culture.

Team Overview

The Business Solutions Team’s purpose is to enhance departmental effectiveness through informed decision-making, efficient processes, and strong collaboration. The Business Solutions Team is a small, well-established team at the heart of the MoJ within the Chief Operating Officer group, which supports the department to deliver its vital agenda through timely and transparent decision-making. The team reviews, researches and proposes evidence-based solutions to improve processes, working relationships, and effective operation of the department. It facilitates regular forums and activities to draw together policy, strategy, agencies, and functions to collaborate towards business-wide system effectiveness.

Job description

As a critical role within the Business Solutions team, the Senior Business Solutions Manager will work closely with colleagues to make evidence-based recommendations to improve MoJ wide effectiveness. The Senior Business Solutions Manager will be required to collect and analyse evidence to support problem identification and use this to inform and justify recommendations to Senior MoJ Leaders for problem resolution. They will guide the wider team in assisting on their priorities and ensure the timely completion of complex pieces of work. They will be required to apply sound judgement and creativity to recommend the best solution and be able to speak with authority about the work being undertaken.

Main activities and responsibilities

The main responsibilities of the post include, but are not limited to:

• Working across the MoJ, its agencies and arm’s length bodies, and other key stakeholders internally and externally, to drive forward the agenda for pan-MoJ business effectiveness ambitions.

• Supporting the Head of Business Solutions and Business Solutions Leads to deliver a portfolio of improvement and resolution activities, from commencement through to delivery.

• Leading a key deliverable for each resolution activity - scoping, planning, delivery, analysis, through to completion - to include developing options and preparing briefing for those who will consider the proposal.

• Leading lessons learned and scrutiny activities to track improvement and understand the impact of our resolution activities.

• Facilitating regular forums and activities to draw together policy, agencies, and functions to collaborate towards business-wide system effectiveness.

• Analysing and presenting findings to recommend improvements across the MoJ; this will include consulting with functions and other teams across the department.

• Ensuring that the Senior Leadership Team and Department Leads are informed of priority matters where necessary, are involved in decision making at the appropriate level and have sufficient information and advice to help them operate effectively.

• Providing ad-hoc support to the Director General, Director and Deputy Director related to themes that are of importance to them, not limited to the theme of business effectiveness.

Expectations of post holder in executing the role:

• Working discreetly and handling confidential information is a critical element of this role, as is the ability to prioritise and manage a complex and demanding workload.

• Being confident collaborating with others and having a strong commitment to communicate clearly and deliver at pace.

Travel requirements

This role involves occasional travel to other MoJ offices (e.g. London, Manchester, or Leeds), typically around once every other month.

Skills and Experience

Essential

• Confidence in drawing on a range of evidence and analysis to deliver high-quality, innovative and inclusive advice. (Assessed via the behaviour Changing and Improving)

• Strong problem-solving skills, bringing structure to complex issues and able to draw sound conclusions. (Assessed via the behaviour Changing and Improving)

• 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. (Assessed via the Statement of Suitability)

• 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. (Assessed via the Statement of Suitability)

• Openness to challenge and able to effectively navigate conflicting priorities. (Assessed via the Statement of Suitability)

• Strong prioritisation skills and the ability to make effective decisions on how to structure your work to make the best use of your resources. (Assessed via the Statement of Suitability)

• 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. (Assessed via the Statement of Suitability)

Desirable

• Awareness of the Government Reform Agenda, and specifically its implications for departmental operating models.

• Experience of continuous improvement activity-related work.

• Continuous Improvement, Lean Six Sigma, and Change Management related qualifications are desirable but not essential.

We may consider any evidence within your application and/or from interview that demonstrates meeting the desirable criteria as set out in the job description. This will only be after essential criteria is scored and where there is a need to differentiate between closely scored candidates.

Application process

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

Please refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles/success-profiles-civil-service-behaviours#why-we-assess-behaviours

Sift:

Behaviours

You will be required to provide a 250-word example for the behaviour listed below:

• Changing and Improving (lead behaviour)

Experience

• You will be required to provide a Statement of Suitability (750 words max) outlining your experience against the relevant essential criteria above.

• You will also be required to provide an anonymous copy of your CV.

Please refer to the ‘Skills and Experience’ section above which details how each of the essential criteria will be assessed.

If we receive a high number of applications during the vacancy process, we will complete an initial sift based on the lead behaviour Changing and Improving.

Candidates invited to interview

Interviews will be held virtually via MS Teams.

You will be assessed on behaviours (below) and strengths from the success profiles framework.

• Changing and Improving (lead behaviour)

• Making Effective Decisions

• Communicating and Influencing

• Delivering at Pace

Contact point for applicants

For more information about the role please contact Rachel Harrison (Rachel.harrison7@justice.gov.uk)