National Security Policy Advisor

SEO

Prison Policy

The Prison Policy Directorate is recruiting permanently for an SEO National Security Policy Advisor. This campaign is open to current civil servants on level transfer and suitable candidates on promotion.

Location:

Successful candidates will have the option to be based at one of the following locations:

• 102 Petty France, London

• 5 Wellington Place, Leeds

Due to the nature of the role, the successful candidate may need to travel to London regularly to access higher classification materials.

We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your base location.

Ways of Working

At the MoJ we believe and promote alternative ways of working, this role is available as:

• Full-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.  

Security Clearance

This role requires National Security Vetting given the access to sensitive information afforded by the job role. You can find more information by reviewing the information held in the following links:

United Kingdom Security Vetting: Applicant - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The vetting charter - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In addition, there is a minimum UK residency requirement set by the Cabinet Office which is dependent on the security level required for the role.

This role requires CTC clearance. Candidates must hold at least CTC clearance before starting the role.

Candidates should hold a minimum of CTC clearance, and if not already held should be willing to undergo DV clearance once in the role. To be eligible to apply for this role you should have been present in the UK continuously for the past ten years.

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

National Security Policy - Our Work

Our division has responsibility for one of the most important policy issues in Government - setting the policy framework for how the prison system works, ensuring that the safety and security of both staff and prisoners is upheld and proactively managing the risks posed by terrorists and national security offenders across the Criminal Justice System. We work hand in hand with His Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) as well as key partners across Whitehall and beyond.

The National Security Policy team exists to protect the public through the development and delivery of policy and legislation relating to the justice system (with a particular focus on prisons and probation), including coordinating work across the wider department, in support of counter terrorism and wider national security efforts.

To achieve this, we work closely with a wide range of stakeholders outside of MoJ Policy Group, including the Joint (Home Office and HMPPS) Extremism Unit, Counter Terrorism Policing, the Security Service, other government departments (particularly the Home Office) and independent reviewers (e.g. the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation). This enables us to identify and deliver systemic improvements and lead projects that strengthen our approach to managing national security risk.

Recent team achievements have included strengthening the legislative landscape to raise the cost for those seeking to undermine the UK’s national security through hostile activity; responding to an Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation review to make serious incidents by terrorists against staff less likely to happen in the future; and an expansive project aimed at improving the reintegration prospects of terrorist offenders when released back into the community.

National Security Policy Advisor - The role

The role is vital in strengthening the Department’s national security capabilities. The successful candidate will;

• Work collaboratively to ensure the MoJ maintains a firm grip on its counter terrorism and wider national security interests to tackle key threats in a joined-up way.

• Build networks and sustain strong relationships across Whitehall and beyond, becoming a trusted partner for colleagues in the National Security community.

• Take on discrete projects to develop Departmental capability and tangibly strengthen our approach, including identifying gaps and potential improvements to relevant legislation.

• Provide high quality support to Ministers and senior leaders.

• Attend meetings, contribute to discussions and handle materials at a high security classification.

The division has a kind, friendly and high-achieving culture and we are looking for someone eager to join that environment and support wider corporate activities that ensure the MoJ remains a great place to work.

Skills and Experience

We are looking for a highly motivated individual who is excited to join the team and help shape and strengthen delivery of the department’s National Security priorities.

Essential:

• Collaborative Working: Our success depends on building great links with operational and policy teams across the MoJ and beyond. The ability to build positive, professional relationships and use them to deliver results will be important.

• Strategic Thinking and Analytical Ability: a proven ability to deal with complex problems and quickly draw out key insights to make practical recommendations, using data effectively to support recommendations.

• Communications: The ability to present issues clearly and succinctly to a range of stakeholders, and to influence partners to work towards shared goals.

• Delivering at pace: Taking responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive will be important in the role.

Desirable:

• We welcome applications from candidates with experience of prisons or probation, but this is not essential.

• Similarly experience of national security work is helpful but not essential.

DV STRAP security clearance may be required. Candidates who are not already DV cleared should be willing to undergo DV clearance.

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 250 words stating what you would bring to the role, with reference to the Skills and Experience listed above.

Behaviours

During the application process you will be asked to provide an example of how you have met the following behaviours (see Annex A for more information):

• Working Together

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

Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours - GOV.UK

Should we receive a large number of applications, we will sift primarily on the Statement of Suitability and the lead behaviour of Working Together. 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.

You will be assessed against the three behaviours at the interview stage and will be asked to provide examples of how you have demonstrated the behaviours below

• Working Together

• Delivering at Pace

• Communicating and Influencing

Behaviours:

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:   

• 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?

A short (5 minute) presentation on a topic related to the role will be required. We will confirm the presentation topic closer to the interview date.

Interviews are expected to take place in June or July 2026.

Contact information  

Please do get in touch if you would like to know more about the role or what it is like working in our team.

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.