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LAA Job Description Template V10 22.04.26
Job Title & Grade: Senior Project Manager x2 - Grade 7
Contract Type: Detached Duty and Loan (24 months)
Salary range (depending on location):
National - £58,511 - £65,329
London - £63,343 - £70,725
Please note that unless you are currently employed by the Civil Service and are earning more than the minimum above, if successful you will be offered the minimum for the grade depending on your location.
Location: Any LAA office.
Please note that whilst this role is open to all Civil Servants, you can only apply for London, Cambridge and Brighton offices if you are a current LAA staff member based in those offices. This is due to and in line with the LAA's Location Strategy and the Cabinet Office's Places for Growth Strategy.
Minimum Working Pattern:
If you are applying for a part-time role, please note that to meet business demands we need cover for a minimum of 30 hours and to cover 3 days of the week.
We are an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). We are responsible for operationally administering the legal aid fund to provide criminal and civil legal aid advice to people in England and Wales.
Our people are at the heart of achieving excellence. Employing around 1,200 colleagues across England and Wales, we feel proud to have some of the best People Survey results in the Civil Service.
Transformation are responsible for continuing to drive forward simplifying the delivery of legal aid. We want to improve the experience for the people who apply for legal aid, the providers who deliver the services and those of us in the LAA who administer the scheme, while ensuring the LAA remains a great place to work.
This team is leading the transformation of our organisation through innovation, collaboration and inclusion. Originally established in May 2020, the Transformation Team has grown rapidly over the last five years. We are a hybrid team of business change and project delivery experts, and working in partnership with others is at the heart of what we do. We work together with teams across the agency, with the LAA Digital team, MoJ Project Delivery Function experts, MoJ Policy teams and wider stakeholders across the justice system and government.
The transformation portfolio spans multiple services, systems and functions, with significant impacts on:
Front-line operational teams
Policy design and implementation
Digital systems and data
External providers and partners
Decisions made within this environment, managed through structured portfolio controls have significant operational and financial impacts. Achieving successful change within the business relies on robust collaboration and integration between all delivery teams. The G7 Senior Project Manager acts as the pivotal anchor, connecting and coordinating these teams to ensure that change is implemented smoothly and effectively throughout the organisation. By consistently planning, prioritising and integrating interdependent workstreams, the Project Manager not only bridges the gap between agile, multi-disciplinary delivery methods and portfolio governance, but also guarantees that each change lands successfully with internal users, providers and the wider business.
The G7 Technical Project Manager leads the delivery of a defined workstream within the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) Portfolio. They operate within a portfolio governance structure while enabling agile, multi‑disciplinary delivery teams to work effectively in line with Government Digital Service (GDS) service standards.
Reporting to the G6 Programme Delivery Manager, and exercising delegated authority, the postholder leads the integration of multi-disciplinary agile delivery teams ensuring they have the right environment, clarity and support to deliver user-centred outcomes at pace, while also ensuring the programme meets MoJ governance, assurance and reporting requirements mandated by the Project Delivery Standards GovS 002, and MoJ Project Delivery Hub guidance. They act as the senior integration point between Digital, Policy and Operations, advising senior leaders and enabling decision‑making across the portfolio.
The key aspect of the role is to ensure that all changes into Legal Aid successful land with the business, and thousands of internal users and providers. The role will cut across all change aspects - with a requirement to be supporting the teams within ‘Recovery’, ‘Transformation and ‘Policy’. It will be to work with the delivery leads within these areas to ensure all elements are considered and in place for implementation.
Key Responsibilities:
Change Business Implementation
Own the end‑to‑end implementation strategy for the workstream, ensuring business change is planned, assured and embedded across all affected operational, digital and policy functions.
Act as the senior decision facilitator, ensuring risks to operational readiness and service continuity are surfaced, understood and resolved, whilst ensuring services are stood up safely, with defined service levels, clear ownership and stable operating procedures.
Ensure the communications and guidance is aligned to the plan, and does not conflict with other outcomes, and that user training and guidance is completed / readily available.
Develop and maintain Business Readiness Assessments, ensuring criteria are understood, tested, evidenced, and signed off before go-live.
Coordinate and integrate readiness inputs from Digital, Operations, Policy, Security and PMO (Portfolio Management Office) functions (as reflected in portfolio structures).
Oversee completion of DPIAs, Data Sharing Agreements and other regulatory artefacts including compliance with the PSED required before implementation.
Risk, Controls & Assurance
Provide senior ownership of workstream risk, ensuring risks, issues and dependencies are systematically identified, recorded and managed, including cyber, data, operational and user impact risks.
Ensure that recovery changes meet compliance, technical and assurance requirements (aligning with MoJ governance).
Provide input to business case development and updates, including options analysis, delivery feasibility, costings, risk impacts and implementation planning, in line with Treasury’s Green Book and MoJ Teal Book guidance.
Ensure benefits and measurable outcomes are embedded in plans, validated with operational leads, and monitored through delivery.
Represent the workstream at governance boards, producing clear, decision‑ready reporting that enables the SRO, Programme Manager and Portfolio leaders to make informed decisions.
Ensure the workstream meets all project controls obligations set by the MoJ Project Delivery Hub, including stage gate readiness, reporting cadences, assurance reviews and controls compliance
Planning, Integration & Horizontal Alignment
Lead the development and maintenance of the integrated delivery plan, ensuring alignment with portfolio‑level milestones, resource constraints and risk position
Provide authoritative delivery insight, including confidence assessments, scenario modelling and recommendations to support the Programme Manager and governance boards
Ensure plans are updated frequently, to maintain reliable portfolio wide integrated planning (reflecting expectations set in PM onboarding discussion).
Portfolio Alignment and Continuous Improvement
Build and maintain strategic relationships across MoJ Digital, Policy, Operations, Commercial and external provider communities. Influence senior stakeholders to secure agreement on delivery approaches, resolve complex interdependencies and ensure alignment with organisational priorities.
Promote continuous improvement, helping teams reflect, adapt and enhance their ways of working.
Contribute to wider Portfolio capability by sharing learning, improving tools and processes, and supporting colleagues across the portfolio.
Provide leadership, coaching and support to delivery team members and colleagues across the portfolio. Role‑model MoJ project delivery standards and contribute to building capability across the Portfolio Delivery profession.
Essential Knowledge, Experience and skills
Strong project management experience delivering complex digital and operational change, ideally in government or similarly complex environments.
Experience of supporting business implementation, including readiness, communications, training, service acceptance and post-go-live support.
Ability to work within structured portfolio controls while supporting agile ways of working.
Strong stakeholder engagement skills across operational, digital, policy and external provider groups.
Ability to manage risks and dependencies across multiple teams and functions.
Experience of supporting agile, multidisciplinary teams (for example product, user research, design, engineering and operations) to deliver high-value services.
Strong understanding of GDS Service Standards and agile delivery principles.
Capability across PDCF competencies at G7 level, including planning and control, risk and issue management, stakeholder engagement and leadership.
Ability to work confidently across agile delivery and governance environments, translating information clearly for different audiences.
Skilled in delivering clear, structured reporting for senior leaders while supporting agility in day-to-day delivery.
Desirable Knowledge, Experience and skills
Experience within the justice system, public sector operations, or other complex service delivery environments.
Experience of discovery, alpha, beta, and live phases in a GDS-aligned delivery environment.
Understanding of digital, data, or technology delivery in government or similarly complex settings.
Application Process
To apply please provide a statement of suitability showing how you meet the essential criteria in no more that 1250 words.
Your statement should demonstrate your ability to do all the essential criteria listed. Using examples can help strengthen your application.
Please note we do not require a CV.
Please note that we only require a Statement of Suitability for your application. The wording on this advert may suggest that an Experience question is also required, however this is not necessary.
Interview / assessment Process
If you are successful through the application stage, you will be invited to an interview / assessment centre in person or via Microsoft Teams where you will be assessed against the following:
Strengths relevant to the role and the following Behaviours:
Delivering at Pace
Making Effective Decisions
Communicating & Influencing
Working Together
Leadership
Your Experience of implementing, promoting, or understanding diversity and inclusion policy - Diversity is the presence of difference, this can include one or more of the protected characteristics (Gender, Age, Race, Disability etc.) or it can be about working patterns, whether we like to jump into a task or reflect on it before acting. Inclusion is how we welcome, value, and celebrate diversity, giving everyone a voice, tapping into ideas, and enabling everyone to be themselves at work and achieve their potential.
For this grade/ role we would expect the candidate to demonstrate understanding of the terms Diversity and Inclusion and be able to explain why they are important in a work environment. We would also expect examples of action they have taken to embrace diversity (e.g., increasing understanding for self or others) or improve inclusion at a departmental level.
Shortlisting is planned for week commencing 6th July.
Interviews are planned for week commencing 20th July.
If you would like more information on this opportunity, please contact - Bruce.Burns@justice.gov.uk
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain, and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. Under the Equality Act 2010 a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months.
If you are responding to a role within the Legal Aid Agency and would like to be considered under the guaranteed interview, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the sift or later selection processes.
The LAA’s goal is to build an organisation that is open and inclusive and truly values and celebrates the diversity of its workforce. One that reflects and understands the needs of the diverse society we serve. This is regardless of social background, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, beliefs, disabilities or long-term illness or caring responsibilities.
Reasonable Adjustments
We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long-term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments to support you through the recruitment process, please let us know by adding the information to the applications system or emailing LAARecruitment@justice.gov.uk after you have applied so that we can discuss options with you.
If you have any complaints about this recruitment activity, please share your concerns by emailing LAARecruitment@justice.gov.uk initially. We aim to respond to any complaint within 10 working days.
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