The Ministry of Justice is at the centre of the justice system, with responsibility for services that are fundamental to public confidence, the rule of law and the effective functioning of society. We lead work that protects the public, supports victims, safeguards rights and enables individuals, families, communities and businesses to access justice fairly and efficiently.

As a major ministerial department, the Ministry of Justice works to protect and advance the principles of justice. Our ambition is to deliver a modern, high-performing justice system that commands confidence, responds to changing demands and works for everyone in society.

The department’s work has profound national significance. It helps keep people safe, underpins fairness and due process, protects individual rights and supports the confidence on which economic activity and social stability depend. Across this broad and complex portfolio, our priorities focus on delivering better outcomes for the public through three core strategic aims:

Protecting the public and reducing reoffending by strengthening prison, probation and youth justice services so that punishment is effective, rehabilitation is credible and communities are safer.
Delivering swifter and more effective justice for victims and court users through modern, efficient and resilient courts and tribunals services.
Upholding the rule of law and sustaining a justice system that is accessible, fair and outward-looking, while supporting world-leading legal services and wider economic growth.

For further information about the Ministry of Justice and the breadth of its work, please visit: Ministry of Justice

Welcome to the Ministry of Justice Project Delivery Function

Thank you for your interest in this opportunity with the Project Delivery Function.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is a leading Project Delivery Department in Government. We build new prisons, transform the justice system and upgrade IT technologies.

As Head of Project Assurance and Governance, you will lead on delivering and strengthening assurance, project governance and corporate oversight across the Project Delivery Function.

Your key challenge will be to ensure robust delivery confidence, effective application of Project Delivery Functional Standards and strategic insight in an increasingly complex and high-profile delivery environment. You will be a passionate and credible Project Delivery leader, able to influence at senior levels, build strong relationships across complex stakeholder groups and lead high-performing teams.

This is a unique opportunity to work at the heart of the MoJ, directly contributing to the successful delivery of one of the largest and broadest portfolios across Government. We welcome applications from high-calibre individuals who can build and lead a high performing and inclusive team, and work with a wide range of stakeholders to deliver and add value.

Best wishes,

Jon Griffiths

Chief Project Delivery Officer

About the Ministry of Justice Project Delivery Function

he MoJ Project Delivery Function (PDF) undertakes and oversees all project delivery activity within the Ministry of Justice.

We do this by:

Providing project professionals and project delivery services to the MoJ, its agencies and Arms Length Bodies (ALBs).
Providing oversight of the MoJ Portfolio of Change to make sure it is achievable and affordable and to ensure it remains aligned to the Justice Delivery Plan.
Ensuring compliance with the Project Delivery Functional Standard and empower all project professionals to ensure adherence to the Functional Standard.
Engaging with other government departments, the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority
(NISTA) and the Association for Project Management (APM), to improve the PDF and profession across MoJ.
Overseeing development programmes for our future project leaders in MoJ.
Upskilling our project delivery professionals to ensure they have the right tools, experience and capability to deliver MoJ’s Justice Delivery Plan.

The PDF is transforming itself to ensure we are well positioned to meet future demand, strengthen our senior leadership and continue to improve delivery confidence, assurance and capability across the MoJ.

The Role

Job Title

Head of Project Assurance and Governance

Location

National: The MoJ is working to open more Justice Collaboration Centres and Justice Satellite Offices over time. Click here to learn more about where our currently open Justice Collaboration Centres and Justice Satellite Offices are, to identify where you may be based.

Please note the requirements for travel and level of flexibility available as set out in the FAQs section.

All successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode. This will be at either an HQ building (subject to desk allocation), a JCC or JSO - See Map .

All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, (subject to local estate capacity). The MoJ is working to open more Justice Collaboration Centres and Justice Satellite Offices over time.

Salary

The salary for this role is set within the MoJ SCS PB1 range (£86,000 - £99,000).

Existing Civil Servants will be appointed on level transfer or promotion in line with Civil Service pay arrangements. On promotion, salary will increase either to the minimum of the SCS Pay Band 1 range or by up to 10% of current basic salary, excluding allowances, whichever is greater. Candidates appointed on level transfer will retain their existing basic salary, excluding allowances.

Contract Type

This role is offered on a permanent basis.

This role has an expected minimum assignment duration of three years, reflecting the deliverables identified. This is an expectation rather than a contractual requirement and does not form part of your terms and conditions.

If applying as job share partners, please review the guidance here; hub page | Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)

Security Clearance

Successful candidates will be required to obtain SC level clearance

The Role

As Head of Project Assurance and Governance, you will play a central strategic and leadership role in delivering and strengthening assurance, project governance and corporate oversight across the Ministry of Justice’s Project Delivery Function (PDF).
Working closely with Senior Responsible Owners (SROs), internal and external senior stakeholders, you will co-ordinate and influence stakeholders. You will ensure the department has robust and high-quality assurance services and expertise to support the successful delivery of one of the largest and most complex portfolios of projects and programmes in government.
You will lead the delivery of Keyholder, Gateway and Functional Maturity Reviews, and the Continuous Improvement Assessment Framework, testing the application of Project Delivery Functional Standards. Using your experience, you will provide expert advice on Functional Standards across the department to ensure consistent and coherent application and ways of working.
You will be accountable for leading the delivery of the PDF’s Business Plan and development of the PDF Strategy, ensuring alignment with departmental and cross-government priorities, including those set by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA). This includes monitoring delivery of critical milestones and confirming alignment with, and successful delivery of, the outcomes agreed in the PDF Transformation Plan.
The role includes leading the Corporate Centre for the PDF. This includes oversight of the Function finance and PDG allocation recharge model, Corporate Support and Corporate Assurance activities.
This is a high-impact leadership role at the heart of MoJ Project Delivery, offering the opportunity to shape how assurance and governance enables delivery at scale. You will build strong relationships across the department and wider government, including with NISTA and the wider Project Delivery profession, while leading high-performing teams and driving continuous improvement in how the function supports delivery.
The role reports to the Chief Project Delivery Officer, working alongside the Portfolio Director, Head of Professional Delivery Group and Head of Profession as an integral part of the Senior Leadership Team.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting into the Chief Project Delivery Officer you will:

Be accountable for second-line assurance services and ensure co-ordination of effective second-line representation on MoJ's project, programme and portfolio boards, MoJ's project governance and Departmental sub-committees.
Lead the delivery of Keyholder, Gateway and Functional Maturity Reviews across the MoJ to assess strength of controls in line with the Functional Standards, including an annual capability assessment, and provide expertise to NISTA on project assurance and continuous improvement.
Lead the PDF’s input and function’s perspective at Departmental sub-Committees.
Provide an overview of the Departmental governance forward look and manage the flow of information between project boards, oversight committees and assurance forums, providing an independent functional view of project performance.
Accountable for PDF's Business and Corporate services and provide oversight of MoJ Corporate Assurance activities, including tracking delivery of the PDF Business Plan and Transformation Plan, and the development of the Function Strategy, ensuring alignment with departmental and wider cross-government initiatives.
Engage with SROs across the department and with other senior stakeholders to ensure robust third-line assurance and provide advice and support to SROs and Governance Groups about the appropriate application of the Department’s governance and control framework.
Deliver PDF Objectives, Business/ Transformation Plan outcomes, Outcomes & Key Results (OKRs) and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) targets as a joint endeavour and specifically those relating to the quality of Integrated Assurance and Approval Plans and project requirements for assurance reviews.
Collaborate with the other members of the Senior Leadership Team, bringing your perspective from your area of expertise and responsibilities to produce a cohesive and collective functional view, represented effectively at Departmental Committees and senior boards.
Respond effectively to changing Departmental priorities.
Effectively lead a geographically dispersed team.

Collective Responsibilities

You will work collaboratively with the Senior Leadership Team and have collective responsibility for key areas of delivery to successfully deliver our shared outcomes. This shared responsibility is required to ensure accurate insights into project performance, adherence to professional standards, resource prioritisation and delivery of business and Transformation Plan priorities.

Organogram

Person Specification

Throughout the selection process, you should provide clear evidence and examples that demonstrate how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for the role.

Later in this pack, you will find details of which elements will be assessed at each stage of the process, helping you focus your application and prepare effectively.

Essential Experience:

NB: In the event we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct the initial sift against the following lead criteria in bold:

Experience of delivering Project Delivery assurance and governance in large, complex environments, with a strong understanding of PD assurance frameworks, controls and effective governance.
Credibility in advising and influencing senior stakeholders, including SROs and Departmental Governance Boards, providing constructive challenge and clear insight into delivery confidence, risk and performance.
Strong understanding and practical application of Project Delivery. Functional Standards and best practice.
Proven success in leading high-performing teams.
Excellent stakeholder engagement and collaboration skills, with the ability to navigate complex environments, build relationships and influence senior stakeholders within and outside the department.

Desirable Experience:

Hold Project Delivery Qualifications, or be willing to work towards them (e.g. Managing Successful Programmes Practitioner, Managing Portfolios Practitioner, Chartered Project Professional, Major Projects Leadership Academy).

MoJ SCS Pay Band 1 Behaviours:

You will also be assessed against the following Behaviours during the Recruitment Process:

Leadership
Seeing the Big Picture
Working together
Delivering at Pace
Making Effective Decisions

Strengths

We are looking to understand what motivates and energises you. We want to see what your natural strengths are and what interests you.

Strengths may be assessed at interview, but these are not shared in advance.

Civil Service Leadership Statement:

All leaders within the Civil Service are expected to demonstrate the qualities within the Civil Service Leadership Statement during their Stakeholder Engagement Exercise.

The Recruitment Process

Recruitment Process

The selection process will be chaired by Jon Griffiths, Chief Project Delivery Officer, Project Delivery Function. The other panel members will be:

David Magee, Portfolio Director, His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service
Louise Emmerson-Ducasse, Head of Profession, Project Delivery Function, and
Robert Nicholas, Portfolio Director, Project Delivery Function.

Support during the selection process

If you need support or would like to discuss any aspect of the process, please contact the SCS Recruitment Team at scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk. We are here to help candidates engage with the process confidently and fairly.

Stages of the selection process

Application

Applications must be submitted online via the link in the advertisement for this role.

Applications must be received by 23:55 on 19th July 2026. As part of your application, you will be asked to provide:

Eligibility responses confirming that you meet the requirements to apply.
An indication of whether you wish to request reasonable adjustments during the selection process. The Disability Support section explains the support available.
A CV and Statement of Suitability setting out clear evidence of how you meet the essential experience set out on page 9. The Statement of Suitability should be no more than 1000 words.

Please note that if you do not submit both a CV and a Supporting Statement, the panel may have insufficient evidence on which to assess your application against the person
specification.

NB: In the event we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct the initial sift against the following lead criteria:

Experience of delivering Project Delivery assurance and governance in large, complex environments, with a strong understanding of PD assurance frameworks, controls and effective governance.

Find out more information and guidance on our application process here.

After the Application Stage

You will be informed whether your application has been shortlisted for the next stage. If shortlisted, we will contact you with full details of the next part of the process and any preparation required.

Due to the anticipated volume of applications, we are unable to provide feedback to candidates who are not shortlisted. Candidates who are shortlisted and attend interview will be offered verbal feedback from a member of the panel.

Internal Stakeholder Conversations

Shortlisted candidates are invited to arrange an informal conversation with Jon Griffiths to learn more about the opportunity and the organisation.

Assessments

Stakeholder Engagement Exercise

If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to take part in a Stakeholder Engagement Exercise. This assessment will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, it is designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview. Further information on the exercise will be provided to shortlisted candidates.

What is being assessed?

The Civil Service Leadership Statement.

Panel Interview and Presentation

You will be invited to attend an interview and presentation with the selection panel. You will be asked to prepare a verbal 5-minute presentation based on a topic that will be provided in advance. The interview and presentation will last approximately 45 minutes.

What is being assessed?

Behaviours, as listed on page 9.

Strengths

You will be informed at interview which strengths you are being assessed against.

After the Panel Interview

Following the interview stage, the panel will consider all evidence and identify the appointable candidate. Candidates will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible after interviews conclude. If you are not appointed but meet the required standard, you may be invited to have your details retained on a merit list for future SCS opportunities.

Guidance for Writing your Statement and CV

As part of your application, you will be asked to submit a CV and Statement of Suitability. Together, these should provide clear evidence that you meet the essential criteria set out in the Person Specification.

Read the role information carefully and address each essential criterion with relevant evidence. Focus on your most significant and recent achievements, making clear the context, scale of your contribution and the impact you delivered.

When preparing your Statement of Suitability, it may help to:

Present your evidence clearly so the panel can see how your experience aligns to the essential criteria.

Use recent, relevant examples that show the scale of your responsibilities, the complexity you handled and the outcomes you achieved.

Using AI in your application

Artificial Intelligence may help you shape or refine your application, but everything you submit must be accurate, authentic and based on your own experience. Examples should reflect your personal contribution and judgement. Applications may be withdrawn where content is misleading, plagiarised or not the candidate’s own work. Internal candidates may also be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Providing a name-blind CV and Success Profile Statements

Please ensure your CV and Statement of Suitability are name blind. Remove personal information that is not relevant to the assessment of your suitability for the role, for

example;

Name and title
Educational institution names
Age and gender
Email address
Postal address and telephone number
Nationality and immigration status.

This supports a fair and objective assessment by enabling the panel to focus on your evidence, capability and potential rather than personal identifiers.

For more information and guidance on how to write your Statement and CV please visit the Senior Civil Service web page.

What are Behaviours?

The Civil Service recruits using Success Profiles. Behaviours are one element of that framework and help assess how candidates demonstrate the leadership qualities, judgement and ways of working needed to succeed in the role.

For this campaign, the behaviours most relevant to the role will be assessed during the interview stage of the process. The descriptions below are included to help you understand what each behaviour looks like in practice.

Leadership

You visibly demonstrate the organisation’s values in all your activity, leading authentically. You seek to engage staff in the aims of the organisation and communicate the organisation’s strategy in an inspiring way. You create an inclusive and fair culture which creates a sense of belonging by treating staff as individuals and actively valuing diversity within the organisation. You empower teams and individuals to excel by creating a shared vision and objectives and demonstrate trust in staff by giving autonomy.

Seeing the Big Picture

You understand the wider context of the organisation’s work, considering the political, social, economic, and technological environment both currently and in the future. You create and implement strategies to achieve the organisation’s aims and meet the needs of the public. You promote the organisation externally, advocating positive

Working Together

You work collaboratively to achieve outcomes both within your area of responsibility and across the organisation. You create a supportive working environment where all opinions are considered, and individuals are valued for their expertise and unique contribution.

You proactively maintain relationships with peers and external senior stakeholders and utilise these to achieve positive outcomes.

Delivering at Pace

You translate organisational strategy into clear objectives for activity within your area of responsibility. You promote this amongst staff and ensure teams take responsibility for delivering against objectives. You prioritise competing or conflicting demands, and are able to decisively adjust activity based on changing requirements. You manage resource effectively to enable those in your area of responsibility to deliver. You delegate effectively, managing any risks associated with doing so.

Making Effective Decisions

You make defensible, objective and fair high-impact decisions, considering the impact on the service user and wider organisation. You are willing to take ownership of your decisions, being transparent and open about the reasons for them. You effectively analyse data to make evidence-based decisions, whilst being comfortable taking considered risks based on the best evidence available. You consult with others to incorporate views and professional expertise, ensuring appropriate individuals are involved in the decision-making process.

For further guidance on Behaviours and Success Profiles, please visit our Senior Civil Service web page.

Expected Timeline

The Civil Service Code

The Civil Service Code sets out the values and standards expected of all civil servants. Issued by the Prime Minister as Minister for the Civil Service, it is founded on four core principles—integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality—and forms part of the contractual relationship between civil servants and their employer.

Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing

The Ministry of Justice offers senior leaders the opportunity to lead work of national importance in an organisation defined by public purpose, integrity and visible impact. Our values—purpose, humanity, openness and together—shape a culture of pace, integrity and inclusive leadership. We are committed to a diverse, high-performing workplace that reflects the society we serve, where different perspectives, wellbeing, belonging and sustainable leadership matter.

Benefits

As part of the Ministry of Justice, you will benefit from a competitive package that supports your wellbeing, flexibility and longer-term career development, including:

Pension

You will have access to the alpha pension scheme, which includes a 28.97% employer contribution and comparatively low member contributions by public sector standards.

The Civil Service Pension Scheme is a significant part of the overall reward package, offering long-term security and valuable benefits for you and your family. Further details are available at www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk.

Generous Annual Leave and Bank Holiday Allowance

You will receive 25 days’ annual leave on entry, rising to 30 days after five years’ service, in addition to 8 public holidays and a day of paid privilege leave to mark the King’s Birthday.

Flexible Working

We support flexible and hybrid working where this aligns with the needs of the role and the business, helping leaders balance impact, collaboration and personal wellbeing.

Further information on benefits, including pension, leave and Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing support, is available on our Senior Civil Service web page.

Do you offer a Disability Confident Scheme for Disabled Persons?

As a Disability Confident employer, the Ministry of Justice is committed to creating a recruitment process that is fair, accessible and inclusive. In most campaigns, disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria will be offered an interview. You will be able to indicate on the application form whether you would like to be considered under this scheme.

What reasonable adjustments can be made if I have a disability?

We want every candidate to be able to take part in the selection process on a fair and equitable basis. For senior roles, that means giving you the opportunity to demonstrate your experience, judgement and leadership capability fully, with reasonable adjustments in place where needed.

If you would like to request support or discuss an adjustment in confidence, please indicate this on your application form by selecting ‘yes’ to reasonable adjustments and responding to the Reasonable Adjustments Scheme team by email. We encourage you to raise any requirements as early as possible so that arrangements can be put in place in good time.

How we can support you

A range of reasonable adjustments can be considered across the selection process, depending on your circumstances and the nature of the assessment. Our aim is to work with you to identify support that enables you to take part with confidence and on an equal footing.

Examples may include:

Extra time to complete assessments.
Providing a break within an assessment.
Providing interview questions in a written format at the interview as well as orally.
An interview at a certain time of day.

These examples are illustrative rather than exhaustive. Appropriate support will depend on your individual circumstances, and each request will be considered thoughtfully and on its own merits.

We will make every reasonable effort to provide the adjustments requested. Where a particular adjustment is not possible, we will explain this clearly and work with you to explore appropriate alternatives wherever we can.

Help with your application

If you think you may need an adjustment, we encourage you to contact us as early as possible so arrangements can be made with sufficient notice and support can be tailored to your needs.

If your circumstances change during the process, or you identify a need for support after applying, please contact the SCS Recruitment team in advance of your next assessment wherever possible.

If you have any questions before applying about reasonable adjustments, please contact the SCS Recruitment team at scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk. We will be happy to help.

At the Ministry of Justice, we believe inclusive, respectful and high-performing workplaces are essential to delivering better outcomes for the public.

We want talented people from every background to feel welcomed, valued and able to succeed here.

That commitment shapes how we recruit, develop and support our people—and helps create an environment where diverse perspectives strengthen leadership, decision-making and impact.

We know the strongest leadership teams reflect the diversity of the society they serve. That is why we are committed to building an inclusive Civil Service where talented people from all backgrounds can thrive, contribute and lead with confidence.

Our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy focus on creating a Civil Service that:

draws on the broadest possible range of talent, experience and perspective
is visible, accessible and open to people from all backgrounds
supports flexible, inclusive ways of working that help people and performance flourish
attracts, develops and retains exceptional leaders at every stage of their career

For executive candidates, this means joining an organisation that values inclusive leadership, sees difference as a strength, and is committed to creating the conditions for diverse talent to succeed, influence and shape outcomes of national importance.

FAQs

Can I apply if I am not currently a civil servant?

Yes. This role is open to both internal and external applicants.

Is this role suitable for part-time working?

This role is offered on a full-time basis. Flexible working options, including job share, may be considered where they align with business need.

Where will the role be based?

If successful you can be based nationally. Relocation costs will not be reimbursed.

This role will also require frequent travel to one of the Ministry of Justice Headquarters office(s), usually London or Leeds.

Can I claim back any expenses incurred during the recruitment process?

Expenses incurred during the recruitment process will not usually be reimbursed, except in exceptional circumstances.

Am I eligible to apply for this role?

For further guidance on eligibility to apply for this role, please refer to GOV.UK.

Is security clearance required?

Yes. If successful, you will be required to obtain security clearance to SC level, if you do not already hold it. Further information about the vetting process can be found here.

Will this role be overseen by the Civil Service Commission?

No. However, this recruitment campaign will be conducted in accordance with the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

What do I do if I want to make a complaint?

All appointments to the Civil Service must be made on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, and in line with the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

If you believe these principles have not been followed and wish to make a complaint, you should first contact scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk.

If you are not satisfied with the response, you may escalate your complaint in the following order:

Shared Services Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00, or (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com)
Ministry of Justice Resourcing (resourcing-services@justice.gov.uk)
Civil Service Commission (civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/contact-us)

What should I do if I think that I have a conflict of interest?

If you believe you may have a conflict of interest, you must declare this before submitting your application by contacting the SCS Recruitment team at scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk.

We will handle your personal information with care and in line with applicable data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Data Sharing

To administer your application, your personal data will be shared only with the Ministry of Justice SCS Recruitment Team, panel members and others directly involved in the recruitment process where necessary.

The legal basis for processing your personal data is:

Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. In practice, this supports the fair and effective administration of recruitment and helps the Civil Service improve candidate and employee experience.
Sensitive personal data includes information such as racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, trade union membership, health data and other special category data protected by law.
Processing may be necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, including the exercise of functions by the Crown, a Minister of the Crown or a government department, and to understand whether different groups experience the Civil Service differently so that appropriate action can be taken.
Processing may also be necessary to identify or review equality of opportunity and treatment between groups, with a view to promoting or maintaining that equality.
If you are successful, relevant sensitive personal data will also be used during onboarding to create your employee record.
For further information please see the GDPR Privacy Notice.

Advert Closing Date	19th July 2026
Outcome of CV and Statement of Suitability	Week Commencing 3^rd August 2026
Assessments	11^th August 2026
Panel Interview and Presentation	27^th August 2026