Job title: Head of HMCTS Corporate Governance and Board Secretariat
Directorate: Strategy and Analysis Directorate
Workstream: Business and User Strategy
Grade: G6
About us
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales. Our roles support our service users and colleagues, where people and businesses access potentially life-changing justice. We’re looking for individuals who are committed to public service and want to make a difference in people’s lives in delivering justice. If you’re interested in developing a career with a real purpose, please apply.
About the role
This role leads the Corporate Governance and Board Secretariat team which forms part of HMCTS' central strategy division within its Strategy and Analysis Directorate. The directorate is responsible for shaping the present and future strategic direction of HMCTS.
The Head of HMCTS Corporate Governance and Board Secretariat is responsible for providing strategic leadership of organisational governance and accountability and the transparency and proprietary of its senior decision-making. This role establishes the governance operating model and directs ongoing enhancements to align HMCTS frameworks with Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, and departmental standards.
Operating as the principal authority on governance matters, the postholder is integral to supporting senior leaders in maintaining the reputation and integrity of HMCTS, fostering continuous improvement, and embedding a culture of excellence within the organisation. Additionally, the postholder functions as the lead for the Board Secretariat, providing support to the HMCTS Board, HMCTS Executive Team and formal sub-committees.
The complexity, strategic importance, and risk profile of governance within HMCTS requires someone with the authority to engage at executive level, influence both internal and external stakeholders, and drive compliance with constitutional, statutory and ministerial obligation - this is particularly important given HMCTS’s unique constitutional position.
Lead the development and implementation of the organisation’s approach to governance, influencing organisational direction and ensuring alignment with Cabinet Office and HM Treasury standards.
Lead and take responsibility for multi-year governance improvement and effectiveness plans and reviews including terms of reference reviews for boards/committees.
Ensure governance arrangements enable the CEO, as accounting officer, to fulfil statutory obligations and adhere to best practice standards.
Direct and strengthen the strategic oversight, decision-making, and accountability of senior governance bodies, including the HMCTS Board, Executive Team, and their committees, by ensuring rigorous processes, comprehensive documentation, and adherence to delegation thresholds.
Direct the UK honours process within HMCTS, including candidate selection and engagement with Cabinet Office.
Lead the recruitment of non-executives, managing outreach, sifting, panel composition, and approvals with HMCTS Principals, Cabinet Office, and No 10.
Represent HMCTS in cross-government governance initiatives, such as public body reviews, working with senior stakeholders across MoJ, Cabinet Office, Treasury, and No 10.
Own and mitigate governance risks at corporate level, including oversight of the assurance map and compliance with central government codes of good practice.
Lead a multi grade governance and secretariat function with a structured programme of work (agenda pipelines, commissioning standards, and publication protocols), succession plans and talent development pathways and provide leadership across HMCTS on governance and secretariat matters.
Promote transparency in corporate governance, both internally and externally, and champion ethical standards across HMCTS.
Extensive understanding of corporate governance in central government and public sector organisations - preferably with a professional qualification in governance/corporate governance in the public sector
Ability to build and maintain effective collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders at a senior level, and to lead networks to deliver change.
Experience of resolving conflict and ambiguity under pressure and being able to build consensus in complex environments.
Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, with the ability to convey difficult messages and / or complex technical issues with simplicity, gravitas and impact.
Visible leadership skills - can motivate and enthuse others to achieve.
Able to drive an ambitious performance and development culture and continually grow capability in the team and wider organisation.
How to apply
Application Stage
Please submit:
An anonymised CV. Please ensure your CV is uploaded in a simple format to prevent any formatting issues when it's downloaded or reviewed.
Your CV should:
Be succinct and clear.
Be factually accurate - You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, is 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.
Include your qualifications, highlighting any modules or accreditation relevant to the role.
Include your relevant experience, providing dates.
Provide detail - we are interested in how your knowledge, skills, and experience demonstrate the capabilities we are looking for in this role.
Statement of suitability demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria (up to 750 words).
Your Statement of Suitability should be no more than 750 words and should give real life examples of how your skills and experience match those needed for this role. Consider addressing particular points in the key responsibilities. We recommend following the STAR format.
You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, 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.
We will aim to sift the CV and Statement of Suitability criteria, but in the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift may be conducted on the Statement of Suitability lead criteria only. Candidates who pass the initial sift of the Statement of Suitability lead criteria will progress to a full sift where all application assessment criteria are assessed.
Interview Stage
If successful at sift, you will be invited to attend an in person at 102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ.
During your interview, you will be assessed against the following Civil Service Success Profiles which will include:
Assessment of the following ‘success profiles’ Civil Service behaviours
Seeing the bigger picture
Managing a quality service
Communicating and influencing
Delivering at pace
Further information on Success Profiles and required standards for this post (G6 equivalent) can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles
Level of Clearance - To apply for this role, you will be required to successfully complete Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) clearance level as a condition of appointment. To meet these requirements, you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/sc-guidance-pack-for-applicants