JOB DESCRIPTION

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

Public Bodies Directorate

The Public Bodies and Public Appointments Directorate sits at the heart of the Ministry of Justice, leading sponsorship and governance relationships and making appointments across one of the largest and most complex public bodies portfolios in Government. Our bodies deliver critical public-facing services spanning prisons, probation, youth justice, legal services, family justice, parole, criminal case review and wider constitutional and oversight functions. 

This is a high-profile and exciting time to join the Directorate. Reform and strengthening of public bodies sponsorship and public appointments processes is a priority for Ministers and senior departmental leadership, with a strong focus on improving delivery, governance, diversity of representation and public confidence across the justice system. 

The Directorate offers a unique opportunity to influence real-world outcomes by supporting excellent leadership, governance and accountability across some of the justice system's most important institutions. 

We are a collaborative, supportive and high-performing team that works closely together to solve problems, navigate complexity and drive continuous improvement. We value creativity, sound judgement and strong relationships, and are proud to contribute to a justice system that serves the public effectively and fairly. 

About the Role

As an SEO Public Appointments Manager, you will play a key role in delivering high-quality and high-profile public appointments campaigns across the Ministry of Justice’s Public Bodies landscape.

You will manage appointment and reappointment campaigns from initial planning through to Ministerial decision-making, ensuring campaigns are delivered professionally, efficiently, and in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. The role requires strong organisational skills, sound judgement, and the ability to manage complex stakeholder relationships and competing priorities within a fast-paced and politically sensitive environment.

You will work closely with senior stakeholders across the department and government, including Ministers’ offices, senior officials, Public Body Chairs and Chief Executives, Cabinet Office, and No.10. The role requires strong stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills, alongside the ability to provide clear advice and manage sensitive or challenging conversations confidently.

You will also support the department’s commitment to improving diversity across public appointments, contributing to outreach, candidate search, and engagement activity designed to broaden representation and improve candidate experience. Alongside campaign delivery, you will contribute to continuous improvement activity across the Public Appointments Team and wider Directorate, helping to strengthen quality, efficiency, and ways of working.

Main Activities / Responsibilities

The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

• Lead and coordinate public appointments and reappointments campaigns across a portfolio of Public Bodies, ensuring delivery to agreed timescales and professional standards.

• Manage campaigns in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments and wider statutory and Cabinet Office requirements, providing clear advice on process, governance, and handling considerations.

• Build and maintain effective relationships with senior stakeholders across the department, Public Bodies, Cabinet Office, and No.10 to support successful campaign delivery.

• Prepare high-quality briefings, correspondence, submissions, and campaign documentation for Ministers and senior officials.

• Coordinate and support advisory assessment panels, ensuring campaigns are delivered fairly, transparently, and effectively.

• Support diversity and candidate search activity, helping to strengthen outreach, broaden stakeholder networks, and improve diversity across public appointments.

• Monitor campaign progress, manage competing priorities, and proactively identify and resolve risks or delivery issues.

• Contribute to continuous improvement activity across the team, supporting innovation, improved ways of working, and a strong customer-focused approach.

• Provide leadership, support, and development to HEO colleagues where required, contributing to a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing team culture.

• Define, monitor, and report against success measures and performance outcomes.

• Provide robust challenge and scrutiny, apply due diligence, and maintain a strong attention to detail in complex or sensitive work.

• Work collaboratively and build effective relationships across a wide range of stakeholders, including senior officials and external partners.

Management of Resources

• The role may include line management responsibility for one or more HEO colleagues.

Travel Requirements

Occasional travel to London will be required, in line with business needs.

Essential Criteria

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Strong organisational and delivery skills, with experience of planning and managing multiple projects, campaigns, or competing priorities successfully and to tight deadlines.

• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to exercise sound judgement, manage competing demands, and deliver effectively under pressure.

• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret data, identify trends or insights, and use evidence to inform recommendations and improvements.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce accurate and high-quality briefing materials, correspondence, and advice under tight deadlines.

• A strong customer-focused approach and commitment to delivering high-quality outcomes, continuous improvement, equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Desirable Criteria

• Awareness of the Public Bodies and public appointments landscape, including an understanding of governance and public appointments processes.

• Experience of candidate search, stakeholder outreach, or the use of digital communication tools and social media to support engagement activity.

Please note that whilst we don’t assess or score ‘desirable’ criteria, we may consider evidence provided that demonstrates meeting the desirable elements of the role, only after essential criteria is assessed 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.

Application stage

Experience

Please provide:

• An anonymised copy of your CV

• A Statement of Suitability (no more than 750-words). The Statement of Suitability should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to your experience on how you meet the essential criteria (outlined above).

Behaviours

Please also provide a 250-word example for the lead behaviour, Delivering at Pace

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Delivering at Pace.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Interview stage

Interviews will take place remotely via MS Teams

All applicants that progress to interview will be assessed using the success profiles of Behaviours (listed below), and Strengths.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

• Delivering at Pace (Lead Behaviour)

• Seeing The Big Picture

• Managing a Quality Service

• Working Together

If you would like further information about this role, please contact Ashley.Holliday@Justice.gov.uk