Ministry of Justice

Job role: Deputy Service Manager (Crime Service Team)

Grade: SEO

Location: National

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.

The Development Directorate is responsible for service strategy and development, operational policy and modernisation of courts and tribunals. The Crime Team supports the criminal court business. We are responsible for service management of existing services; the design of new digital services; maintenance of operational policies for the jurisdiction and providing operational support to court and business centre staff on these; the implementation of change arising from government policy, legislation, or judicial initiatives; and for improving performance. This is an opportunity to work in a high-performing, close-knit team working in partnership with colleagues across HMCTS, the Ministry of Justice, the Judiciary and other Government departments. The role provides excellent opportunities to work in a fast-paced change environment in an area of high ministerial priority.

As part of the Crime Service Team, you will be at the forefront of supporting a portfolio of change and business improvements across the criminal courts.

The Crime Team is looking for a Deputy Service Manager (DSM) to lead on the operationalising of legislation impacting the criminal courts. We may have similar posts leading on other areas of our work and would encourage anyone interested in working within the team to apply as we may appoint to a reserve list.

About the role

We are looking for a someone who can hit the ground running, who can plan and prioritise their workload and work calmly under pressure.

As a Deputy Service Manager (DSM), you will progress the jurisdiction’s priorities facilitating their delivery and ensuring the issues that can impact on the running of services are managed effectively.  Supporting the Service Managers, you will take forward ongoing continuous improvement of existing services and for reforming products and processes.  You will act across significant operational, multi-disciplinary and complex policy areas.

Influencing internal and external stakeholders to help reconcile differing priorities and representing the organisation’s position on major issues will feature in this role.  You will uphold the strategic vision for the service and ensure design and delivery are aligned with HMCTS’ operating model and strategic vision, and meet the needs of all users, judiciary, and staff.  As part of the service management team, you will work with project management staff and any contractors, to deliver at pace in a high-profile area.  You will operate across a complex policy, technical, and operational landscape, and you will help reach agreement to progress plans.  You will represent the organisation and engage openly and constructively with all stakeholders and interested parties.

You will support the work of the Criminal Service team as a whole, engaging widely as regards performance, continuous improvement, the vision and strategy for the jurisdiction and services within it, policy and legislative impacts, and providing support to operations. 

Key interactions will be with but not limited to:

• Judiciary – at all levels including leadership judiciary
• HMCTS operational colleagues – court staff and leadership
• HMCTS finance, governance, digital, commercial, data/analysis/insight, performance teams
• HMCTS change projects
• MOJ policy and finance teams, and legal advisers
• HO policy teams.
• External stakeholders – representative bodies, representatives of the legal professions

Representation of the Department

• Represent HMCTS both internally and externally in areas of business strategy.
• Work with partners outside of the organisation to develop strategy with external justice agencies and other Government departments.
• Stand by, promote or defend own and team’s actions and decisions where needed.
• Lead by example, role modelling ethics, integrity, impartiality and the elimination of bias by building diverse teams and promoting a working environment that supports the Civil Service values and code.

Your role as the Deputy Service Manager encompasses several key aspects (but not limited to):

Jurisdictional strategy, service design, service development and improvement, governance:  

Focusing on the outcomes of live services across the whole delivery chain, you will support:  

Continuous improvement strategy and process:

• In collaboration with operations and corporate functions, identify opportunities and challenges within the criminal courts and develop strategies for addressing them, consistent with the vision for the jurisdiction, HMCTS operating model and business architecture.
• Work with policy teams on policy and legislative proposals, ensuring that policies meet the needs of HMCTS and are operationally deliverable.
• Develop standard business processes and operating procedure, overseen by organisational governance (service board / business authority / project governance), to deliver improvement initiatives.

Developing service design in keeping with the organisational vision:

• Develop digital service design which meets all users’ needs and is consistent with HMCTS’ operating model and the Crime Service model, in collaboration with operational colleagues, the judiciary and other users and stakeholders.
• Develop effective service design which enables technical development and end-to-end delivery of a digital service, to time and budget, and within agreed scope.

Quality of services: 

• Manage and shape services in line with the jurisdiction’s priorities and users’ needs, looking end-to-end and ensuring the issues that can impact on the running of the service are addressed.
• Identify national performance issues and take forward problem solving activity and continuous improvement.  
• Deliver nationally driven changes arising from policy, legislative or judicial initiatives, improving service delivery and aligning with the service strategy and vision in so doing.

Corporate responsibilities:

• Provide high quality written and oral advice to colleagues and to governance boards, and advice to senior civil servants, judiciary and Ministers as required and in a timely manner ensure high standards in analysis, advice and drafting to enable effective decision-making.  
• Ensure high quality operational support is provided to courts and court staff on the postholder’s areas of jurisdictional and service responsibility.
• Ensure performance is maintained against correspondence, FOIs, MCs, PQs.
• Contribute to briefings, reports, and lines to take as required and in a timely manner.

Engagement and Representation:

• Sustain collaborative relationships with MOJ policy and other Government departments, public bodies, justice agencies and the judiciary to ensure HMCTS strategy and plans are aligned to wider justice policy and the Government’s agenda.
• Sustain collaborative relationships across HMCTS operational and HQ functions to ensure shared understanding of vision, plans, and activities and to ensure these are operationally viable.
• Confidently engage with staff and stakeholders, build trust, and ensure understanding of users’ needs. 
• Represent HMCTS both internally and externally in areas of own responsibility and wider civil jurisdictional matters.

Leadership:

• You may be responsible for the line management of a Jurisdictional Support Officer.  They will give clear sense of direction and purpose; lead, coach and mentor members of the team; and develop capabilities in line with business needs.
• You will be an active member of the Crime Team, contributing to priorities across the team, sharing learning, promoting effective working, and upholding and role-modelling our team pledge and supportive culture. 

Other duties

You will be required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post.

Who are we looking for? (Person Specification)

The ideal candidate for this position should demonstrate:

Essential

• Experience of designing business processes and developing operational solutions across organisational boundaries, with a focus on delivering value to the people who use our services.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to persuade and influence others.
• Experience of setting direction and collaborating across organisational boundaries to deliver.
• Excellent writing and editing skills, presenting complex analysis and messages clearly and in a compelling way to enable effective decision making.

Desirable

• Experience or knowledge of the criminal jurisdiction and the work of crown and magistrates’ courts and national services.
• Experience or knowledge of digital service design.

Application Process

Please submit a CV and a statement of suitability (up to 750 words) demonstrating how you meet the person specifications outlined in the advert. 
   
Please ensure you cover both ‘what’ you do but also ‘how’ you do it. (i.e., the effective skills, knowledge & experience needed to undertake the role).    

Interview

If successful at sift you will be invited to a Civil Service Success Profiles interview which will include assessment of the following behaviours;   

• Changing and improving
• Making effective decisions
• Communicating and influencing
• Delivering at pace

Further information on Success Profiles and required standards for this post (SEO equivalent) can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles     

Strengths will also be assessed at interview but will not be shared in advance.

Further details

Occasional travel to other HMCTS sites as required, in line with business needs

About our benefits

We reward our people for their hard work and commitment. We have a number of family

friendly and flexible working polices that will help you achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition, we offer a range of employee benefits which include generous annual leave, a highly competitive contributory pension scheme, childcare benefits, season ticket and bicycle loans.

Proud to Serve. Proud to keep justice going.