Policy Advisor, Prison Security Policy

HEO

Prison Policy

The Counter Terrorism, Prison Operational, Safety and Security Division within the Prison Policy Directorate is recruiting permanently for a Policy Advisor (Higher Executive Officer - HEO) in the Prison Security Policy team. This campaign is open to current civil servants on level transfer and suitable candidates on promotion.

Location:

Successful candidates will have the option to be based at one of the following locations:

1. 102 Petty France, London

2. 5 Wellington Place, Leeds

Occasional travel between the two locations may be required. We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your base location (102 Petty France or 5 Wellington Place Leeds).

Ways of Working

At the MoJ we believe and promote alternative ways of working, these roles are available as:

• Full-time, part-time or the option to job share

• Flexible working patterns

If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without a new competition.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

Salary

Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules.  

Security Clearance

This role requires National Security Vetting given the access to sensitive information afforded by the job role. You can find more information by reviewing the information held in the following links:

United Kingdom Security Vetting: Applicant - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The vetting charter - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In addition, there is a minimum UK residency requirement set by the Cabinet Office which is dependent on the security level required for the role.

This role requires SC and to be eligible to apply for this role you should have been present in the UK continuously for the past 5 years

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

The Work of the Counter Terrorism, Prison Operational, Safety and Security Policy (CTOPPS) Division

The Counter Terrorism, Prison Operational, Safety and Security Policy (CTOPSS) division is a key part of the Directorate and has responsibility for one of the most important social policy issues in Government - developing policies for how the prison system works and ensuring that the safety and security of both staff and prisoners is upheld. We work hand in hand in everything we do with HM Prison Service (HMPPS) - one of the biggest delivery organisations in government.

We are a friendly, enthusiastic and collaborative division with a strong emphasis on ensuring team members feel happy, supported and engaged in their work. We are keen to make a difference, working closely with partners and supporting everyone to play their part to improve prisons and the outcomes for prisoners. We have a strong commitment to personal and career development, helping everyone to grow and fulfil their potential. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice.

Policy Advisor, Prison Security Policy - the role

As a member of the Prison Security Policy Team, the post holder will work on a range of strategies and policies to reduce the criminality in prison that disrupts delivery of safe, decent and secure regimes and causes continuing harm in the community. Our priorities for 2025 and onwards include working with HMPPS and across government to strengthen our approach to tackling Serious and Organised Crime in prisons and developing strategies to disrupt existing and emerging routes of contraband conveyance, particularly via drone. Other priorities for the team include preparations for the departmental spending review and allocations process.

The role will provide an excellent opportunity to work in a fast-paced and high-profile policy environment and collaborate with colleagues in the Prison Policy Directorate, HMPPS, across other government departments including the Home Office, as well as with other partners such as the National Crime Agency.

Responsibilities will include:

• Collect, analyse, interpret and present evidence to form sound policy proposals and approaches and to identify which activities are likely to have an impact.

• Develop and build strong partnership working with colleagues in both MoJ and HMPPS, both at HQ and in the front line to better understand how our policies and approaches will work at an operational and practical level.

• Establish and develop strong working relationships with agencies across the criminal justice system to influence and deliver policies and improvements.

• Drive forward and take ownership of the development and delivery of key strands of work and activities.

• Actively contribute to higher level decision making for business planning, policy and project implementation to progress strategic objectives.

• Identify relevant linkages across the department to ensure a joined-up approach.

• Respond flexibly to competing and complex demands.

Skills and Experience

The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate the following skills and attributes:

Essential:

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, and an ability to explain information clearly and concisely.

• Demonstrate confidence and skill to act independently and quickly get to grips with a complex area in order to drive forward work, whilst ensuring colleagues and stakeholders are engaged as appropriate.

• Strong organisational skills and the ability to plan and deliver outcomes according to agreed priorities.

• Ability to make sound judgments and provide well-articulated advice, using and interpreting data and evidence in decision-making.

• Experience collaborating with a range of colleagues or stakeholders to achieve tangible outcomes.

We would welcome candidates with the following skills or experience, but these are not essential:

Desirable:

• Experience of working in a policy environment.

• An interest in, or knowledge of, prisons or probation.

• Operational experience in the justice system.

• An understanding of the governmental and parliamentary processes.

• Experience with using project management approaches.

Candidates applying from HMPPS should note that the Ministry of Justice does not have the same conditions of employment as HMPPS. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful.

The MoJ is proud to be Level 3 Disability Confident. Disability Confident is the approach through which we offer guaranteed interviews for all people with disabilities meeting the minimum criteria for the advertised role as set out in the job description.

Application process

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework.

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, 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.

Experience

You will be asked to provide a CV during the application process in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role. CVs will not be scored.

Behaviours

During the application process you will be asked to provide an example of how you have met the following behaviour (see Annex A for more information):

Seeing the big picture (lead behaviour)

We want candidates with the ability to bring together views and perspectives of a range of partners and stakeholders to gain a wider picture of the landscape surrounding the policy area and an understanding of how their role supports MoJ wider government objectives.

Making effective decisions

We are looking for candidates who are able to confidently use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice. They should be able to carefully consider alternative options, implications and risks of decisions.

Working together 

We want candidates who can establish effective relationships and collaborate with other departments and external stakeholders to support the delivery of cross-departmental objectives. Who will be capable and confident in engaging with senior managers.

Delivering at pace

We are looking for candidates who are able to take responsibility for the delegated work areas to deliver the expected outcomes on time and to a high standard; to be able to plan ahead as well as reprioritise at short notice.

Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717275/CS_Behaviours_2018.pdf

Should we receive a large number of applications, we may sift solely on the lead behaviour of Seeing the Big Picture. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview, testing both behaviours and strengths.

Candidates invited to Interview

Please note that interviews will be carried out remotely.

During the panel interview, you will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of, and strengths-based questions to also explore what you enjoy, and your motivations relevant to the job role.

There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.

You can refer to the CS Strengths dictionary for more details: Success Profiles - Civil Service Strengths Dictionary (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Interviews are expected to take place in end of May/early June 2025.

Contact information  

Please do get in touch if you would like to know more about the role or what it is like working in our team. Contact Adam Cox, email: Adam.Cox1@justice.gov.uk

Annex A - The STAR method

Using the STAR method can help you give examples of relevant experience that you have. It allows you to set the scene, show what you did, and how you did it, and explain the overall outcome.

Situation - Describe the situation you found yourself in. You must describe a specific event or situation. Be sure to give enough detail for the job holder to understand.

• Where are you?

• Who was there with you?

• What had happened?

Task - The job holder will want to understand what you tried to achieve from the situation you found yourself in.

• What was the task that you had to complete and why?

• What did you have to achieve?

Actions - What did you do? The job holder will be looking for information on what you did, how you did it and why. Keep the focus on you. What specific steps did you take and what was your contribution? Remember to include how you did it, and the behaviours you used. Try to use “I" rather than “we" to explain your actions that lead to the result. Be careful not to take credit for something that you did not do.

Results - Don’t be shy about taking credit for your behaviour. Quote specific facts and figures. Explain how the outcome benefitted the organisation or your area. Make the outcomes easily understandable.

• What results did the actions produce?

• What did you achieve through your actions and did you meet your goals?

• Was it a successful outcome? If not, what did you learn from the experience?

Keep the situation and task parts brief. Concentrate on the action and the result. If the result was not entirely successful describe what you learned from this and what you would do differently next time. Make sure you focus on your strengths.