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General Information

Salary
The national salary range is £68,967 - £78,842, London salary range is £73,115 - £83,585. Your salary will be dependent on your base location
Working Pattern
Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working
Vacancy Approach
Cross Government
Location
National
Region
National
Closing Date
03-Jun-2025
Post Type
Permanent
Civil Service Grade
Grade 6
Number of jobs available
1
Reserve List
12 Months
Job ID
6112

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

Head of Strategic Priorities 

Location: National* 

Closing Date: 03 June 2025 

Interviews: From 16 June 2025 

Grade: 6 

(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer) 

Salary: London: £73,115 - £83,585; National: £68,967 - £78,842 

Working pattern: Full-time, part-time, flexible working 

Contract Type: Permanent 

*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP  The Role 

We’re recruiting for a Head of Strategic Priorities here at Justice Digital, to be part of our warm and collaborative Strategic Priorities team. 

The Strategic Priorities Team supports the smooth and effective running of the Justice Digital function; it is an opportunity to work at the most senior levels of the function and influence the way in which the function operates, as well as to build a broader understanding of the MoJ as a whole.   

This is a varied role that requires a deep understanding of, and interest in, both the strategy and ways of working of Justice Digital, the Service Delivery Transformation Group, and the Ministry more broadly. It has a wide remit that requires first class management and co-ordination, quick thinking, and the ability to facilitate and persuade. You will need to juggle many priorities and be able to turn your hand to a wide range of matters; you will be equally comfortable being “hands on” and delivering as you are leading.     

To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital please take a look at our blog and our Digital and Technology strategy 2025  

Key Responsibilities: 

The Head of Strategic Priorities will manage key relationships with MoJ and external stakeholders; oversee a team which ensures the Justice Digital Senior Leadership Team (SLT) is focussed on the right things; and lead the Strategy & Operations Change Function. More specifically this means:  

Manage key relationships with MoJ and external stakeholders:  

  • Know what executive boards and senior meetings are happening, ensuring that the right people have seen and approved papers and that consistent messages are being delivered.  
  • Work closely with Private Offices, including that of the Director General, to establish, maintain and deliver a forward look of joint priorities.  
  • Work closely with Chiefs of Staff to build and tell a compelling story of the work of Justice Digital.  
  • Be credible and influential across departments.  
  • Be a skilled leader who can confidently communicate the value of Justice Digital to digital and non-digital stakeholders.  

Oversee a team which ensures the SLT is focussed on the right things:  

  • Understand the roles and responsibilities of the SCS cadre in Justice Digital.  
  • Build and maintain a forward plan of corporate, delivery and operational activities to inform SLT agendas.  
  • Build agendas for SLT meetings to ensure they are discussing the right things at the right time.   
  • Facilitate director-level discussions, or arrange facilitation where it is required.  
  • Ensuring that the right information is available at the right time for SLT sessions to enable data-led decision-making.   

Lead the Strategy & Operations Change Function:  

  • Coach and lead a dedicated delivery team in Agile and Lean practices as a recognised expert who advocates these approaches, continuously reflecting and encouraging the team to work in new and innovative ways.  
  • Mediate and mend relationships, communicating with stakeholders at all levels to manage expectations and facilitate high-risk and complex discussions, often under constrained timescales.  
  • Identify and challenge organisational processes of increasing complexity, coaching the organisation to inspect and adapt processes through implementation of new processes.  
  • Lead a continual planning process in a very complex environment, being able to plan beyond delivery and identify dependencies in plans across services.  
  • Coach other teams as the central point of expertise and accelerate the teams’ development cycles.  

If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!  Benefits 

  • 37 hours per week and flexible working options including working from home, working part-time, job sharing, or working compressed hours. 
  • A £1k per person learning budget is in place to support all our people, with access to best in class conferences and seminars, accreditation with professional bodies, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms  
  • Staff have 10% time to dedicate to develop & grow 
  • 25 days leave (plus bank holidays) and 1 privilege day usually taken around the Kings’ birthday. 5 additional days of leave once you have reached 5 years of service. 
  • Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too! 
  • Wellbeing support including access to the Calm app.  
  • Bike loans up to £2500 and secure bike parking (subject to availability and location) 
  • Season ticket loans, childcare vouchers and eye-care vouchers. 
  • 5 days volunteering paid leave. 
  • Free membership to BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT. 
  • Some offices may have a subsidised onsite Gym. 

Person Specification 

Essential 

  • You can build relationships and trust easily with people at different levels of an organisation and manage a wide range of issues with diplomacy and discretion.   
  • You have experience of working with senior leaders and private offices to respond to, and deliver, complex requests for information, and can confidently shift context across a wide range of subject matters, and between strategic thinking and hands on delivery.  
  • You have deep knowledge of a range of Agile and Lean tools and techniques, with an ability to coach within and outside of the team; represent, and be an advocate for, these tools and techniques; be innovative, and keep up to date with the latest trends. You have situational awareness of what each team is working on and the ability to ensure that working practices are iterated to achieve effective delivery.   
  • You have experience in ensuring the health of the team and can facilitate conflict resolution and accelerate team performance. You can motivate your teams to work transparently and ensure that their work is understood externally, creating an open and collaborative environment to work in.   
  • You have expertise in solving issues and unblocking problems, driving teams and setting the pace, ensuring teams are working towards delivery commitments. You have a proven track record of managing various dependencies across teams, departments or government as a whole.   
  • You can communicate effectively across organisational, technical and political boundaries, understanding the context. You can advocate and communicate what a team does to create trust and authenticity.   

Willingness to be assessed against  the requirements for BPSS clearance 

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy. 

How to Apply 

Candidates must submit a CV and two application questions (up to 500 words each), which describes how you meet the requirements set out in the Person Specification above. 

Your answers to the application questions should demonstrate the following selection criteria using the STAR method: 

  • You have experience of working with senior leaders and private offices to respond to, and deliver, complex requests for information, and can confidently shift context across a wide range of subject matters, and between strategic thinking and hands on delivery.  
  • You have expertise in solving issues and unblocking problems, driving teams and setting the pace, ensuring teams are working towards delivery commitments. You have a proven track record of managing various dependencies across teams, departments or government as a whole. 

In Justice Digital, we recruit using a combination of the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability and Success Profiles Frameworks. We will assess your Experience, Technical Skills and the following Behaviours during the assessment process: 

  • Leadership  
  • Communicating & Influencing  
  • Delivering at Pace  
  • Working Together  

A diverse panel will review your application against the Person Specification above.  

Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a 1-hour panel interview held via video conference. 

Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based on your experience of working with senior leaders and private offices to respond to, and deliver, complex requests for information, and can confidently shift context across a wide range of subject matters, and between strategic thinking and hands on delivery will be conducted before the sift. 

Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrate the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and offer you the position without needing a further application. 

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, from which further appointments may be made. 

Terms & Conditions 

Please review our Terms & Conditions which set out how we recruit and provide further information related to the Justice Digital Recruitment Terms & Conditions role and salary arrangements. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact recruitment@digital.justice.gov.uk

Additional Information

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.

Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles: All successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale.  This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (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). 

For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within the National Office Network and moved its location’s respective pay scale (any legacy arrangements/locations will need to be amended).

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.

All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.

Flexible working hours 

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.

Benefits 

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Annual Leave

Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.

There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Pension 

The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Training 

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

Networks 

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Eligibility

Staff on fixed term appointments must have been recruited through fair and open competition.

Vacancies advertised “cross-government” are only open to all Civil Service employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) who were appointed on merit following a fair and open competition; or were appointed to a permanent post through an exception in the Civil Service Commissioners' rules.

Support

  • A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
  • Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
  • For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on www.www.GOV.UK or Childcare Choices. You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
  • Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
  • Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.

You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.

For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

Civil Service Nationality Rules

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

Reserve list

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.

Contact Information

MoJ:

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Please quote the job reference 6112

HMPPS

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Please quote the job reference 6112

Application form stage assessments

Experience
We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods
CV or Work History, Experience Questions
Experience Questions Application Form Question Word Limit
500
Evidence of Experience
CV or Work History, Experience Questions

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates
Expected: From 16 June 2025
Behaviours
Communicating and Influencing
Delivering at Pace
Leadership
Working Together
Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)
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.
Level of security checks required
Baseline Personnal Security Standard (BPSS)