Role Profile

OFFICIAL

HQ Job Description (JD)
Band 10
Directorate: Strategy, Performance and Corporate
Delivery
Job Description: Head of Evidence-Based
Practice Team

Document Ref.
HQ JES 0456 Head of Evidence-Based Practice
Team v4.0
Document Type
Management
Version
4.0
Classification
Official
Date of Issue
18 March 2025
Status
Baselined
Produced by
Job Evaluation Assurance and Support Team
Authorised by
Reward Team
JD Evidence

OFFICIAL
HQ JES 0456 Head of Evidence-Based Practice Team v4.0

OFFICIAL
Job Description
Job Title
Head of Evidence-Based Practice Team
Directorate
Strategy, Performance and Corporate Delivery
Band
10

Overview of the
This HQ job reports directly to the Head of Evidence and Insights
job
and leads a team of evidence specialists including chartered
psychologists and colleagues with postgraduate research
qualifications.

The purpose of the job is to provide an evidence-based practice
service to the whole HMPPS agency. The job holder must
maintain established standards for acceptable evidence and
keep the entire evidence base in relation to correctional practice
under review in order to ensure that HMPPS policy and practice
is defensible and effective. The job holder is responsible for
effectively communicating the evidence base to others across
the organisation and for developing the evidence base, involving
both in-house resource and collaboration with research partners
in the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and beyond the agency.

Evidence Based Practice integrates scientific evidence with the
operational perspective to design and provide high-quality
services reflecting the goals of the organisation and the interests,
values, needs, and choices of the individuals we serve.

The job holder needs to have an established track record in
evidence-based research and practice, significant experience in
conducting and reviewing high quality research and a
professional qualification that reflects specialist skill in this area.
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HQ JES 0456 Head of Evidence-Based Practice Team v4.0

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Summary
This is a Senior Management role working directly to the Head of
Evidence and Insights.  This HQ role is a member of the
Strategy, Evidence and Corporate Services Group SMT, and is
accountable for building and evaluating the evidence base to
inform and direct operational policy and practice. The post holder
directly influences operational policy, strategy and practice
through the generation of evidence summaries on topics relevant
to staff working in prison, probation and youth custody, through
original research to build the evidence on practice related issues
and through providing evidence consultation to central and local
teams.   The post holder is also responsible for building links with
national and international experts in correctional research.

HMPPS aims to deliver safe, decent, fair and rehabilitative
services to those in prison, in youth custody or on the probation
caseload.  The Evidence-Based Practice team contributes to
these aims through the expert translation of evidence to shape
everyday practice in prisons, probation and youth custody,
delivering research to fill knowledge gaps and consulting into the
strategic development of policies and practice to bring the best
outcomes for the organisation, staff, the people in our care and
the public.  The team works alongside colleagues in Learning
and Development, Human Resources, psychology and effective
practice in each of our three sectors as well as central strategy
and policy teams and operational staff and leadership.

The post holder will have line management responsibility for
senior professional advisors and overall responsibility for the
team, most of whom are chartered psychologists or hold
professional research qualifications.
Responsibilities,
The job holder will be required to carry out the following
Activities and
responsibilities, activities and duties:
Duties

•  Responsible for developing and maintaining an up to date
knowledge of the international evidence base in relation to
correctional practice, monitoring the academic literature and
collecting information through professional links,
discriminating between high and low quality evidence, being
able to draw conclusions from contradictory literature, and
ensuring that new and relevant research findings are quickly
evaluated and integrated into the HMPPS knowledge base by
being effectively communicated to those who need to know
them.
•  Influence HMPPS directors’ understanding of the evidence
base related to their spheres of responsibility and support
them in using this strategically.
•  Accountable for the development, interpretation, translation
and dissemination of research evidence to support and steer
evidence-based practice at national and local levels. Produce
formal and informal evidence-based guidance for Directors,
central teams and practitioners across the organisation.
•  Strategically plan, organise and lead in-house research to
develop the evidence base in relation to HMPPS priorities,
identifying the key gaps in the evidence base, deciding when
these gaps can best be filled by in-house staff or in
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HQ JES 0456 Head of Evidence-Based Practice Team v4.0

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partnerships with research colleagues both in and beyond the
wider organisation, and leading on designing research
projects to fill these gaps, ensuring that all in-house research
meets high standards of evidence and delivers value for
money.
•  Inspire public and professional confidence in HMPPS by
achieving a reputation for HMPPS of excellence in evidence-
based practice and through leadership and effective personal
promotion of HMPPS work in relation to evidence-based
practice.
•  Provide expertise on evidence and clear evidence-based
recommendations across HMPPS, MoJ, provider
organisations, other government departments, independent,
private and voluntary and other organisations and agencies.
•  Represent Head of Group within HMPPS, provider
organisations and MoJ, to Ministers, other organisations and
agencies as required.
•  Provide line management and professional oversight of
senior managers (research/evidence specialists) and their
teams. Develop technical and professional skills of the team
as well as other staff within the Group through direct skills
transfer, arranging Continuous Professional Development
activities and communicating new information quickly and
clearly.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is
at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is
expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of
a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments
may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme
and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence
through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales)
Welsh.

Civil Service Success Profile Criteria

Behaviours
•  Communicating and Influencing
•  Working Together
•  Seeing the Big Picture
•  Making Effective Decisions
•  Leadership
Strengths
Note: we recommend you choose 4 to 8 strengths locally - select
from the list of Civil Service strength definitions on the intranet.
Experience
•  A proven track record in applied research in the field of
criminal justice or related fields demonstrated through peer
reviewed publication of critical literature reviews or;
quantitative and qualitative research studies
•  Extensive experience in working with Ministers and/or senior
officials.
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HQ JES 0456 Head of Evidence-Based Practice Team v4.0

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•  Excellent written and oral communication skills, in particular
the ability to translate complex research information into plain
English and give high impact presentations. Strong drafting
skills and proven ability to produce finished written products.
Ability to describe and debate complex information in
pressured environments, including international forums with
academic experts and senior leaders in the field of
corrections.
•  A competent and proven leader and senior manager, able to
manage a specialist team which is geographically dispersed.
•  High level understanding of the role played by HMPPS in the
criminal justice sector.
•  Experience of working at a strategic level across stakeholder
and provider groups.
•  Advanced understanding and experience of correctional
services, reducing reoffending/rehabilitation and public
protection.
•  Experience of managing high level organisational change at a
senior leader level.
•  Experience of business planning, project leadership and
budget management.
Technical
•  A high-level academic qualification that certifies advanced
Requirements
knowledge and skills in reviewing, interpreting and conducting
research, such as a research doctorate or equivalent PhD.
Ability

Minimum
Please do not alter this box
Eligibility

•  All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to
taking up post.
•  All external candidates are subject to 6 months’
probation.  Internal candidates are subject to probation if they
have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS.
•  All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a
group or organisation which HMPPS consider to be racist.

Hours of Work
37 hour working week
(Unsocial Hours)
Allowances

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HQ JES 0456 Head of Evidence-Based Practice Team v4.0