Grade 7 Private Secretary to the Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice and Secretary to the Civil Justice Council

Private Offices Directorate, Judicial Office

Role Summary

The Private Secretary to the Master of the Rolls (MR) is a key leadership role within the Judicial Office. The office holder is an advocate for, and representative of, the MR both internally with other senior judiciary and their private offices and externally across a wide range of Whitehall departments. The successful candidate will have experience of influencing at senior levels across government and/or with the senior experts and understand the importance of the rule of law and preserving the independence of the judiciary from the executive. This is an exciting and varied role that provides unique opportunities to support the MR in the delivery of his strategic priorities. It is a demanding role that requires resilience but comes with the benefit of being at the heart civil justice.

The role of the Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice

The Master of the Rolls was originally responsible for the safe-keeping of charters, patents and records of important court judgments written on parchment rolls. He still has responsibility for documents of national importance, being Chairman of the Advisory Council on Public Records and Chairman of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts.

The Master of the Rolls, The Right Honourable Sir Geoffrey Vos, is by virtue of his office, a judge of the Court of Appeal and is the President of its Civil Division. He is responsible for the deployment and organisation of the work of the judges of the division as well as presiding in one of its courts.

The MR is supported in his capacity as head of civil justice by the Deputy Head of Civil Justice (DHCJ). A private office of nine staff, based at the Royal Courts of Justice and led by the Private Secretary, provide support to both judges. The private office provides legal, strategic policy and administrative support to the MR, DHCJ, Civil Justice Council, and the wider judiciary across a range of issues, working closely with other parts of the Judicial Office, and wider government, as appropriate.

The Civil Justice Council (CJC)

The Master of the Rolls, The Right Honourable Sir Geoffrey Vos is also Chairman of the Civil Justice Council. The CJC is an Advisory Public Body which was established under the Civil Procedure Act 1997. The Council’s statutory duty is to review the civil justice system and make recommendations to the Lord Chancellor, the judiciary and the Civil Procedure Rule Committee on the development of the civil justice system to make it more accessible, fair and efficient. The office holder will provide high level policy support to the Council, and oversight of the CJC Secretariat team.

The Judicial Office

The Judicial Office is the organisation that supports the Lady Chief Justice (LCJ) in delivering her wide range of functions as the Head of the Judiciary. It is a unique branch of the civil service, reporting direct to the LCJ. The Judicial Office consists of approx. 500 staff working across five directorates. The post holder will be part of the private office directorate, working to the deputy director, Head of Judicial Private Offices. For more information about Judicial Office please see: About us - Judicial Office - Judicial Office Intranet

Main activities/responsibilities:

The MR will look to his Private Secretary for advice on handling the highest profile and most sensitive issues of the day; and for commissioning, where appropriate, high-quality advice from the wider Judicial Office to support him. The role requires the ability to work at pace and under pressure, to anticipate urgent and important issues, to adapt to rapidly changing events, and to be able to represent effectively the MR at the most senior levels of the judiciary and civil service.

The postholder will be required to provide high quality written and oral advice to the MR and senior judiciary (Senior Judiciary - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary), overall leadership and head of office responsibilities for the MR’s private office team, and represent the position of the MR confidently and effectively to senior officials within the JO and across Whitehall and operational partner agencies with counterparts in relevant private offices.

Person Specification

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to identify key issues and constructively challenge when dealing with senior officials, senior judiciary, and senior experts, and to provide high quality written briefings.

• Strong organisational skills and diligence.

• Experience of working at pace, under pressure, and of taking decisions in a high-profile environment.

• Strong leadership skills, particularly leading through influencing.

• Interest in the justice system, in particular civil justice.

Desirable Knowledge and Skills

• Experience of working closely with the judiciary, and an interest in the workings of the courts and tribunals system more widely.

• Experience of working with departments, or closely alongside, on the development of policy issues.

Private Secretary posts are unpredictable and can require working long hours, including at short notice, particularly as meetings often need to take place before or after court. The general expectation is that the PS will be in the office when the MR is in the Royal Courts of Justice. However, there is greater flexibility during vacation when there are opportunities to work from home.

Eligibility

The post is available to existing Grade 7’s on lateral transfer and to other candidates on promotion. This post is not suitable for job-share or reduced hours working.

Location

This post is primarily based in London, at the Royal Courts of Justice but does require some travel, accompanying the MR to events across England & Wales, and occasionally abroad.

Length of Deployment

We are looking for the successful candidate to be in post from September 2025, ready for the start of the Legal Year on the 1^st October 2025. This is a permanent post.

How to apply

The application process will follow 3 stages.

1. Written application

Experience

You will be asked to provide a 1000-word CV setting out your suitability for the role through demonstrable experience, career history and achievements.

Behaviours

During the application process you will be asked to provide examples of how you have met the following behaviours:

• Delivering at Pace

• Seeing the Big Picture

• Communicating and Influencing 

• Working Together

Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview. Please note, feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

2. Interview

Please note that interviews will be carried out in person at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Monday 30^th June 2025. 

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.

3. Fireside chat with the MR

Candidates successful at interview will be invited to a fireside chat with the MR. Feedback from the MR will inform the outcome of the campaign. Fireside chats will take place in person at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on either the 21^st, 24^th or 28^th July 2025.

If you wish to discuss the role before submitting an application, please contact Clare Farren (Clare.Farren@judiciary.uk) Deputy Director, Head of Judicial Private Offices.