Judicial Appointments Commission Job Description - Senior Selection Exercise Manager

Summary 

Are you adept at managing competing projects and priorities? Passionate about leading teams to deliver their best? An efficient multi-tasker with outstanding stakeholder engagement skills? If the answer is yes, you could be exactly who we’re looking for to join our dynamic operational team.

We’re looking for a Senior Selection Exercise Manager to help us deliver high quality recruitment campaigns at pace. As an independent public body, the Judicial Appointments Commission is responsible for designing, planning, and running recruitment campaigns to select judges in the courts and tribunals, up to and including the High Court, as well as non-legal tribunal members. You can read more about our work on our website: http://judicialappointments.gov.uk

With a new recruitment campaign launched every couple of weeks, and statutory responsibilities to make sure we select candidates on merit and through fair and open competition, it’s essential that our processes are robust, inclusive, and attractive to candidates from the widest possible backgrounds.

Our Senior Selection Exercise Managers play a pivotal role in helping us to achieve that. They lead our operational teams in scoping and running our selection exercises, from liaising with partners to launch the campaign, to overseeing the development and delivery of our shortlisting and selection materials, as well as ensuring our many and varied stakeholders are kept informed and engaged throughout our processes.

While our HEO Selection Exercise Managers have day-to-day responsibility for running recruitment exercises, our SEO Senior Selection Exercise Managers have a vital strategic role in ensuring that their teams deliver efficient, consistent, and high-quality exercises. It’s a challenging, dynamic, and fast-paced role that sits at the centre of our work to recruit the very best judicial office holders of the future.

Main responsibilities

While not an exhaustive list, the role of JAC Senior Selection Exercise Manager includes:

• Overseeing the delivery of several JAC recruitment exercises from concept to delivery and making final recommendations.

• Leading a small but busy team of selection exercise managers, quality assurance managers and selection exercise support officers to deliver several high-quality recruitment exercises.

• Quality assuring selection exercise planning and delivery, including ensuring accuracy in scoring and feedback to candidates.

• Liaising with stakeholders across the JAC and wider judiciary to ensure the delivery of recruitment exercises that meet the needs of courts and tribunals across England and Wales.

• Leading the delivery of key operational activities including recruitment briefing sessions and candidate helpdesks.

• Proactively identifying opportunities for improvement to operational planning and delivery of JAC selection activity.

• Completing exercise reporting information and budgetary management.

• Act as a role model for immediate team and colleagues across the JAC.

The duties/responsibilities listed above 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.

Essential Criteria

• Strong project management skills.

• Excellent organisational skills including the ability to prioritise effectively, deliver on time and provide high quality customer service.

• Strong stakeholder engagement skills with experience of engaging and communicating with senior stakeholders (equivalent to Director and above within the civil service, Chief Executive and Board Chair in other sectors).

• Excellent attention to detail in drafting, planning and delivery.

• Strong communication skills (verbal and written) and the ability to adapt your communications approach for different audiences.

• A good understanding of how operational delivery, quality assurance, governance and policy are co-dependent functions in a delivery organisation.

• The ability to quickly learn to use unfamiliar software to a good standard, with appropriate training.

Desirable skills

• Previous experience of working in a fast-paced operational role or relevant transferrable experience.

• Previous line management experience.

What we can offer you

We offer a range of benefits including an attractive annual leave allowance, flexible and hybrid working opportunities, and choice of pension schemes. We actively encourage all staff to undertake learning and development as part of their personal objectives and have a range of networks to support and promote inclusivity, wellbeing, and dignity at work among other things.

Recruitment Process Details

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the recruitment process:

• Delivering at Pace

• Working Together

• Leadership

• Managing a Quality Service

In addition to these behaviours, your experience will be assessed during the recruitment process in accordance with the essential criteria for this role (please see essential criteria section of this job description).

Application process

You need to provide:

• your CV,

• a statement of suitability detailing the relevant skills and experience you have (500 words max)

• written evidence of the three core behaviours for this role: Delivering at Pace, Working Together, and Leadership (250 words per behaviour).

Sift

Applications will be sifted based on the CV, statement of suitability, and evidence of the three behaviours: Delivering at Pace, Working Together and Leadership

Interview

At interview we will assess you against four behaviours: Delivering at Pace, Working Together, Leadership, and Managing a Quality Service.

We will also ask you about your experience. You can find out more about the Civil Service’s recruitment framework here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

Applicants invited for interview may be required to undertake a brief work exercise either before or on the day as part of the selection process. More details will be provided if you are invited to interview.

Interviews are expected to take place in w/c 28 July 2025. Interviews will be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams. More details on the arrangements will be provided to candidates invited to interview.

Reserve List

As well as appointing to the vacancy listed above, we may place other candidates on a 12-month reserve list for future vacancies.

Office Attendance

JAC staff are currently working in a hybrid way with a minimum of 2 days per week in the office. Applicants for this role should note that they may be required to attend the office or a JAC interview venue for up to five days a week during periods of selection activity or other required business need.

Further Information

If after reading this job description you require any further information, please contact Rob Aldridge, Head of Operations and Digital:

Robert.Aldridge@judicialappointments.gov.uk

If you have any questions about the recruitment campaign, or any terms and conditions relating to the role, please contact Recruitment@judicialappointments.gov.uk.