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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
Vacancy Approach
Cross Government
Location
Birmingham, Guildford, Leeds, London, Manchester
Region
London, Midlands, North East, North West, South East
Closing Date
14-Jul-2025
Post Type
Permanent
Civil Service Grade
Grade 6
Number of jobs available
5
Reserve List
12 Months
Job ID
7341

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

Job title: Regional Head of Legal Operations

Directorate: HQ Operations

Workstream: Legal Services 

About us

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales. Our roles support our service users and colleagues, where people and businesses access potentially life-changing justice.  We’re looking for individuals who are committed to public service and want to make a difference in people’s lives in delivering justice. If you’re interested in developing a career with a real purpose, please apply.

About the role

Regional Head of Legal Operations is a specialist legal post with overall responsibility for the professional and operational leadership of lawyers and legal professionals working nationally/within regions. Working with senior judiciary, they are responsible for protecting the independence of those who exercise the jurisdiction of the court with the authority of the judiciary and for promoting the highest legal professional standards across the organisation and ensuring justice is at the heart of what we do.

Regional Head of Legal Operations are senior leadership roles, responsible – as part of the regional/National Services leadership team - for overall delivery of legal operational objectives within a region/nationally. Regional Head of Legal Operations will lead the overall safe and secure delivery of legal operational priorities and objectives, contributing significantly to the achievement of key national and regional business plan objectives. Regional Head of Legal Operations will undertake the strategic leadership for one or more jurisdictions/services nationally, ensuring effective, efficient, and consistent service delivery and performance, liaising with senior judiciary as required. In doing so they will support the work of the Regional Delivery Directors, Service Owners, and National Services. Regional Head of Legal Operations has considerable influence and responsibility over areas of operations and development activity, responsible for coordinating large areas of work activity with personal responsibility for legal service delivery which will have a significant impact on the achievement of key business plan objectives.

Your role as the Head of Operations – Legal encompasses several key aspects (but not limited to):

  • Regional Head of Legal Operations has overall responsibility for the professional and operational leadership of lawyers and legal staff working within their business area.
  • They will act with judicial independence when exercising judicial or quasi-judicial functions and are responsible in conjunction with the judiciary for upholding and protecting the independence of all those exercising such functions – (s 28 and 29 Courts Act 2003 and Courts and Tribunals (Judiciary and Functions of Staff) Act 2018).
  •  Responsible for leading and managing the effective and efficient delivery of jurisdictional/service performance across multiple locations within the region/National Services. Regional Head of Legal Operations will be responsible (and accountable to their delivery director) for the performance and delivery of their business area and have a clear mandate to take steps to sustain/improve performance of those service(s)/locations, where required.

Please refer to the attached role profile for a comprehensive overview of the role. 

Who are we looking for? (Person Specification)

The ideal candidate for this position should demonstrate:

Essential

  • This is a specialist legal post and the role holder must fulfil the eligibility requirement for appointment to HMCTS as a senior lawyer (5 years post qualification experience).
  • The post holder, as both a senior leader and a lawyer, will have the professional credibility to engage with leaders, judicial office holders and major stakeholders on legal matters and in prioritising use of legal resources. The postholder will have the ability to work constructively with others to set priorities for those undertaking legal case officer functions within the region / across National Services.
  • Regional Head of Legal Operations must be able to demonstrate the ability to act with judicial independence when exercising judicial or quasi-judicial functions and is responsible in conjunction with the judiciary for upholding and protecting the independence of all those exercising such functions.
  • Excellent leadership and relationship management skills with proven ability and experience of delivering through others, leading and managing operational teams in accordance with appropriate management practices policy and strategy.
  • A breadth and depth of knowledge and experience of operational/service management and experience of supporting stakeholders/partners. They will develop a specialist service knowledge and expertise to enable them to execute significant representational and external facing responsibility on behalf of the organisation. Regional Head of Legal Operations will engage effectively with regional/internal stakeholders, judicial office holders, the legal community and external stakeholders in managing interactions with the wider community and the media.
  • The ability to anticipate and identify strategic organisational issues and analyse and interpret statistical information gathered to assess performance. Regional Head of Legal Operations will be expected to take responsibility for the resolution of a range of complex problems, escalating only those which are outside of current policy area or level of authority.
  • Excellent communication and customer service skills, understanding the needs of our end users reflecting the diverse needs of our customer base from professional justice partners to vulnerable victims and witnesses and judicial office holders.
  • Influencing skills – to be able to deliver through others, collaborating and negotiating to deliver excellent levels of service within the jurisdiction(s).
  • A demonstrable track record of strategic planning and delivering significant change. 

How to apply

Application Stage

Please submit:

  • Statement of suitability demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria (up to 750 words)
  •  Please ensure you cover both ‘what’ you do but also ‘how’ you do it. (i.e., the effective skills, knowledge & experience needed to undertake the role)

Interview Stage

If successful at sift, you will be invited to attend an in-person interview. The location address will be confirmed within the interview invite.

During your interview, you will be assessed against the following Civil Service Success Profiles which will include:

  • A presentation – the presentation brief will be sent to you in advance.
  • Questions in relation to the following Civil Service behaviours

-       Leadership 

-       Seeing the Big Picture 

-       Communicating and Influencing 

-       Changing and Improving

·       Strengths will also be assessed however these are not shared in advance.

Further details

Allowance

The role attracts a minimum level of total pay of £74,967, however, if you are currently above the Grade 6 band minimum then overall level of total pay will be determined based on current substantive base pay. Level of total salary pay may consist of base pay (pensionable) and a Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA). RRAs are non-pensionable.

Working pattern

This is a full-time position only due to the nature of the role.

Travel requirements

There will be a requirement to travel occasionally to any HMCTS site in line with business needs.

Location

There are 5 positions available:

·       Position 1 will be based in the South East region. 

·       Position 2 will be based in the North East region. 

·       Position 3 will be based in the North West region. 

·       Position 4 will be based in the Midlands region. 

·       Position 5 will be based in the London region. 

The successful candidate can be based at any HMCTS site within their allocated region.

The building sites listed in the advertisement are not exhaustive, you will have the opportunity to discuss and agree your preferred base location within your region with your line manager at onboarding stage.

Locational appointment

The reserve list for this campaign will be managed in accordance with location preference/s, as indicated in your application.  We will appoint in merit list order for each location outlined in the vacancy and hold a separate locational reserve list for each of these locations. After appointments have been made using this locational appointment process, any remaining candidates who met the benchmark for the role will remain on a locational reserve list in accordance with their preferences for 12 months. Please only indicate preferences where you are prepared to work.  If you are subsequently offered a role from the reserve list for a location preference indicated in your application and decline it, you will be removed from the reserve list for the vacancy, across all locational preferences.

About our benefits

We reward our people for their hard work and commitment. We have a number of family

friendly and flexible working polices that will help you achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition, we offer a range of employee benefits which include generous annual leave, a highly competitive contributory pension scheme, childcare benefits, season ticket and bicycle loans. 

Proud to Serve. Proud to keep justice going.

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: 7341

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: 7341

Allowance

The role attracts a minimum level of total pay of £74,967, however, if you are currently above the Grade 6 band minimum then overall level of total pay will be determined based on current substantive base pay. Level of total salary pay may consist of base pay (pensionable) and a Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA). RRAs are non-pensionable.

Application form stage assessments

Experience
We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods
Statement of Suitability
Statement of Suitability
Guidance for the Statement of Suitability
Please submit a statement of suitability demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria (up to 750 words)

Please ensure you cover both ‘what’ you do but also ‘how’ you do it. (i.e., the effective skills, knowledge & experience needed to undertake the role)
Evidence of Experience
Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates
Interviews are expected to take place in August 2025, subject to change.
Behaviours
Leadership
Seeing the Big Picture
Communicating and Influencing
Changing and Improving
Strengths
Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here.

Other Assessments

Which assessment methods will be used?
Presentation
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
DBS Standard