Judicial Appointments Commission Job Description - Policy Advisor

Do you want to play a key role in selecting the judges of the future? Are you

passionate about fairness and consistency, with excellent stakeholder engagement skills? If the answer is yes, you could be exactly who we’re looking for to join our dynamic policy team.

We’re looking for a Policy Advisor 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 Policy Advisors play a pivotal role in helping us to achieve that. They work with our selection exercise teams to make sure our shortlisting and interview materials are challenging, fair and fulfil our statutory responsibilities. They use their excellent stakeholder engagement skills to advise colleagues across the organisation, and beyond, on how to implement JAC policies correctly, and even help us to develop new ones so that we can ensure that our recruitment campaigns offer a consistent and high-quality experience for all applicants.

Main responsibilities

The role of JAC Policy Advisor includes:

• Providing advice, briefing, and guidance for senior staff and JAC operational teams on selection exercise process and policy matters.

• Supporting selection exercise teams with identifying and implementing the appropriate selection tools for recruitment exercises

• Responsibility for key policy projects and the development of new policy and processes relating to the JAC selection process and selection tools.

• Ensuring that the JAC’s selection processes are fair and free from bias, working with equality and operational leads and Commissioners to meet the JAC’s statutory duties.

• Lead the secretariat functions of the JAC Advisory Group.

• Regularly reviewing and quality assuring the selection exercise process, liaising regularly with selection exercise teams to ensure best practice is understood and followed.

• Maintaining ownership of key templates and guidance relating to selection policy.

• Providing support to the Senior Policy Advisors and Head of Selection Policy and wider team as required.

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.

Essential Criteria

• Strong stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to interact with a wide variety of internal and external audiences of varying degrees of seniority (including senior staff and judges).

• Strong relationship building skills.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to target communications to a range of audiences.

• Experience and understanding of working to published procedures, or operational policy, in a public sector environment.

• A pro-active approach to identifying opportunities for improvement.

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

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:

• Making Effective Decisions

• Communicating and Influencing

• Changing and Improving

• Delivering at Pace

Application process

You need to provide:

• Your CV

• A statement of suitability detailing the relevant skills and experience you have (250 words max). Please refer to the main responsibilities and essential criteria sections of the job description when writing your statement of suitability.

• Written evidence of the 3 core behaviours for this role: Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, and Changing and Improving (250 words per behaviour).

Sift

Applications will be sifted based on the CV, statement of suitability and the 3 behaviours Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, and Changing and Improving.

If a large number of applications are received, candidates may be sifted on their CV, statement of suitability, and lead behaviour: Making Effective Decisions.

Interview

At interview we will assess you against 4 behaviours: Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, Changing and Improving, and Delivering at Pace.

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

Interviews are expected to take place in August. Interviews may be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams or face-to-face. 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 more than 2 days per week on occasion in line with business need.

Working Patterns

We would consider a part time, compressed hours or job share application that ensured business needs were met.

Further Information

If after reading this job description you require any further information, please contact Nicholas White, Senior Policy Advisor

nicholas.white@judicialappointments.gov.uk

If you have any questions about the recruitment campaign, or any terms and conditions relating to the role, please contact the JAC Recruitment Team:

Recruitment@judicialappointments.gov.uk