Ministry of Justice

Job Summary: Change Officer at HMPPS (HM Prison & Probation Service)

The Change Officer role is an integral role within both Area and National Change Delivery teams which work across Prison and Probation. Change Officers are expected to work directly to either Area Change Managers, or in the case of the National Directorates, to the National Head of Change delivery. This role is pivotal in overseeing, and in the delivery of, both local and nationally identified change initiatives. Change Officers will work across a number of prisons or probation establishments and may be identified as the lead (main point of contact) for a specific prison establishment or geographical area. Change Officers will be expected to use digital systems and tools (such as Gateway Management System, GMS, and Project for the Web, PftW) to appropriately tier, record and track change management activity and identify progress against articulated success metrics.

Key Responsibilities:

Team Role: Work collaboratively with colleagues to deliver change and provide oversight of change projects they are actively supporting or leading on. They will engage in quality assurance and peer review of projects. Seek opportunities for professional development where appropriate. Uphold civil service values and model principles of equality, diversity, inclusion, and belonging across the team.

Stakeholder Engagement: Building and maintaining effective working relationships with regional, or national, change agent stakeholders across prisons and probations. This may include colleagues from within the Change Directorate but will also include staff such as Business Managers, Heads of Business Assurance etc. Support the development and execution of effective communication strategies for the change projects as required. Attending and presenting at local/group/regional/ national meetings, including governance boards and stakeholder groups as required.

Compliance: Ensuring compliance with the Gateway Management System (GMS) is a critical aspect of the role. The Change Officer will uphold the professional standards of their team by working in according to national expectations as defined in our service level agreement and protocols for GMS and PftW. They will ensure accuracy and completeness of project records and actions and monitor compliance with relevant policies and procedures.

Change Management Excellence: The Change Officer will apply the best practices in change management to all projects. They will manage projects, ensuring successful delivery and alignment with organizational goals. Leading task and finish groups, project meetings, and focus groups to drive project success.

Performance Monitoring and Reporting: The Change Officer understand and contribute to the collation of monthly reporting within Prison Groups and Probation Regions. This will include being able to interpret data and articulate its meaning at establishment / regional if required. They will be responsible for providing regular project updates to line managers, to demonstrate continuous improvement with PftW and GMS systems are accurate and up to date. Track the impact of changes based on performance data, they will identify and resolve barriers or escalate issues where milestones are missed, or progress is not being made

Risk Management: Proactively identify risks, decisions, and opportunities, and develop mitigation strategies, making escalations to line managers as appropriate. Maintain and update risk registers for change activity, ensuring all potential risks are documented and addressed. 

Continuous Improvement: Apply continuous improvement and lean methodologies to identify system improvements and enhance project delivery. To actively seek ways to improve knowledge of operational change and its potential impacts and share insights with the team. 

If you would like further information about this role and the application process, please join the following briefing:

Weds 6th August 8.30-9.30am

Join the meeting now 

Please copy the above meeting link and add it to your calendar if you wish to attend.  

About the Change Delivery Group:

Thank you for your interest in joining the HMPPS Change Group which is led by Deputy Director, Matthew Wilson and is part of the Change Directorate (CD), led by Executive Director Matt Grey.

• With approximately 175 staff across 3 functions, our Change Group represents half of the Change Directorate. 
• Whilst we are still in a period of transition due to the ongoing OneHMPPS HQ redesign, we are steadily developing our future vision and priorities, in line with wider HMPPS and ministerial commitments. 
• Last year, we expanded our transformative Gateway Management System (GMS) to include the prison service which is already paying dividends and enabling us to effectively, capture, coordinate and sequence change, helping to minimise the impact on our frontline colleagues.
• There are 6 Area Change Delivery Teams and 3 National Change Delivery Teams. These teams coordinate and schedule the implementation of local, national and programmatic change projects across HMPPS. 
• The Midlands Area Change Delivery Team is led by Jenna Titley and covers East and West Midlands Probation and Prison Groups. 
• As a group, we are committed to evolving and enhancing the service we offer. We are privileged to have a wealth of experience and expertise across our directorate, and we look forward to capitalising on your skills and investing in your potential.

An overview of Change within His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS)

• Across HMPPS, there are numerous change workstreams operating at any given time.
• The number of workstreams fluctuates as new programmes are created and existing programmes close.
• Our Change Group is responsible for overseeing change across the agency and providing the drivers and enablers that ensure reforms are successfully implemented and embedded across our frontline services.
• In line with agreed criteria such as: programme size, whole life costs, alignment with strategic objectives, some of these programmes may fall within portfolios - including our own HMPPS Change Portfolio - and are therefore subject to specific governance and mandatory reporting.
• Other programmes and projects may fall outside the scope of a portfolio; however, it is still important we are aware of these change initiatives. Plus, in many cases, our teams still provide support, advice and expertise to help progress their delivery.
• On a monthly basis, the Change Board, chaired by our Executive Director Matt Grey, reviews change across the agency on behalf of the HMPPS Leadership Team (HLT). 

How we capture and manage change in HMPPS

In the fast-paced world of operational delivery, it is crucial that we forecast, coordinate and manage change effectively to help minimise the impact on our frontline services.

• The Gateway Management System is our mandatory, centralised system for ensuring change proposals, or information requests for our operational colleagues, are captured, mapped and sequenced accordingly. This process provides leaders with a clear view of incoming changes; allowing for informed decisions on whether changes can be implemented based on current workloads and priorities.
• The system is more than just a tool; it's a commitment to operational excellence and testament to ‘modernising our estates and technology’ and ‘enabling people to be their best’ in line with our HMPPS Strategic Principles. 

The basic lifecycle of a Change Programme 

Irrespective of the level of governance applied to a change programme, most projects generally follow the same lifecycle.

There are four key stages:

• Planning and preparation
• Development and initiation
• Design and delivery
• Handover and closure

Our Change Group provides support throughout the change lifecycle.

Some of our Teams also continue to provide assistance post closure to help evaluate the effectiveness of the change which has been implemented.

Arrival Square, Station Road, Mansfield NG18 1LP, Derwent Court 1 Stuart Street, Derby DE1 2EQ, Hope House, Dudley, West Midlands, DY1 4TA