Ministry of Justice

Drug and Alcohol Group is responsible for setting out and overseeing how HM Prison and Probation Service will enable recovery, reduce demand and restrict supply associated with drug and alcohol use.

This is a senior leadership post within HM Prison and Probation Service Headquarters based in the Rehabilitation and Change Directorate. The Drug and Alcohol Group is seeking a visionary senior leader to drive this high profile agenda working in partnership across government and with a wider range of stakeholders.

Overview of the job

This is a senior leadership role in HMPPS Headquarters, responsible for influencing across HMPPS, MoJ and partners to transform delivery of drug and alcohol provision across HMPPS.   

The post holder will have significant operational and/or policy development experience at a senior level, enabling them to lead and deliver drug and alcohol strategy and provision across HMPPS. They will be accountable for determining the scope, decision making and delivery of agency strategy and provision, for engagement with ministers, senior leaders and policy colleagues and for leading a programme of work which engages and directs senior operational leaders in the evolution of their own local strategies and practice. They will hold responsibility for influencing the development and implementation of policy, in order to optimise the conditions for effective tackling of supply, reducing demand and promoting recovery from drugs and alcohol in both prisons and the community.   

The post holder reports to the Head of Health and Wellbeing Division. They will lead a team of senior managers in HQ and influence widely through matrix management of leads in prisons and probation and through providing direction to key groups of staff, working groups and boards. 

The post holder can be based anywhere nationwide 

This is a non-operational post.

Summary

The job holder will hold substantial influence in public and private sector prisons, approved premises, probation and the wider agency. 

They will work extensively with senior operational colleagues to develop a range of initiatives and approaches to ensure all parts of the business develop and deliver bespoke drug and alcohol strategies and delivery linked to national strategies and Frameworks, to monitor and incentivise ways of working and to report progress at a national and regional level. They will balance their time between operational support and innovation with working collaboratively with senior colleagues from across HMPPS, MoJ, contracted and third sector and lived experience services, Public Health, Enforcement agencies, academia and other government departments.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Act as corporate sponsor and operational lead for developing and delivering HMPPS Drug and Alcohol Strategies. Promoting a wider understanding of how a focus on drugs and alcohol supports safety, rehabilitation and reducing reoffending.
• To effectively influence and work in partnership with senior operational colleagues to develop, implement, review, share and learn from local best practice activity and enhance performance in outcomes around drugs and alcohol within prisons and the community. To encourage and enable high quality provision and ensure that best practice and evidence are widely shared and poor practice is identified and improved.
• To lead collaboratively with staff and people in prison and probation to ensure the work is grounded, people are engaged and motivated to change and given the best possible support to create a safer environment where people can be free from the harms associated with problem drugs and alcohol use and be supported in recovery.
• Responsible for influencing and collaborative working with Security Directorate, the Home Office, the NHS, Local Authorities and Department of Health and Social Care Office of Health Improvement and Disparities on treatment and recovery services in custody and the community. To bring these different senior stakeholders together in a coherent approach which maximises impact and reaches and engages staff and people in prison and probation.
• To influence and inform national operational policy, the contracting of services and communication of our work in order to promote improved outcomes.
• Responsible for designing, negotiating and implementing effective and proportionate methods of monitoring and incentivising improvement nationally, within prisons and the community.
• Contribute to the development of whole system strategic objectives at the national level.
• Responsible for strategic and business planning for the programme of drug and alcohol provision across the agency including determining and reporting on milestones and deliverables at national boards.
• Responsible for ensuring and promoting effective evaluation and cost-benefit review of the work delivered by the Group, prisons and probation and for building an economic case for designing and implementing bespoke strategies relevant to different areas.
• Maintain effective stakeholder relationships with unions, and external agencies such as the Department of Health and Social Care, HM Inspectorate Prisons and Probation, Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, the third sector, mutual aid and lived experience organisations and academia.

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. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder. 

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.

Behaviours

• Seeing the Bigger Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service  

Experience

• Significant senior leadership experience in an operational or policy environment with a clear understanding of issues around problem drugs and alcohol use, safety, treatment, recovery, reducing reoffending and rehabilitation.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong drafting skills and proven ability to produce finished written products.
• The ability to affect change and influence Senior Leaders, internal and external key stakeholders.
• Experience of working at a strategic level across stakeholder and provider groups.
• Experience and skills in leading and managing in a complex change management context.

Technical Requirements

• Understanding of government drug and alcohol strategy and cross-departmental working to tackle supply, reduce demand and promote recovery.
• Understanding of how prisons and probation operate, and mechanisms for influencing change within establishments and the community.
• Understanding of the evidence base around promoting and sustaining recovery

Ability

• Have high levels of integrity and professional credibility amongst operational and policy colleagues.
• Confident and resilient under pressure with the ability to function effectively and autonomously in a challenging environment.
• The ability and skills to represent HMPPS to stakeholders at Senior Management level.
• The ability to engage and influence a broad range of stakeholders, with strong and sometimes conflicting views.
• The ability to see the bigger picture and create a culture of innovation and change.

Hours of Work (Unsocial Hours) Allowances

37 hour working week