Role Profile

HQ Job Description (JD)
Band 10
Directorate: Generic
Job Description: Head of Unit HMPPS

Document Ref.
HQ JES 3140 Head of Unit HMPPS
Document Type
Management
Version
1.0
Classification
Official
Date of Issue
12 January 2024
Status
Baselined
Produced by
Job Evaluation Assurance and Support Team
Authorised by
Reward Team
JD Evidence

HQ JES 3140 Head of Unit HMPPS v1.0

Job Description
Job Title
Head of Unit
Directorate
Generic
Band
10

Overview of the
The Head of Unit is responsible for leading the delivery of
job
strategic Unit priority projects and initiatives within HMPPS and
their Unit Directorate Delivery Plan. They have responsibility for
ensuring the effective development, planning and
implementation of programmes and projects supporting the
delivery of strategic priorities, managing commissions coming
into the Directorate and ensuring that expert professional
resources are effectively used to provide optimal support to
changing business priorities and needs.

Operating on behalf of the Unit’s Executive Team, the success of
the role requires the job holder to engage with key stakeholders
including Directors, Deputy Directors and other senior managers
across all professional disciplines and parts of the HMPPS and
MoJ organisation to ensure that business priorities for the Unit
are identified, and that the impacts of key initiatives are
assessed with suitable plans produced and resourced to deliver
the necessary and key Unit objectives.
The role reports to Deputy Director with line and matrix
management responsibility for the pool of staff at all levels.
Summary
This is a strategic role involving establishing, managing,
implementing and coordinating a range of change policy areas,
programmes and projects which will typically be large, complex
and high profile, will be deliverable over significant periods
typically 3-5 years.
The job holder will provide substantial business impact within the
organisation. With management of a portfolio of Directorate
priority work and initiatives, will be using programme and project-
like disciplines, but may not necessarily be subject to formal
programme and project structures and governance.
Key to the delivery of significant and complex change at pace by
the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and HMPPS, this role will provide
the lead in identifying business priorities for the Unit, managing
the appropriate professional skills and resource needed to
deliver to corporate commissions, objectives and timescales.
They will be responsible for developing capability and capturing
and transferring learning within their Unit ensuring the best skills
mix is identified and can be flexed across competing demands in
their Unit’s portfolio.

The job holder will require in depth professional expertise,
knowledge and experience as well as experience in using
HQ JES 3140 Head of Unit HMPPS v1.0

methodologies and techniques to manage complex programmes,
projects and policies with agreed resources and to ensure that
messaging on change and or implementation is communicated
effectively within the business. They will need to lead and
manage a large team including direct and matrix managed
resource, suppliers and senior stakeholders from different
organisations.
Responsibilities,
The job holder will be required to carry out the following
Activities and
responsibilities, activities and duties:
Duties

•  Being accountable for and assuring delivery and service of
priority projects, policies and initiatives within the Unit
Delivery Plan.
•  Being accountable for implementation and embedding of
complex policy changes to support strategic priorities,
impacting all parts of the organisation and requiring new
ways of working across the various parts of the HMPPS
Operating Model.
•  Leading horizon scanning to identify people impacts and
commissions from corporate initiatives in order to initiate
necessary Unit inputs and support.
•  Researching, designing and scoping Unit change initiatives
and projects, problem solving using innovative solutions to
ensure priority projects support continuous improvement to
Unit processes and services for end users.
•  This role has leadership responsibility and accountability for
HMPPS for the development of effective procedures to
deliver policy goals and support the development of vision
and leadership for their Unit/Directorate within HMPPS.
•  Managing, reviewing and deploying professional Unit
resource to support delivery of competing priorities with
resolution of complex strategic scope, planning and
resourcing issues.
•  Stakeholder management across MoJ and HMPPS and with
business stakeholders, including consulting and negotiating
with trade unions as appropriate.
•  Overall responsibility for resource management for both the
portfolio and for each individual project and initiative,
including managing costs; ensuring business cases
demonstrate both investment costs and potential savings to
support the case for change; undertaking all necessary
procurement and approvals at the appropriate level, including
Ministerial where necessary; and managing within delegated
financial limits, flexing to meet budgetary constraints during
the lifecycle of projects.
•  Ensuring that appropriate planning & delivery processes and
tools are established, documented and communicated,
continuously improved and are correctly focussed on
ensuring delivery of products and milestones. These will
include business cases, PIDs, status reports, plans, risk
registers, change control impact assessments etc.
•  Working with a broad range of stakeholders - typically at
Director, Deputy Director or Head of Group level, to define
and establish appropriate governance arrangements are in
place to manage the HR Delivery portfolio. Attending
HQ JES 3140 Head of Unit HMPPS v1.0

Executive Team and Delivery Board meetings to ensure
visibility and engagement with Senior Leaders on developing
strategic priorities.
•  Matrix and line management of project leads, project
resources and other functional experts to ensure plans are
delivered to meet Group/HMPPS objectives.
•  Responsible for representing HMPPS and MoJ at various
internal and external HR and broader change programme
forums.

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.

Civil Service Success Profile Criteria

Behaviours
•  Seeing the Big Picture
•  Changing and Improving
•  Leadership
•  Managing a Quality Service
Strengths
(Note: we recommend you choose 4 to 8 strengths locally -
select from the list of Civil Service strength definitions on the
intranet.
Experience

Technical

Requirements
Ability

Minimum
•  All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior
Eligibility
to taking up post.
•  All external candidates are subject to 6 months’ probation.
Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not
already served a probationary period within HMPPS.
•  All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of
a group or organisation which HMPPS consider to be racist.

Hours of Work
Leave Blank
(Unsocial Hours)
Allowances
To be used by the JES Team only

HQ JES 3140 Head of Unit HMPPS v1.0