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This vacancy is only available to existing Civil Servant employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). Please review the "Eligibility" section before you apply.

General Information

Salary
The national salary range is £42,914 - £46,182 London salary range is £49,325- £53,081 Your salary will be dependent on your base location
Working Pattern
Full Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working
Vacancy Approach
Cross Government
Location
National
Region
National
Closing Date
22-Jun-2026
Post Type
Permanent
Civil Service Grade
SEO
Number of jobs available
1
Reserve List
12 Months
Job ID
18394

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

MoJ Departmental Operations Centre (DOC) Role Profile

Position    SEO - Corporate Exercising & Training Lead 
Location    National 
Grade    Senior Executive Officer
Contract Type    Permanent
Business Group    Chief Operating Officer Group

About the Department 
 
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is a major government department, working to protect and advance the principles of justice. One of the largest government departments, we employ around 70,000 people, with an annual budget of approximately £9 billion. Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK – including at around 350 courts and tribunal centres, and over 100 prisons in England and Wales. We are making a difference, and you could be part of it.  

About the Division 

The MoJ Departmental Operations Centre (DOC) leads corporate business continuity, resilience and incident/crisis management and response work across the MoJ, providing support to agencies and ALBs/NDPBs, and working with the centre of government to fulfil departmental requirements.

Through our work we aim to make the department more resilient to shocks and unforeseen events, ensuring that where they cannot be prevented, the department has the necessary plans and preparations in place to safeguard the continuity of critical business, and the necessary skilled resource and processes to run comprehensive incident and crisis response.

We operate in an environment in which we invest in staff through learning and development, promoting health and wellbeing, and putting the individual first. Everything we do is underpinned by an open and inclusive culture, within which staff feel confident in bringing their whole selves to work. Continuous improvement, innovation, and constructive challenge are both sought and encouraged.

About the Team 

We are creating a new team within the DOC which will lead on developing and running the MoJ’s corporate business continuity and resilience exercising and training programme.

The Corporate Exercising and Training Team will ensure that the department and its agencies are appropriately equipped and trained to respond to high impact internal and external risks, working alongside all business areas within the MoJ. The team will also provide the link between the MoJ and lead government departments/COBR in respect to external exercising requirements.

Job Description, Duties and Responsibilities 

This role will provide the post-holder with experience of working across all areas of a large central department, interacting with senior leaders, ministers and their offices, and other departments across government.

Purpose of role:

This is an exciting new role, where you will work with the G7 team lead, to design the department’s exercising strategy, approach and associated delivery programme. The exercising team will champion our exercise programme against both internal and external risks and undertake outreach work across all of the MoJ’s varied business areas to build our organisational resilience.

This team’s role is to enable all parts of the department to exercise their contingency plans against a range of challenging scenarios, and manage the lessons identified from them in a way that promotes resilience across the whole of the MoJ.

The Corporate Exercising and Training Team will also lead the coordination and engagement of the MoJ’s response to national (all government departments, via the COBR Unit) and local (led by other government departments) exercises. The team will work with criminal justice system (CJS) partners to develop exercising scenarios against the risks detailed in the newly created cross-CJS risk register.

Key responsibilities include:

•    Supporting the design, delivery, embedding and continuous improvement of a new cross-departmental exercising strategy. Working closely with a wide group of stakeholders, this new strategy will test the department’s capabilities in responding to incidents and crises that could materialise from departmental risks, as well as external events.

•    Creating and facilitating a wide range of exercises to test the readiness and viability of departmental contingency plans to key risks. 

•    Drafting reports following exercises, capturing areas to improve and ensuring that lessons are captured. Following up on these reports with the business areas.

•    Working closely with the Business Continuity, Resilience and Crisis Management Teams within the DOC to support the development and delivery of training sessions for colleagues within key business areas of the MoJ.

•    Managing and developing an HEO team member, providing guidance, support, and performance management.

Person Specification

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate their knowledge, experience, capability, and behavioural approach against the following key criteria:

Essential Criteria

•    Experience of designing and delivering exercises to a range of audiences. 

•    Demonstrable experience of delivering high‑quality services, including service improvement or change activity.

•    Proven ability to prioritise workloads and manage delivery under pressure.

•    Track record of delivering at pace and maintaining service quality.

•    Experience of working collaboratively with stakeholders.
•    Excellent written and verbal briefing and communication skills.

Further Details

The role can accommodate a hybrid approach, postholders will be subject to the current policy for hybrid working and working from an office location. Where people have reasonable adjustments, we will treat these in line with normal policies and procedures to consider what adjustments can be made.

For nationally advertised role: 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.

Application Process

This recruitment will follow the Civil Service Success Profile process. Candidates will be expected to provide:

•    A Statement of Suitability, of no more than 750 words, in support of your application explaining your suitability based on the Person Specification detailed above.

•    Evidence of the lead behaviour: ‘Managing a Quality Service’ (250 words) at SEO level, using the guidance contained in the Civil Service Success Profiles framework

•    A CV detailing your work experience and achievements. This should be no more than 2 sides of A4 and should be anonymised to remove personal details that could identify you.

In the event of a high number of applications, the initial sift will be based on the lead behaviour evidence (250 words) – Managing a Quality Service.

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement

Application Guidance

In MoJ, we recruit using a combination of the Success Profiles Frameworks. If you are successful at sift, you will be invited to an interview which will use the Civil Service Success Profiles.

You will be asked to provide a five-minute presentation on what you feel makes an effective departmental level exercise.

In addition, candidates should expect Behaviour questions on:

•    Managing a Quality Service
•    Communicating and Influencing
•    Changing and Improving
•    Developing Self and Others

•    Strength based questions relevant to the role

A diverse panel will review your application against the Person Specification above. 

Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a 1-hour panel interview held over Microsoft Teams.
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 18394

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 18394

Application form stage assessments

Behaviours
A sift based on the lead behaviour, Managing a Quality Service, may be held if a large number of applications are received. If a large number of applications remain after the initial sift, your application will be progressed to a full sift, where all behaviours will then be considered.
Behaviours Application Form Question Word Limit
250
Managing a Quality Service
Experience
We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods
CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability
Statement of Suitability
Guidance for the Statement of Suitability
Please provide a statement of suitability (of no more than 750 words) in support of your application explaining your suitability based on the detail within the person specification.
Evidence of Experience
CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates
Expected early July
Behaviours
Managing a Quality Service
Communicating and Influencing
Changing and Improving
Developing Self and Others
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
Level of security checks required
DBS Standard
Security Clearance (SC)

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.  Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.