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We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Judicial Appointments Commission – Head of Diversity and Engagement

About the JAC 

The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is an independent public body, established in April 2006, to select judges in the courts and tribunals, and non-legal tribunal members. The JAC selects judicial candidates through fair and open competition, encouraging a wide range of quality candidates to apply for the posts that it advertises.

The JAC is responsible for designing, planning, and running recruitment campaigns to select judicial office holders up to and including High Court Judges. We have a statutory duty to select solely on merit, while keeping our selection processes open to the widest range of applicants. We launch a new campaign for judicial posts every one to two weeks. These range from high volume campaigns for ‘entry level’ posts, attracting upward of 2,000 applicants, to small campaigns for senior roles, attracting a handful of highly qualified people.

The JAC has a key business plan commitment to attract well-evidenced applications from the widest range of high calibre candidates, supporting greater judicial diversity and works closely with a range of organisations to promote vacancies to eligible candidates. 

More information about the JAC is on our website: http://judicialappointments.gov.uk

The Role

We are looking for a Head of Diversity and Engagement to join the Strategy and Policy division of the JAC. This is a key role in a vital public body that delivers complex and constitutionally sensitive work at pace. There are three main elements to this role:

–    developing and leading on the JAC’s strategy to widen the pool of high calibre candidates for judicial appointment, thereby supporting greater judicial diversity. 

–    ensuring the processes for selecting judges are fair and free from bias. 

–    leading on JAC’s engagement with internal and external stakeholders, and providing oversight of all internal and external communications, to promote understanding of the work of the JAC and confidence in merit-based selections.

Main responsibilities

Reporting to the Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Strategy and Policy your main responsibilities will be to:

•    Ensure all policies and selection processes are fair, free from bias, and compliant with relevant equalities legislation, and exploring further measures to support diverse outcomes.

•    Develop and implement communications and stakeholder engagement strategies for the JAC, with the overarching aim of increasing awareness and understanding of selection processes and confidence in merit-based decisions.
•    Develop, devise and lead on candidate attraction strategies, evaluating outreach to ensure it is targeted and effective.

•    Work with partner organisations to support wider programmes aimed at developing potential candidates, including representing the JAC at outreach events. 

•    Monitor the progression of target groups through JAC selection exercises, working with analysts to support the compilation and publication of diversity statistics, and analysing information so that lessons are learnt and the barriers to successful application are understood. 

•    Work with partners to tackle these barriers, including through providing strategic support to the Judicial Diversity Forum – a group of leaders from across the legal sector which is chaired by the Chair of the JAC. 
•    Provide strategic advice, briefing and guidance for the JAC Chair, Commissioners, selection panels, senior staff and operational teams on diversity and communications issues.

•    Direct line management of two SEOs (a Senior Diversity Manager and a Senior Strategic Communications Manager)

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. 

While the JAC is an independent executive non-departmental public body, we are considered an arms-length body of the Ministry of Justice and share many of the same policies, processes and terms and conditions as Civil Servants employed directly by the MoJ. This includes being part of the MoJ pay remit, enabling transferees from other government departments to retain their continuity of service and Civil Service Pension arrangements. 

Though located at Clive House, Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ JAC staff are currently working in a hybrid way with some days in the office and some days working remotely. It will be necessary for the successful postholder to work at the JAC location regularly to support business need.

Recruitment process

We will assess you against these behaviours during the recruitment process:

Seeing the Big Picture
Leadership
Communicating and Influencing
Changing and Improving
Making Effective Decisions

In addition to these behaviours, it is expected that the successful applicant will have: 

•    experience of policy development and implementation
•    experience of utilising strategic communications principles to support organisational aims
•    understanding of the judicial diversity agenda, with emphasis on recruitment
•    analytical skills to assess how candidates progress during the JAC selection processes
•    a good knowledge/understanding of equality and diversity legislation.
•    Line management experience

Application Process

•    Your CV 
•    A statement of suitability detailing the relevant experience and skills you have that would make you suitable for the post (500 words max). 
•    Written evidence of the 4 core behaviours for this role: Seeing the Big Picture

Leadership, Communicating and Influencing, and Changing and Improving.

Sift 

Applications will be sifted based on the CV, Statement of Suitability and the 4 behaviours: Seeing the Big Picture, Leadership, Communicating and Influencing, and Changing and Improving

Interview 

At interview you we will assess you against 5 behaviours: Seeing the Big Picture, Leadership, Communicating and Influencing, Changing and Improving, and Making Effective Decisions. You will also be asked about your experience.

Applicants invited for interview may be required to undertake a brief work exercise either before or on the day as part of the selection process. More details will be provided if you are invited to interview.

Interviews are expected to take place in Mid-October. 

Interviews may be conducted face -to-face or remotely via MS Teams. More information 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.

Further Information

If after reading this job description you require any further information, please contact Jessica Prandle, JAC Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Strategy and Policy, at Jessica.Prandle@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 HR team at Recruitment@judicialappointments.gov.uk.

Salary

£58,847 - £66,670

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). 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, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks.

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.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices.

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.

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 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

• To Shared Service Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com);
• To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team (resourcing-management-office@justice.gov.uk);
• To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. 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 SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team.

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.