Head of Delivery

Job summary

At the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), we design and run user-centred services that make the criminal justice system easier to use, quicker to deliver and fairer for all.

CPS is seeking two experienced Heads of Delivery to build and grow great digital, technology and data services, primarily for CPS users such as lawyers, caseworkers and support staff.

As a Head of Delivery, you are an experienced Agile practitioner, capable of supporting and developing a large team of delivery managers.

The first role leads delivery managers within our major programme to replace legacy case management systems, working with programme managers, suppliers and multidisciplinary squads. The second role focuses on maturing the delivery profession as a whole within CPS, and supporting delivery managers who deliver other critical services for lawyers, CPS corporate functions and victims and witnesses.

CPS delivery is a mixed model involving in-house teams and multiple suppliers. Some teams are newer to agile delivery. Both roles work with multidisciplinary teams to build CPS’s overall agile maturity, delivery pace and quality.

You know what good looks like in digital delivery to government service standards. You are comfortable supporting multiple delivery squads. You enjoy taking a cross-cutting view and planning ahead at scale.

The Crown Prosecution Service is based in England and Wales. If you’re applying for this role and live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you must let us know when accepting this offer as you need permission to work from your home address if hybrid working is part of your role. There’s no guarantee that we will grant this approval.

You must be aged 16 or over at the point of starting in this role. The expected start date is approximately 8–12 weeks after the application closing date. Candidates are expected to commence employment as soon as possible following the expiry of their notice period. Requests for significantly later start dates may not be accommodated.

As part of this role, you are expected to undertake direct line management responsibilities.

Job description

Your roles and responsibilities

• You lead and support delivery managers to scope, kick off, run and close downprojects well, to spot and resolve risks and blockers, and to drive continuous improvement, quality and value.
• You coach and develop delivery managers; grow and mature the delivery management profession. Build understanding, knowledge and maturity of agile delivery practices within the wider digital community and wider CPS.
• You provide clear, visible leadership and strategy for a portfolio of digital change projects, creating the climate for success, managing conflicting priorities, and prioritising and directing cross-functional teams and resources. Improve cross-DID planning and prioritisation processes.
• You manage contracts and suppliers in line with cross-government best practices. You drive quality and value in outsourced and in-house delivery, building commercial awareness in the delivery team.
• With deputy directors and your level E/Grade 6 peers, you provide collective leadership of DID to ensure that CPS digital and technology services meet service standards, are designed around the needs of users and provide good value.

A copy of the full job description is attached.

Person specification

To be eligible to apply, you need:

• to be an experienced Agile practitioner at expert level, to the level that you can coach and train others on agile delivery skills.
• experience of leading and co-ordinating successful delivery of complex, high volume digital, technology or data services
• excellent communication and interpersonal skills, able to mediate between people at all levels and explain technical concepts or requirements clearly to non-specialists.
• strong commercial skills, with experience of working with commercial specialists to lead digital procurement; and of writing briefs, contract management and building strategic relationships with commercial partners.
• strong understanding of the government service standard, Technology Code of Practice and other standards applicable to public sector digital and technology delivery, and experience of applying these standards in delivery.

It is desirable that you have the below experience but this is not required to apply:

• Formal Agile and/or scrum certification. Please specify course, provider and year of certification.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £76,870, Crown Prosecution Service contributes £22,269 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Join the Crown Prosecution Service and find your purpose.

The Crown Prosecution Service is passionate about ensuring that we're a top performing organisation and a great place to work. We're a committed equal opportunities employer, creating a culture where you can bring your whole self to work, and individuality is truly appreciated.

This culture of inclusion is underpinned by our staff networks covering disability, faith and belief, LGBTQI+, race, social mobility alongside our mental health first aiders programme and wellbeing sessions.

The Crown Prosecution Service commits to offer its employees the following experience.

• You can do impactful, purposeful work that’s making a difference to your local communities.
• You are able to learn and grow, with access to the right opportunities and resources.
• We care about your wellbeing.
• We want you to feel valued, trusted and included.

We also offer the following range of benefits:

• Civil Service contributory pension of up to 28.9%
• 25 days’ leave, increasing to 30 days after 5 years
• £350 each year to spend on personal development
• lawyer training programme for all new prosecutors
• an extra privilege day to mark the King's birthday
• competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave
• flexible working including flexitime, and a family friendly approach to work
• Cycle2Work scheme, employee savings.

Diversity at the Crown Prosecution Service is about inclusion, embracing differences and ensuring our workforce truly reflects the communities we serve. We want you to feel that you belong and can thrive, whatever your background, identity or culture. As a Disability Confident employer, we're happy to support requests for reasonable adjustments and improve your recruitment experience. If you'd like any reasonable adjustments made to our recruitment process, let us know within your application or contact [email removed]

We want to ensure our employees can thrive at work and home and offer a range of support to achieve a balance. This includes flexibility of working hours, flexibility to support caring responsibilities and a flexible approach to deployment. We offer a hybrid working policy. You must spend at least 40% of your contracted hours over a four-week period at court, in an office or anothe