Service Manager (Ref: 21465)

Job summary

Job description

HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Job Title: Service Manager

Grade: G7

Directorate: Development

Location: National

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full-time/ Flexible Working

This is a full-time position only due to the nature of the role.

Successful applicants will be expected to be office based 3 days per week in any HMCTS Office (subject to business availability).

Introduction

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales. Our roles support our service users and colleagues, where people and businesses access potentially life-changing justice. We’re looking for individuals who are committed to public service and want to make a difference in people’s lives in delivering justice. If you’re interested in developing a career with a real purpose, please apply.

About the team

The Development Directorate is responsible for service strategy and development, operational policy, and modernisation of courts and tribunals. The Crime Team supports the business of the Criminal Courts. We are responsible for service management of existing services; the design of new digital services; maintenance of operational policies for the jurisdiction and providing operational support to court and business centre staff on these; the implementation of change arising from government policy, legislation, or judicial initiatives; and for improving performance. This is an opportunity to work in a high-performing close-knit team working in partnership with colleagues across HMCTS, the Ministry of Justice, the Judiciary, and other Government departments. The role provides excellent opportunities to work in a fast-paced change environment in an area of high ministerial priority.

About the role

You’ll be responsible for service management on all matters relating to the criminal court including the design and development of digital enabled, user-focussed processes that deliver operational results to court users and stakeholders. With your team, you’ll be responsible for ongoing continuous improvement of existing services along with reformed products and processes. You’ll drive progress in significant operational, multi-disciplinary, and complex policy areas. Influencing internal and external stakeholders reconciling differing priorities and representing the organisation on major issues will be key features of this role.

Based in the Criminal Courts Reform and Improvement team, the postholder will play a key strategic role in shaping and coordinating HMCTS input to the implementation of the Leveson Independent Review of the Criminal Courts (IRCC) and wider criminal justice system (CJS) efficiency reforms. The role will focus on the big-picture implications of reform, translating ministerial and senior leadership priorities into coherent delivery plans, identifying cross-system dependencies, risks and operational impacts, and working with MoJ, the judiciary, HMCTS operations and CJS partners to ensure proposals are practical, evidence-based and deliverable. The postholder will support senior leaders by bringing structure, challenge and strategic grip to a complex reform portfolio, ensuring decisions are informed by clear analysis of operational impact, resource implications, benefits, trade-offs and implementation readiness.

Your role as the Service Manager encompasses several key aspects (but not limited to):

• Provide strategic leadership in the development and implementation of criminal court reform and improvement initiatives, including the Leveson Independent Review of the Criminal Courts (IRCC) recommendations and wider Criminal Justice System (CJS) efficiency reforms.
• Build effective relationships across HMCTS, the Judiciary, MoJ and wider CJS partners, influencing senior stakeholders and providing high-quality written and oral advice to senior leaders, boards and ministers.
• Develop and maintain strategic delivery plans for reform initiatives, ensuring risks, dependencies, opportunities and benefits are identified, managed and escalated appropriately.
• Lead the design of future criminal court services arising from reform proposals, shaping user-centred and operationally viable services, processes, operating models and implementation approaches.
• Assess the operational, financial, workforce, digital, estate and judicial implications of reform options, providing evidence-based recommendations to support decision making and delivery planning.
• Establish and maintain effective governance arrangements, ensuring appropriate oversight, challenge, collaboration and decision-making across complex cross-organisational programmes.
• Provide high-quality analysis, briefings, submissions and recommendations to governance boards, senior civil servants, the judiciary and ministers, ensuring decisions are supported by robust evidence and clear strategic insight.
• Work collaboratively with operational, policy, digital, analytical and service design colleagues to translate reform ambitions into practical, deliverable and sustainable services.

Essential

• Demonstrable experience of leading complex strategic change or reform programmes, translating policy or organisational priorities into deliverable outcomes.
• Proven ability to operate strategically, understanding the wider organisational and system impacts of change and using evidence to inform decision-making.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with experience of building effective relationships across organisational boundaries and securing buy-in from senior leaders and partners.
• Experience designing or improving services, processes or operating models, ensuring solutions are user-focused, operationally viable and deliverable.
• Experience managing complex risks, dependencies and competing priorities within high-profile programmes or portfolios.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to produce high-quality briefings, submissions and recommendations for senior leaders and governance boards.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity and deliver results within a complex and fast-moving environment.
• Proven ability to see the strategic picture, understanding how individual initiatives contribute to wider organisational, ministerial and criminal justice system objectives.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the criminal courts, criminal justice system, or wider justice landscape.
• Experience in service design methodologies, user-centred design, operating model design, or business architecture.
• Experience working on legislative, policy or justice reform programmes.
• Experience working with ministers, judicial stakeholders, or senior government leaders.
• Knowledge of public sector governance and decision-making processes.

Stage 1 - Sift:

To apply for this position, you must submit the following as part of your application:

• An anonymisedCV, setting out your career history, key responsibilities and achievements. Your CV will be assessed against the essential criteria outlined within the Essential Skills section of this advert.

• A Statement of Suitability- 750 words which should give us real life examples of how your skills and experience match those needed for this role. We recommend following the