Policy Advisor, Scrutiny – Strategy and Policy Team (Ref: 22645)

Job summary

Job description

Policy Advisor, Scrutiny – Strategy and Policy Team

HEO

Prisons Directorate

The Scrutiny – Strategy and Policy Team is recruiting permanently for an HEO Policy Advisor. This campaign is being run externally and so is open to all who consider themselves suitable for the role and meet the eligibility criteria in the wider advert within Civil Service Jobs.

The terms on offer will be dependent on your current employment:

1. Staff within the Ministry of Justice will be posted on detached duty terms and Temporary Responsibility allowance if appropriate
2. Staff in HMPPS or another government department will be posted on Loan terms
3. Individuals who are not currently civil servants will be offered a Fixed Term Appointment.

If you wish to discuss the above options, should you be successful, please contact us via the following functional mailbox: [email removed]

Location:

Successful candidates will have the option to be based at one of the following locations:

• 102 Petty France, London
• 5 Wellington Place, Leeds

Occasional travel between the two locations may be required. We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your base location (102 Petty France or 5 Wellington Place Leeds).

Ways of Working

At the MoJ we believe and promote alternative ways of working, these roles are available as:

• Full-time, part-time or the option to job share
• Flexible working patterns

If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without a new competition.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range.

If you are already a civil servant and are successful in an external recruitment competition for a role with us, your starting pay will be the better of:

• promotion terms or transfer terms, as appropriate; or
• pay on appointment arrangements (minimum of pay range)

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ)

MoJ is the largest government department, employing over 90,000 people with a budget of approximately £10 billion. Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK - including at 500 courts and tribunals, and 133 prisons in England and Wales.

Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

The Work of the Scrutiny and Prisoner Outcomes Division

The Prisons Directorate sits within the Ministry of Justice and is responsible for

advising Ministers on all aspects of prison policy. The Scrutiny and Prisoner Outcomes Division has responsibility for:

• Policy sponsorship of the independent scrutiny bodies (HMI Prisons, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, the Independent Monitoring Boards & the Lay Observers) including responding to annual reports and consultations on inspection programmes.
• Strategy and legislation development to improve the effectiveness of the scrutiny landscape.
• Co-sponsoring and providing secretariat support to the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody and the cross-department Ministerial Board on Deaths in Detention.
• Providing briefings for scrutiny body meetings with Ministers, Directors General, and the Permanent Secretary, among others.
• Drafting submissions on scrutiny body publications, working closely with His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) throughout.
• Providing scrutiny intelligence to policy teams and other stakeholders, and championing intelligence from independent scrutiny body reports.

We are recruiting for one ambitious, organised and collaborative HEO policy advisor to join the division, as part of the Scrutiny – Strategy and Policy team.

We are a friendly, enthusiastic and collaborative division with a strong emphasis on ensuring team members feel happy, supported and engaged in their work. We are keen to make a difference, working closely with partners and supporting everyone to play their part to improve prisons and the outcomes for those in our care. We have a strong commitment to personal and career development, helping everyone to grow and fulfil their potential.

Policy Advisor - the role

The Scrutiny – Strategy and Policy team sit within the Scrutiny and Prisoner Outcomes division and manages the policy relationship with the four Arm’s Length Bodies – HM Inspectorate of Prisons, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, the Independent Monitoring Boards and the Lay Observers – that provide expert scrutiny of prisons, probation and the courts.

The team is the principal departmental interface with these scrutiny bodies. The team establishes and maintains relationships across these bodies and connects them to relevant policy teams, our operational partners, and Other Government Departments. We ensure Ministers and Departmental stakeholders are accurately informed about their work and lead on briefing for ministers and Senior Civil Servants. We seek out all opportunities to use the work of the scrutiny bodies to influence policy development, particularly by facilitating and leading strategic engagement between the bodies and policy teams. This role provides an opportunity to lean in on and help resolve high profile policy and delivery issues.

Key tasks for the role may include:

• Working at pace to draft clear and concise high-quality briefing and advice for Ministers and senior stakeholders;
• Maintaining regular contact with the independent scrutiny bodies. This may include managing day to day relationships with the bodies, supporting the appointment process for senior public appointees, and promoting better links with policy makers;
• Leading on niche areas of work to bring about improvements and efficiencies in the scrutiny landscape including providing project management support;
• Leading on drafting correspondence, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and Parliamentary Questions;
• Providing Secretariat support for quarterly strategic forums between the heads of scrutiny bodies and relevant policy and operational leads;
• Consulting with internal and external stakeholders, including the Justice Select Committee, on issues affecting the scrutiny bodies;
• Contributing to the progression of wider policy initiatives geared towards strengthening prisons policy;

Skills and Experience

Essential:

• Strong organisational skills and the ability to plan and deliver outcomes according to agreed priorities.
• Ability to make sound judgments and provide well-articulated advice, with experience in using and interpreting data and evidence.
• Experience of consulting and collaborating with colleague