Policy and Governance Adviser (3 posts available)
HEO
CJS Strategy and Reform Directorate
The CJS Strategy and Reform Directorate is recruiting permanently for three HEO Policy and Governance Adviser roles. This campaign is open to current civil servants on level transfer and suitable candidates on promotion.
Information Session:
If you would like to find out more about the role and what it is like working in our team, we will also be hosting a candidate information session on Thursday 18 June at 12.30. Please join via the link below:
Click : Information Session 18 June 12.30
Meeting ID: 399 730 386 261 182
Passcode: Eu9o2YL6
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
Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules.
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 Strategy and Reform Directorate
The government is pursing major reforms across criminal justice this parliament – including Criminal Courts reform, Sentencing Reform, Police Reform and the Safer Streets mission. The Criminal Justice System Strategy and Reform Directorate has been set up to strengthen the MoJ’s capacity to work cross-system to deliver this change.
In his Independent Review of Criminal Courts (IRCC), Sir Brian Leveson was clear that a lack of system-wide join-up has hampered performance across the CJS, and that stronger, more collective leadership of the system is needed, convened by the MoJ. The creation of this new directorate responds to that and will build on the strong foundations we already have as the department who regularly acts as the convenor across the CJS, both through the Criminal Justice Board and also through the good work we do every day throughout the Group with partners across the system.
The CJS Strategy and Governance Unit holds responsibility for cross-CJS strategic thinking, collaboration and the overall governance of the CJS. This includes the day-to-day running of the Criminal Justice Board (CJB, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister) and the Criminal Justice Action Group (CJAG, chaired by the Permanent Secretary).
The CJS Reform and Implementation Unit has responsibility for working across government to drive forward the implementation of CJS reform. The unit is working to ensure reforms are delivered collaboratively and impactfully, as a unified package. It is also providing targeted leadership and support to cross-cutting reform initiatives.
Policy and Governance Adviser - the role
T are three roles available within the unit - one within the Strategy Team, one in the Governance Team and one within the Reform and Implementation team.
The CJS Governance Team provides gold‑standard Secretariat support that enables effective decision‑making, ensures system‑wide cohesion, and drives delivery across the full criminal justice system. This includes the day-to-day running of the Criminal Justice Board (CJB, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister) and the Criminal Justice Action Group (CJAG, chaired by the Permanent Secretary). The secretariat is also responsible for leading on Local Criminal Justice Boards policy and engagement across all regions.
The CJS Strategy Team is responsible for responding to SBL's IRCC recommendations that state the CJS needs to become one CJS with a uniting vision and long-term strategy. We will create the vision, alongside cross-system partners. It will be grounded in high-level outcomes agreed across the system which can stand the test of time politically and practically, based on our evidence-based approach. We also own key pieces of work which require cross-system coordination and drive. These pieces of work are likely to, but do not have to, contribute towards out strategy.
The Reform and Implementation team leads cross‑criminal justice system (CJS) reform, working with partners to ensure changes are delivered effectively across organisations. A key area of work is the London CJS Taskforce, co‑chaired by Minister Sackman and the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime. The Taskforce brings together senior leaders from across the CJS to strengthen collaboration and deliver measurable improvements in system performance over a 12‑month period. The Taskforce Secretariat supports this by coordinating meetings and outputs, managing engagement with partners, and ensuring delivery against agreed priorities and actions. The team also works ly with the Delivery Centre, led by MOPAC, to drive progress, track performance, and support delivery across the system.
These roles will be fast paced, stretching and varied, offering an opportunity to work on a high-profile area that has significant interest from both ministers and senior officials within both the MoJ and wider criminal justice system landscape.
Individuals will be asked if they have any preference on role but the expectation is that staff will be flexible and may need to carry out work across the unit whilst the portfolio settles.
Responsibilities across the HEO roles will include:
- Providing secretariat function and coordination across the CJS Governance landscape.
- Supporting the team on a variety of work such as planning, policy development, and quality assurance.
- Drafting and coordinating high-quality communications, including briefings and ministerial correspondence.
- Establishing strong working relationships with both MoJ teams and wider cross CJS teams representing the appropriate areas of policy and operational work.
- Contributing to the growth and development of the directorate.
Skills and Experience
Narrative Required
Essential:
- Experience of policy development and delivery.
- Strong oral and written communication skills and editorial expertise with attention to detail and accuracy
- Excellent planning and organising skills.
- Ability to work at pace and prioritise effectively to deliver on important deadlines and milestones in a challenging and high-profile environment
- Confident in building and maintaining effective relationships with a wide variety of people
- Ability to work well independently and as part of a team.
Desirable:
- Knowledge of the CJS and familiarity with the landscape of CJS reform across government.
- Experience of working in support of senior staff helping to improve their effectiveness.
- Knowledge and experience of secretariat practices
- Experience of drafting high-quality minutes
Candidates applying from HMPPS should note that the Ministry of Justice does not have the same conditions of employment as HMPPS. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful.
The MoJ is proud to be Level 3 Disability Confident. Disability Confident is the approach through which we offer guaranteed interviews for all people with disabilities meeting the minimum criteria for the advertised role as set out in the job description.
Application process
You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework.
You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.
Experience
You will be asked to provide a CV during the application process in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role.
Behaviours
During the application process you will be asked to provide an example of how you have met the following behaviour(s) (see Annex A for more information):
- Communicating and Influencing (Lead Behaviour)
- Working Together
- Seeing The Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade:
CS Behaviours 2018
Should we receive a large number of applications, we will sift primarily on the lead behaviour – Communicating and Influencing. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview, testing both behaviours and strengths.
Candidates invited to Interview
Please note that interviews will be carried out remotely.
You will be assessed against the following behaviours at the interview stage w you will be asked to provide examples of how you have demonstrated them. In addition, you will also be asked strength-based questions.
Behaviours:
- Communicating and Influencing (Lead Behaviour)
- Working Together
- Seeing The Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in and use the WHO or STAR model to explain:
- WHO - What it was? How you approached the work/situation? What the Outcomes were, what did you achieve? Or
- STAR - What was the Situation? What were the Tasks? What Action did you take? What were the Results of your actions?
Strengths:
It is difficult to prepare for strength type questions. However, you can think through your answers, focus on your achievements and aspects you enjoy and decide how these can be applied in the organisation and role. While strengths questions are shorter and we do not expect a full STAR response, the panel is interested in your first reaction to the question and information or reasoning to support this. Further information on Civil Service Strengths can be found .
Interviews are expected to take place in July 2026.
Contact information
Please contact Lucia Ive ([email protected]) if you would like to attend or to ask any other questions.
Annex A - The STAR method
Using the STAR method can help you give examples of relevant experience that you have. It allows you to set the scene, show what you did, and how you did it, and explain the overall outcome.
Situation - Describe the situation you found yourself in. You must describe a specific event or situation. Be sure to give enough detail for the job holder to understand.
W
- are you?
Who was t- with you?
- What had happened?
Task - The job holder will want to understand what you tried to achieve from the situation you found yourself in.
- What was the task that you had to complete and why?
- What did you have to achieve?
Actions - What did you do? The job holder will be looking for information on what you did, how you did it and why. Keep the focus on you. What specific steps did you take and what was your contribution? Remember to include how you did it, and the behaviours you used. Try to use “I” rather than “we” to explain your actions that lead to the result. Be careful not to take credit for something that you did not do.
Results - Don’t be shy about taking credit for your behaviour. Quote specific facts and figures. Explain how the outcome benefitted the organisation or your area. Make the outcomes easily understandable.
- What results did the actions produce?
- What did you achieve through your actions and did you meet your goals?
- Was it a successful outcome? If not, what did you learn from the experience?
Keep the situation and task parts brief. Concentrate on the action and the result. If the result was not entirely successful describe what you learned from this and what you would do differently next time. Make sure you focus on your strengths.
