23438 - Policy Advisor, Victim and Witness Commissioning and Implementation Unit (up to 4 roles)

This vacancy is only available to existing Civil Servant employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). Please review the "Eligibility" section before you apply.

### Salary
The national salary range is £35,335 - £37,847, London salary range is £40,014- £42,859. Your salary will be dependent on your base location

Job description

Policy Advisor, Victim and Witness Commissioning and Implementation Unit (up to 4 roles)

HEO

Criminal Courts and Victims Directorate

The Criminal Courts and Victims Directorate is recruiting permanently for 4 HEO Policy Advisors. This campaign is open to current civil servants on level transfer and suitable candidates on promotion.

Candidates are reminded that to be eligible for this campaign; you must still be employed as a civil servant at the point of accepting the role. If you resign or your FTA contract ends before you are made and accept an offer, you will become ineligible and you will be withdrawn from the process.

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

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 t he Victim and Witness Commissioning and Implementation Unit

The Criminal Courts and Victims directorate sits at the heart of MoJ’s policy agenda, working to reform complex systems that deal with some of the most vulnerable members of our society. We work closely with Ministers, No10, the Senior Judiciary, as well as a wide range of other Whitehall departments, to tackle a range of complex issues.

Sitting within the CCV is the Victim and Witness Commissioning and Implementation Unit (VWCI), that focuses on systemic, multi-agency reform work to improve support and outcomes for victims and witnesses, to help them cope and recover from the impacts of crime and enable better justice outcomes. VWCI leads on the critical work to commission and fund quality and effective support services for victims and witnesses both nationally and locally. We use data and evidence to demonstrate the impact of these services, and use this information to improve and influence the system through setting standards, building capability and capacity, and making evidence-driven policy decisions.

Whilst the unit is based within a wider policy directorate, the work is varied and often blends delivery, policy and strategy. Our position as a commissioning unit provides the opportunity to be close to real-world delivery, and to see the impact that funding and policies have on the victim support sector. The unit is a genuinely friendly and supportive group, comprising expertise in grants and contracts, policy and strategy, and experience from front-line delivery organisations.

Policy Advisor - the role

There are 4 x HEO roles available which focus on a mixture of policy and delivery projects on victims funding and commissioning. Responsibilities will vary, but may include:

- Supporting the implementation and delivery of key strategic projects to improve support for victims of crime.
- Providing high-quality advice and briefing to Ministers and senior officials on issues relating to victims policy and funding.
- Developing and maintaining strong working relationships with policy colleagues within MoJ and other government departments, for example with the Home Office.
- Developing and maintaining strong working relationships with external stakeholders, including grant recipients.
- Work closely with departmental finance, commercial, legal and MoJ Grants Centre of Expertise colleagues to ensure work fits into wider departmental priorities and complies with relevant standards and procedures.
- Using both qualitative and quantitative evidence gathering to support projects, working closely with analysts
- Leading on contract and grant evaluation, for example for the Homicide and Witness Services, representing key interests to an external partner completing the evaluation of these two services, thinking strategically about grant and contracts, being the primary point of contact representing the team, and providing regular updates at internal and external meetings.
- Leading on grant management, acting as a primary point of contact for grant holders.
- Supporting corporate activities to continue to make the Directorate a great place to work.

All roles will blend both delivery and policy skills, but two roles are specifically policy and strategy focused whereas the other two are delivery and grant/contract management focused. Candidates can express preference at interview for a particular role; however final placement will depend on business needs and our assessment of candidates’ skills.

2 x strategy and policy roles

As an HEO policy advisor your role may include:

- Leading policy work on strategic projects, such as building an effective evidence base, or projects related to the support available for particular victim cohorts (such as marginalised groups) or particular victims of crime
- Policy support on funding reform projects, with the opportunity to develop strategic ideas and support change
- Leading written correspondence related to victims funding, which may include developing and managing the unit’s public-facing lines, drafting PQs, PMQs, and official responses to stakeholder correspondence
- Leading briefings, including for ministerial meetings with high profile stakeholders, such as the Victims’ Commissioner, and voluntary sector organisations
- Supporting the management of the victim and witness budget, undertaking an oversight role and acting as a point of call for budget information in the unit
- Supporting the management of grants, including preparing for meetings with funded partners, due diligence on reports, and planning parts of the commissioning cycle
- Building and maintaining links with other government departments to advocate for victims x-government
- Corporate and project management support to the team where required

2 x delivery focused roles

As an HEO policy advisor your role may include:

- Supporting and leading the development of detailed plans and other project documentation at different points of the commissioning cycle, from grant and contract management meetings, funding competitions, risk identification, payments, and monitoring and evaluation. This will include ensuring processes and records are in place to keep documentation up to date and useful
- Providing secretariat function to key governance meetings, developing forward looks with engagement with key stakeholders, and ensuring strong record keeping
- Building links with colleagues in specialist roles such as grants, legal and strategic finance
- Supporting the team to respond to correspondence, PQs and other briefing requests in a timely and effective manner
- Leading on specific areas of implementation of a new contract for the high-profile Homicide service
- Independent leadership of a portfolio of approximately 25 grants: leading relationship management, conducting site visits, and handling grant issues and risks.

Skills and Experience

Essential:

- Ability to confidently and proactively shape the direction of work
- Strong collaboration skills, including working effectively within a team and with external stakeholders.
- A passion for improving outcomes for vulnerable individuals
- Excellent communication and drafting skills, including the ability to understand complex issues and communicate them effectively to a range of audiences.
- Experience of working in a fast-paced environment and prioritising effectively while delivering high-quality work and ensuring that business needs are met.
- Confident at using data and evidence and analysing this to inform policy and/or commissioning decisions
- Effective project management skills
- Excellent organisational skills and experience of working across multiple work strands.
- Ability to manage stakeholder relationships including representing the department externally.

Desirable:

- Previous experience of working in policy
- Previous experience of working on victims-focused issues
- Experience of the commissioning cycle (this could be for example Grant administration or contract management experience)
- Experience of working with budgets or finance
- Understanding of grant management

Additional Information

- 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.
- 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, statement of suitability 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 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 behaviours:

- Making effective decisions (Lead)
- Delivering at pace
- Working together

Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade:

Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours - GOV.UK

Should we receive a large number of applications, we will sift primarily on the lead Behaviour – Making Effective Decisions . 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.

At interview you will be assessed against behaviours where you will be asked to provide examples of how you have demonstrated them. In addition, you will also be asked strength-based questions.

Behaviours:

The following Behaviours will be tested at interview:

- Making effective decisions
- Delivering at pace
- Working together

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?

Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade:

Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours - GOV.UK

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 via this link Success Profiles: Strengths - GOV.UK

Interview Timeline:

Interviews are expected to take place November 2026.

Contact information

If you would like to know more about this role, please contact the vacancy Manager [email protected]

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). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.

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: All successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale. This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO) – See Map . All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity).

For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within the National Office Network and moved its location’s respective pay scale (any legacy arrangements/locations will need to be amended).

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.

MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.

All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.

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.

Eligibility

Staff on fixed term appointments must have been recruited through fair and open competition.

Vacancies advertised “cross-government” are only open to all Civil Service employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) who were appointed on merit following a fair and open competition; or were appointed to a permanent post through an exception in the Civil Service Commissioners' rules.

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 www. www.GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/tax-free-childcare) or Childcare Choices (https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/) . 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 Transformative Business Services (0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) );
- To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team ( [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) );
- To the Civil Service Commission (details available here (https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-complaints/) )

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 TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.

For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos .

Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

Civil Service Nationality Rules

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families (https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fsettled-status-eu-citizens-families&data=05%7C01%7Cchristopher.jeffery%40soprasteria.com%7C8a2293860362402c15da08dbf4cff146%7C8b87af7d86474dc78df45f69a2011bb5%7C0%7C0%7C638372946312587803%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=s%2BxUsev%2BGeeK%2FLgTUjpjfTJu%2FjpKQZ%2BQPJXNduvik3Q%3D&reserved=0)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

Reserve list

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.

Contact Information

MoJ:

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail [email protected]

Please quote the job reference: 23438

HMPPS

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail [email protected]

Please quote the job reference: 23438

A sift based on the lead behaviour, Making Effective Decisions, may be held if a large number of applications are received. If a large number of applications remain after the initial sift, your application will be progressed to a full sift, where all behaviours will then be considered.
Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles/success-profiles-strengths).

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.