Job Title

Chief of Staff to the Chief Operating Officer

Grade

Grade 6

Business Group

Chief Operating Officer

Contract Type

Permanent

Directorate

Chief Operating Officer

Team

Private Office

Location

Based at 102 Petty France, London

About the Role

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) Group helps the MoJ run well, bringing together the corporate functions, services and governance that enable the department to deliver. We are hiring a Chief of Staff to the COO.

This is a high-impact Grade 6 role at the centre of one of Whitehall’s largest and most complex departments. You will act as the COO’s principal adviser and lead a high-performing Private Office, ensuring the COO’s time, focus and leadership are directed to the most important priorities.

You will play a central role in shaping and driving delivery across COO Group, acting as a strategic integrator across functions and ensuring alignment with departmental strategy and Ministerial priorities. You will maintain a strong grip on performance, risks and delivery, ensuring senior leaders are focused on the issues that matter most and that cross-cutting challenges are identified and resolved at pace.

You will operate confidently at senior levels, building trusted relationships across the Department, including with Ministers’ offices, the Permanent Secretary’s Private Office, Director Generals and Heads of Function. You will represent the COO where appropriate, signalling priorities and ensuring coherence of approach across the organisation.

This is a fast-paced role requiring excellent judgement, strong leadership and the ability to operate through influence in a complex and politically sensitive environment.

Main Activities / Responsibilities

·Shape the COO’s priorities, provide confident advice and challenge, ensure decisions are focused on the most critical strategic and operational issues, and maintain the quality of advice and submissions.
·Act as the strategic integrator across COO Group, aligning functional priorities with departmental objectives, Ministerial priorities and formal governance.
·Ensure the COO and senior leaders are sighted on the right issues at the right time; anticipate risks, resolve cross-cutting issues without clear ownership, and unblock high-priority or sensitive delivery issues at pace.
·Represent the COO where appropriate, building trusted relationships with DGs, Directors, central functions, Ministers’ offices and the Permanent Secretary’s Private Office to support collective leadership and coherence.
·Exercise leadership across COO Group, influencing Directors and senior teams to build shared ownership of priorities, strengthen collective accountability, and drive a culture of grip, pace and high standards.
·Lead, coach and develop the Private Office team, setting direction, standards and ways of working, and building capability, resilience and strong performance.

Management of Resources

Leadership and line management of the COO Private Office c6FTE with potential for additional line management responsibilities.

Essential Criteria

·Strong strategic judgement, with the ability to operate with autonomy, pace and political sensitivity in a complex environment, including when working with senior officials and/or Ministers. (assessed via statement of suitability)
·Proven leadership of high-performing teams, setting clear direction, maintaining standards under pressure, and building capability, resilience and performance. (assessed via lead behaviour)
·Outstanding organisational grip, with the ability to prioritise competing demands, anticipate risks, and drive progress across complex and fast-moving portfolios. (assessed via statement of suitability)
·Ability to act as a trusted adviser to senior leaders, shaping decisions through confident challenge, clear recommendations and high-quality advice. (assessed via lead behaviour)
·Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to distil complex issues clearly, build credibility with senior stakeholders, and secure alignment across a complex system. (assessed via statement of suitability)
·Track record of delivering outcomes through others and across organisational boundaries, including confidence handling complex financial, commercial or governance issues. (assessed via statement of suitability)

Desirable Criteria

·Experience of working in, or leading, a Private Office or experience of supporting senior leaders in a high-profile, fast-paced environment.
·Understanding of departmental governance and Managing Public Money principles.
·Knowledge of the MoJ’s strategy, priorities and operating context.

We may consider any evidence within the application form that demonstrates meeting the desirable criteria as set out in the job description. This will only be after essential criteria is scored and where there is a need to differentiate between closely scored candidates.

Application process

You will be assessed against the Civil Service Success Profiles framework which will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience - Civil service success profiles framework

Sift

Behaviours:

·Leadership (lead behaviour)

Experience:

·Anonymised CV
·Statement of Suitability (750 words) - provide a statement of no more than 750 words outlining your suitability for the role and how you meet the essential criteria.

Please refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details, including by grade: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles/success-profiles-civil-service-behaviours#why-we-assess-behaviours

If we receive a large number of applications, we will carry out an initial sift on the lead criteria of Leadership.

Interview

We’ll assess your experience and strengths in alignment with the following behaviours:

·Leadership (lead behaviour)
·Communicating and Influencing
·Working together
·Seeing the Big Picture

You will be assessed using Strengths which are not shared prior to interview.

You will be asked to do a presentation which will be shared with candidates who are invited to interview.

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 or Childcare Choices 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 moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk);
• To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team (resourcing-management-office@justice.gov.uk);
• To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)

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 Planand 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
• 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.

A sift based on the lead behaviour, Leadership, 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.