Policy Advisor - Priority Projects Team, Strategy, Priorities and Innovation Directorate, Ministry of Justice (up to 4 roles available) (Ref: 92185 )

The Priority Projects Team in the Strategy, Priorities and Innovation Directorate (SPI) is recruiting permanently for up to four HEO Policy Advisers. This campaign is open to current civil servants on level transfer and suitable candidates on promotion.Location:Successful candidates will have the option to be based at one of the following locations:102 Petty France, London5 Wellington Place, LeedsOccasional travel between Leeds and London may be required.For SPI to meet its evolving business needs all staff are expected to attend their base location (102 Petty France or 5 Wellington Place Leeds) at least 2 days a week. This hybrid working arrangement is not contractual and as a result staff could be asked to attend their base location more frequently.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 shareFlexible working patternsFlexible working arrangements between base locations, MoJ Hubs and home.Our staff, who have an HQ building as their base location, are expected to work in an office at least 2 days per week. 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.The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) The MoJ is one of the largest government departments, employing over 90,000 people (including those in the Probation Service), with a budget of approximately 9.5 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 here https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice. The Strategy, Priorities and Innovation DirectorateThe Strategy, Priorities and Innovation (SPI) Directorate sits at the heart of the MoJ. We work collaboratively to provide strategic, systems leadership across the MoJ, driving innovation, embedding longer-term thinking, supporting effective governance and forming high-capability project teams to support justice priorities.The Directorate is made up of several functions, including the MoJs Priority Projects Team, its Strategy Unit, an innovation function and a Board secretariat, that combine to surface, help establish and collectively embed strategic justice system priorities. The work of the Priority Projects TeamThe Priority Projects Team (PPT) is a high-profile, friendly, and supportive team working at the heart of the MoJs strategy function. We act as an in-house consultancy, working across the MoJs agenda, helping the department to deliver its highest priorities alongside policy, functions and operational teams. We do this by delivering defined projects to the highest standards.Each project is unique, fast-paced and exciting. Members of PPT typically work in small project teams lasting from a few weeks up to several months. We work closely with policy, functional and operational experts across the organisation. Occasionally, PPT members may work embedded in another team to undertake a specific piece of work. Recently our portfolio has included: working on election preparations and supporting policy teams to respond to emerging priorities of the new Government; cross-cutting strategic projects with OGDs on topics such as prevention; responding to the prison capacity crisis; and addressing miscarriages of justice.Policy Adviser in the Priority Projects Team - the rolePolicy Advisers play a central role in supporting our project-based policy work. We are looking for motivated, resilient, and adaptable individuals who are eager to learn and expand their skillset. The role will give you the opportunity to work with lots of stakeholders across MoJ, as well as other government departments and may involve engagement with the Ministerial team and private offices.We are a friendly team, and you will have a comprehensive induction, with many training opportunities to enable your personal development. We are committed to providing you with a positive team culture where you can thrive. People are our most valuable resource and through flexible working, our commitment to learning and development, and mentoring, we ensure our directorate is a positive environment to work in.We are also committed to creating an inclusive workplace that values diversity and helps us to be our best by reflecting different ideas, perspectives, and backgrounds. The team is made up of a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences; some are new to the Civil Service having come from the private or third sector, others have worked in different parts of MoJ and in other central government departments. We want to maintain the diversity of background and experience, and therefore particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented in the organisation. Role Description and ResponsibilitiesThe responsibilities of a policy adviser may encompass the various parts of both policy, strategy and project development, implementation and evaluation. As a policy adviser, you will:Support the delivery of a range of projects within the team, covering priority areas across the department.Work collaboratively with other policy professionals, analysts, lawyers, functional and operational colleagues to understand complex issues quickly, and develop robust and evidence-based solutions. This may include working with both quantitative and qualitative data to develop a strong evidence base.Establish collaborative relationships with key stakeholders from across the MoJ and wider government to understand complex issues quickly, and ensure that links are made with the relevant policy and operational teams.Support the development of high-quality written and oral briefings for senior officials and Ministers, distilling complex ideas into clear and concise advice.Typical daily tasks may include:Desk based researchDrafting products that support the delivery of your project, including (but not limited to) slide packs, submissions to ministers, briefings for senior officials and ministers, and responses to parliamentary questionsWorking with or analysing dataArranging and facilitating engagement with internal and external stakeholdersMonitoring and reporting progress of tasks against overall timelinesAlongside your core role, you will have the opportunity to get involved in corporate projects across the wider team and directorate. This could include focusing on wellbeing, diversity & inclusion, mentoring and recruitment. These corporate responsibilities underpin how we work as a team and contribute to the MoJ as a whole and we encourage everyone to take on a corporate role. In return, you will have access to many training opportunities on a range of topics, for example: leadership and coaching, effective submission writing, stakeholder engagement and partnership working.Skills and ExperienceEssential:Work collaboratively you will build strong relationships to support the delivery of business outcomes and achieve shared objectives. You will actively seek out views from a diverse range of people and groups to meet user needs and will encourage and facilitate collaboration with others to work towards shared goals and outcomes.Deliver at pace you will be motivated and highly organised with the ability to manage yourself and others to deliver agreed goals and objectives, including being able to prioritise your own tasks to meet targets. You will be able to work within a team to put structure around a complex problem, set realistic expectations with senior colleagues, and regularly monitor progress to keep work on track, but reassess priorities if the situation changes. You will have good planning and organisational skills and will be required to work independently.Communicate complex ideas you will be able to understand and articulate complex issues, ensuring that your communications are clear, effective and relevant, and use appropriate styles, methods and timing. You will also ensure your methods of communication, both verbally and in writing, are tailored to the correct audience. Desirable:Previous experience working in government is not essential, but you will be expected to work towards having a good political awareness.Application processYou will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework.As part of the application process, you will be required to submit the following:An anonymised CV (max two pages)Your CV should include experience relevant to the specific duties of the role. It should be no more than two pages long and should show us your work history and previous experience. It should be well structured, succinct and written in clear language.A Statement of Suitability (max 750 words)Your statement of suitability should be no more than 750 words and should give us examples of how your skills and experience meet the needs of this role. Consider giving examples that cover all the requirements and use work you have completed to demonstrate your experience.SiftAt sift, your Statement of Suitability and CV will be assessed. Successful candidates will be invited to interview. InterviewSuccessful applicants will be invited to an interview. During the interview, we will be assessing you against the behaviours and strengths outlined in the Civil Service Success Profiles framework.The interview process will focus on the behaviors aligned to the requirements outlined in this job ...