Senior Policy Adviser - Death Management Policy and Casework TeamMinistry of Justice

22881

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

Senior Policy Adviser

Death Management Policy and Casework Team

SEO

Civil, Family, Tribunals and Administration of Justice Directorate

The Civil, Family, Tribunals and Access to Justice Directorate is recruiting permanently for a SEO Senior Policy Adviser in the Death Management Policy and Casework Team.

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resign or your FTA contract ends before you are made and accept an offer, you will become ineligible and you will be withdrawn from the process.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 the Death Management, Inquiries and Coroners Division

This is an exciting opportunity to undertake a key role in a fascinating, sensitive and often high-profile area of the Ministry of Justice’s portfolio. MoJ is the lead department on burial, cremation and coroner law and policy, working closely with other departments which also have a direct interest.

The Death Management, Inquiries and Coroners Division (DMIC) therefore delivers a wide range of high-profile policy, and exercises statutory functions on behalf of the Lord Chancellor, working with a number of government departments and a wide range of external stakeholders.

Senior Policy Adviser in the Death Management Policy and Casework Team – the role

You will have the opportunity to develop a wide range of skills, including policy development, stakeholder management, and leadership, among others.  The role will involve regular liaison with lawyers, analysts, ministers and their private offices as well as colleagues in other government departments, in particular the Department of Health and Social Care, Home Office and Cabinet Office.

The post holder will report to the Grade 7 and will have responsibility for taking forward policy development and implementation on specific policy issues which may include amongst others:

the Government’s response to the Law Commission’s project on Burial, Cremation and New Funerary Methods – a once in a generation review of the law governing how we dispose of the bodies of our loved ones;

a range of interesting and often complex issues relating to burial and cremation law and policy;

MoJ’s interest in changes flowing from the introduction in 2024 of the statutory Medical Examiner scheme; and

supporting the team’s casework function.

The role is likely to include:

Responsibility for the management and development of at least one HEO.

Advising Ministers and senior leaders, orally and in writing, to inform strategic decisionsand long-term policy development on issues relating to death management (including in the context of the Government’s response to the Law Commission project).

Leading on engagement with key stakeholders and work closely with MoJ lawyers and analysts to ensure all policy, legislative and operational issues are identified.

Responsibility for responding to Parliamentary Questions and drafting responses to written correspondence from MPs and the public.

Legislative work, working closely with MoJ lawyers.

Providing updates on progress to senior managers, private offices and ministers.

Providing project management support across their area/s, driving these forward independently.

Providing advice on ad hoc policy issues and a source of advice and knowledge to departmental and wider government colleagues.

Skills and Experience

Essential:

You will be self-starting, able to prioritise competing demands and to work proactively.

You will have excellent written communication and oral communication/interpersonal skills.

You will be highly organised.

You will be able to take responsibility for solving problems and using those solutions to develop and improve your own and the team’s ways of working.

The role involves regular liaison with lawyers, analysts, ministers and their private offices as well as colleagues in other government departments. You will therefore have strong interpersonal, negotiation and stakeholder management skills and be able to translate these into policy options that can be delivered in an operational and judicial setting.

You will also have an aptitude for detailed work, with the ability to communicate complex policy issues clearly to non-experts and senior stakeholders.

Desirable:

Understanding the Parliamentary system, including PQs, secondary legislation etc.

Knowledge of Office 365 applications

Knowledge of advising, briefing and drafting policy

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 work history 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 Work History during the application process to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role. This is for information only and will not be scored by the panel as part of the sift.

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

Seeing the Big Picture

Leadership

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 of 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

Seeing the Big Picture

Leadership

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 Arrangements:

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, Heather Atkinson, at [email protected].