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

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Descriptions & requirements

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resign or your FTA contract ends before you are made and accept an offer, you will become ineligible and you will be withdrawn from the process.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