Deputy Director, Rights and Public Law

Job summary

This position can be based at any of the following locations:

102 Petty France (MOJ) London, SW1H 9AJ
5 Wellington Place, Leeds, LS1 4AP

Job description

This is a stretching and high-profile role that would suit a confident and experienced policy professional. Leading a team of around 32 FTE, the responsibilities span a range of complex, challenging and often controversial topics, with high levels of stakeholder, political and media interest.

The postholder will need to gain and maintain the confidence of ministers and senior officials across government, and handle relationships involving, amongst others, the senior judiciary, the legal profession, academia, and international organisations.

The postholder will also need to be a credible and effective representative of the United Kingdom on the international stage, including in public forums, and comfortable with operating in highly political areas and defending the Government’s position while maintaining appropriate civil service boundaries.

A key element of the role is the ability to pivot rapidly between diverse policy subjects, and to become quickly familiar with new issues as they emerge. Many topics require a good degree of legal understanding, and specific subject-matter knowledge relating to one or more parts of the role would be advantageous.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting to the Director, you will:

• Oversee policy on human rights in UK law, including the operation of the Human Rights Act 1998 and its interaction with other legislation including the devolution settlements;
• Lead jointly with the FCDO on policy across Government on the European Convention on Human Rights, and oversee Ministry of Justice interests in the Council of Europe;
• Ensure the effective performance of UK legal obligations under United Nations and Council of Europe human rights treaties, including notably leading the representation of the UK to UN treaty bodies and the UN Universal Periodic Review.
• Hold responsibility for the effective operation of the system of closed material procedure, with responsibility for a seven-figure budget funded from users across government;
• Lead on policy on judicial review, especially regarding how challenges are brought against nationally significant infrastructure projects;
• Ensure the full performance of Ministry of Justice legal obligations relating to better regulation, equalities and the Welsh language;
• Engage effectively with and represent the Government to a broad range of stakeholders across all policy responsibilities, including from the judiciary, legal profession, academia and international organisations;
• Secure effective coordination and shared prioritisation with partner teams across government departments and agencies, and
• Lead, support and develop a team of around 32 FTE, securing its resilience and delivery.

Additional Responsibilities

• You will also be a key member of the IRCPD leadership team and expected to take responsibility for sponsoring and guiding elements of the corporate and staff engagement work of the directorate.

• Fast-paced delivery leading a complex and politically sensitive policy area, working collaboratively with colleagues across government.
• An ability to establish, inspire and maintain high performing teams, demonstrating personal resilience and supporting it in the team.
• Strong understanding of the political and legal landscape both in the UK and internationally.
• Highly effective communication skills, demonstrating credibility with Ministers and an ability to represent and influence with senior external stakeholders.
• Agility in working across a highly diverse set of issues, synthesising complex information and presenting it clearly to senior audiences to enable decision-making.

Desirable Experience:

• Legal understanding relevant to the responsibilities of the role
• Experience working internationally and/or with multilateral organisations

Person specification

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

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.

For full details about the Role, Key Responsibilities and Person Specification, please download and review the Candidate Information pack

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £86,000, Ministry of Justice contributes £24,914 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance

For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.For full details of the Selection Process and Recruitment Timeline, please view the Candidate Information pack.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

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)
• 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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

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

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk
• Email : scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

https://jobs.justice.gov.uk/careers/JobDetail/18509?entityId=18509

Attachments

Deputy Director, Public Rights and Law Candidate Pack Opens in new window (docx, 4281kB)Accessible Candidate Pack - Deputy Director, Public Rights and Law Opens in new window (docx, 60kB)