Director of Modernisation Strategy and Implementation (Ref: 15653)

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

This position is based at the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), 10 Clyde Place, Buchanan Wharf, Glasgow, G5 8AQ. We currently operate a hybrid working business model, with colleagues expected to work 50% of their contracted hours in the office and the remainder at home.

The CICA is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) within the Service Transformation Group (STG). We are responsible for the administration of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Schemes and make payments of compensation to people who have been injured because they were the victim of a violent crime in England, Scotland or Wales. We also administer the Victims of Overseas Terrorism Compensation Scheme (VOTCS). The Schemes are funded by the UK Government in England and Wales and we receive income to fund our operation of this in Scotland from the Scottish Government.

We employ around 350 people and are based in Glasgow city centre with excellent transport links. We are a small, engaged, productive workforce with a real sense of corporate community. We are committed to delivering a fair, sensitive and efficient service to all applicants and work closely with stakeholders to ensure the victim is at the heart of everything we do. We want to keep improving our services and the way we work to best serve victims of violent crime, meet new challenges, deliver value for money and ensure CICA is a great place to work. We are committed to being a trauma-informed organisation, embedding this into what we do and how we do it.

The MoJ operates a functional model whereby delivery of government functions (finance, HR, digital, data/ analysis) sit outside of CICA. This necessitates close working to ensure that CICA receives the appropriate and timely support from the functions to enable it to deliver on its mandate.

Job Description

This is a new and critical senior leadership role with responsibility for leading and delivering on a strategy to modernise CICA – improving the experience of victims applying for compensation and how our staff work. You will be a member of the CICA Executive Management Team. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the role provides visible leadership across project delivery and digital workstreams, championing integrated leadership to ensure joined-up delivery and timely resolution of cross functional challenges. As Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) you will ensure the modernisation programme achieves its intended benefits and outcomes for CICA.

You will develop and deliver strategies to modernise CICA. You will be accountable for the strategy's success and provide strategic direction to the CEO. This will include working closely with the Executive Management Team and across CICA to identify areas for improvement, leading the Business Change and Continuous Improvement team to deliver projects, and working in an integrated leadership way with MoJ Digital colleagues to deliver modern digital services for our applicants and our staff. You will work collegiately and collaboratively with the Executive Management Team and be the bridge between MoJ Digital and CICA. You will be responsible for effectively delivering change across CICA, including ensuring appropriate stakeholder engagement and communication. You will build an effective network with transformation leads in the wider MoJ community, identifying synergies and efficiencies through partnership working.

As a senior leader you will be highly visible and build trust with colleagues across CICA, Service Transformation Group and the wider MoJ. You will exemplify and role model Civil Service behaviours and values. You must have strong inter-personal skills and be able to build mutually beneficial relationships at all levels. You will have a track record of high performance and delivery. A key influencer and contributor, you will be insightful, with a passion for continuous improvement and modernising public services. You will play a key role in shaping the culture and values of CICA, with a focus on respect, empathy and transparency whilst delivering a trauma-informed service with the victim at the heart.

The role is expected to evolve over time and there will be opportunities to expand the scope of the role, in line with the main responsibilities, and for personal development as the successful candidate becomes more experienced.

Main Activities/Responsibilities

The job holder will be responsible for:

Senior Leadership

• Provide visible, inclusive leadership across CICA, modelling Civil Service values and fostering a culture of delivery, accountability, and professional excellence.​
• Lead organisational change and transformation as SRO, chair key governance forums, and drive continuous improvement, service enhancement, and modernisation.​
• Work with MoJ Digital and cross‑functional colleagues to deliver coherent, technology‑enabled transformation and strengthen data‑driven decision making.​
• Act as Deputy SIRO, ensuring effective project‑data governance, identifying risks and opportunities, and enabling high‑quality strategic decisions.​
• Contribute to the Executive Management Team, strengthening collaboration, leading cross‑CICA initiatives, and providing stability and clarity during change.​
• Represent CICA across MoJ and wider government, deputising for the CEO and jointly sponsoring major cross‑cutting transformation programmes.​

Strategic planning

• Lead development and delivery of CICA’s multi year modernisation strategy, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives, MoJ reform priorities, and Spending Review commitments.
• Provide strategic direction for annual business and planning activity, ensuring alignment with the Justice Delivery Plan, Service Transformation Group commitments, and CICA priorities.
• Oversee delivery of the CICA Business Plan, including providing quarterly updates to the CICA Board.
• Develop strategies to deliver a modernised, end to end, trauma informed service for those applying for compensation.
• Work collaboratively across CICA to identify improvement areas and develop initiatives that drive greater efficiency and enhance the applicant experience.
• Engage MoJ Digital and delivery leaders at the problem definition stage of strategy development, ensuring solutions are feasible, scalable, and sustainable.

Delivery

• Translate strategic objectives into coherent programme and project portfolios with clear outcomes, milestones, and benefits, supported by robust plans to deliver a modernised CICA.​
• Drive delivery excellence across continuous improvement, modernisation, digital and technology initiatives, ensuring alignment with CICA priorities, capacity, sequencing, governance, and strong risk management, assurance, and reporting.​
• Establish and maintain change governance aligned with CICA corporate governance and the project delivery framework, ensuring projects remain focused on business objectives.​
• Track and embed benefits, ensuring improvements are realised and sustained in business‑as‑usual operations.​
• Work collaboratively across CICA, MoJ Digital, and the wider Service Transformation Group and MoJ to enable integrated planning and shared accountability for delivery outcomes.​
• Ensure projects and programmes meet MoJ technical and security standards, using innovative technologies (including AI and Low Code) to accelerate progress, reuse capability, and reduce cost and risk.
• Drive user‑centred service redesign so services are accessible, trauma‑informed, efficient, and compliant with legislative and policy requirements.​
• Maintain effective communication with project stakeholders and senior sponsors, building strong relationships, understanding wider dependencies, and managing interactions effectively.​

Person Specification

Essential

• Experience in a senior leadership role within a complex delivery organisation.
• A successful track record in leading business transformation through modernisation, innovation and/or continuous improvement with experience of digital and service transformation, including embedding change into operational delivery.
• A strong track record of motivating staff and building strong cross-disciplinary relationships, delivering successful outcomes through partnership working.
• Knowledge and leadership experience in one or more areas of project or digital delivery or a related discipline.
• A confident and clear communicator, with strong influencing and negotiation skills able to engage, build trust and energise others.
• Strong strategic thinking, including an ability to understand a wide range of complex and often sensitive issues, manage conflicting priorities and translate vision into practical, deliverable plans.
• Expertise in programme and change management, benefits realisation and governance.
• Ability to forecast, plan and achieve stretching performance and service outcomes, aligned with strategic objectives.
• Inclusive and collaborative, able to lead and contribute in multiple team settings, and with functional experts.

Desirable

• Experience leading cross-functional transformation in partnership with digital and operational team.
• Experience working in a front-line operational delivery function/ organisation.
• Professional accreditation in programme, project or change management (e.g. MSP, PRINCE2, Agile, Lean).
• Experience leading trauma-informed or applicant-focused service redesign.

Assessment Criteria

The selection process for this vacancy will utilise Civil Service Success Profiles and will assess your Experience, Behaviours and Strengths.

Stage 1

Applicants should provide a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a statement of suitability which evidences the essential criteria and, where met, the desirable criteria. The statement should be no more than 1000 words in length.

Stage 2

If successful at Stage 1, you will be invited to interview, which will incorporate a short presentation. You will be notified of the presentation topic in your invitation to interview. At the interview we will assess you against the behaviours listed below.

• Working together
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Delivering at pace

As a Disability Confident employer, the MoJ offers an interview to any disabled applicant who indicates they would like to be considered for an interview as a disabled applicant and meets the minimum criteria required for the role. If you are assessed as meeting the minimum criteria, you can indicate that you would like to be considered for an interview as a disabled candidate by completing the related section of the application form.

Applications will be anonymised before assessment.

If you have any queries about the role, or wish to discuss, please contact Lynne.Henderson@cica.gov.uk

MoJ is committed to having inclusive and accessible recruitment. This includes by offering and implementing reasonable adjustments to enable disabled applicants to be considered for a job on an equal basis with non-disabled applicants. If you require reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process, please contact Corporate.Support@cica.gov.uk

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Behaviours

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

• Working Together
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £71,381, Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority contributes £20,679 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.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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 : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
• Telephone : 0345 241 5359

Recruitment team

• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.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/15653?entityId=15653