External Affairs and Policy Advisor

Job summary

The External Affairs and Policy Advisor (EAPA) for CPS Cymru-Wales is responsible for the development and delivery of a coherent, ambitious and forward-thinking CPS Strategic Partnerships Strategy for Wales, which will promote public confidence in line with the strategic aims of CPS 2030.

The EAPA will have an expertise in the political landscape in Wales, the relationship between the devolved and non-devolved bodies and the operation of the Senedd.

The EAPA will be responsible for engaging with the Welsh Government and other key stakeholders in Wales including the Senedd and policing partners, defining, leading the delivery of, and evaluating the CPS parliamentary and cross-government strategy in Wales. The EAPA will advise on the implications of devolution for the development of policy and CPS services. This work of the post holder will directly link into the work of the operational teams in CPS Cymru Wales.

They will be responsible for innovative and effective stakeholder engagement across the CPS, nationally and locally, including cross-government and cross-Criminal Justice System (CJS), parliamentary, community engagement, and engagement with the third and private sectors. The EAPA will develop a strong network of stakeholders to help the CPS to understand the wider context of our work and the impact of what we are doing, encouraging support and challenge. The EAPA will provide strategic and tactical advice to ensure engagement is effectively coordinated and focused on corporate goals, with insights clearly communicated and shared to inform organisational strategy and policy.

This is a highly visible and dynamic role, working directly with CPS senior leaders, Welsh Ministers, Parliamentarians, and other senior stakeholders. The post holder will have real scope to influence CPS positioning on the key issues facing the organisation and wider criminal justice system in Wales.

The Crown Prosecution Service is based in England and Wales. If you’re applying for this role and live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you must let us know when accepting this offer as you need permission to work from your home address if hybrid working is part of your role. There’s no guarantee that we will grant this approval.

The expected start date is approximately 8–12 weeks after the application closing date. Candidates are expected to commence employment as soon as possible following the expiry of their notice period. Requests for significantly later start dates may not be accommodated.

Job description

The EAPA will contribute to the development of organisational strategies, ensuring reporting mechanisms are in place and that work undertaken across the CPS delivers our aims and objectives. This will be informed by a rigorous understanding of the wider political and social environment.

The EAPA will be required to provide comprehensive analysis and briefings, both written and verbal, communicating a clear narrative to senior leaders across the CPS, Welsh Government Ministers in a range of departments and other senior external stakeholders. These briefings will provide the recipients (including the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Law Officers) with detailed analysis and recommendations to enable them to take decisions for the organisation with confidence.

The EAPA will work collaboratively with colleagues across Welsh Government to deliver the CPS’s organisational objectives. The EAPA will use collaborative and direct approaches to engage with stakeholders from the earliest opportunity throughout the development and implementation of policy and practice. This will include regular discussions with colleagues in the Welsh Government Justice teams and Attorney General’s Office on a range of issues, including risks to the CPS’s reputation.

The post holder will be required to develop and maintain their own strong network of key stakeholder relationships across Whitehall, Welsh Government and the Criminal Justice System (CJS) – at a national and local level – so that the CPS is fully aware of how potential changes in the political landscape may impact upon our Service. They will also be expected to network with these key stakeholders to identify any issues and gaps, to inform future strategic priorities for the CPS. The post holder will need to proactively plan when and how engagement will take place.

The EAPA will maintain close links with strategy and policy leads responsible for cross-government and CJS engagement, parliamentary engagement, community engagement and engagement with the private and third sector stakeholders. The EAPA will provide strategic advice to ensure this activity is effectively coordinated and focused on the achievement of corporate goals and insight is consistently collated and shared to inform organisational strategy and policy.

A copy of the full job description is attached.

Person specification

To be eligible to apply, you need to:

• Have experience of working on criminal justice issues.
• Be familiar with laws, statutory frameworks or guidance (legislation) and interpreting what legal requirements mean in practice; or have experience of working with parliament.

It is desirable that you have the below experience, but this is not required to apply:

• Ability to speak Welsh

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,330, Crown Prosecution Service contributes £16,898 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Join the Crown Prosecution Service and find your purpose.

The Crown Prosecution Service is passionate about ensuring that we're a top performing organisation and a great place to work. We're a committed equal opportunities employer, creating a culture where you can bring your whole self to work, and individuality is truly appreciated.

This culture of inclusion is underpinned by our staff networks covering disability, faith and belief, LGBTQI+, race, social mobility alongside our mental health first aiders programme and wellbeing sessions.

The Crown Prosecution Service commits to offer its employees the following experience.

• You can do impactful, purposeful work that’s making a difference to your local communities.
• You are able to learn and grow, with access to the right opportunities and resources.
• We care about your wellbeing.
• We want you to feel valued, trusted and included.

We also offer the following range of benefits:

• Civil Service contributory pension of up to 28.9%
• 25 days’ leave, increasing to 30 days after 5 years
• £350 each year to spend on personal development
• lawyer training programme for all new prosecutors
• an extra privilege day to mark the King's birthday
• competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave
• flexible working including flexitime, and a family friendly approach to work
• Cycle2Work scheme, employee savings.

Diversity at the Crown Prosecution Service is about inclusion, embracing differences and ensuring our workforce truly reflects the communities we serve. We want you to feel that you belong and can thrive, whatever your background, identity or culture. As a Disability Confident employer, we're happy to support requests for reasonable adjustments and improve your recruitment experience. If you'd like any reasonable adjustments made to our recruitment process, let us know within your application or contact ben.savage@cps.gov.uk.

We want to ensure our employees can thrive at work and home and offer a range of support to achieve a balance. This includes flexibility of working hours, flexibility to support caring responsibilities and a flexible approach to deployment. We offer a hybrid working policy. You must spend at least 40% of your contracted hours over a four-week period at court, in an office or another official workplace depending on business need and the kind of work you're doing.

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.

Recruitment process

The recruitment process consists of an online application and interview. These are expected to take place on 31 July 2026 at CPS Cardiff, Capital Tower, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff, CF10 3PL.

A member of our recruitment team will be in touch with guidance. If you have any queries about this, contact ben.savage@cps.gov.uk.

You should keep this date free or notify us if you're not available. We'll make every effort to accommodate your date preferences but we can't guarantee it.

Behaviours

You are asked to complete a statement of no more than 250 words for each of the following behaviours, setting out how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience match the specified behaviours and requirements:

1. Seeing the Bigger Picture
2. Making Effective Decision
3. Managing a Quality Service

In addition, you need to demonstrate the following experience/technical skills required for this role:

• Have experience of working on criminal justice issues.
• Be familiar with laws, statutory frameworks or guidance (legislation) and interpreting what legal requirements mean in practice; or have experience of working with parliament.

You also need to demonstrate the Crown Prosecution Service or Civil Service values.

Applications can be submitted in Welsh but without the help of a translation service. Any application submitted in Welsh is not treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

The panel has the right to assess the lead behaviour ‘Seeing the Bigger Picture’ first. If the standard on this behaviour isn’t met, the other behaviours won’t be considered and your application won’t progress. The panel also has the right to raise the minimum standard pass mark. The panel may also refer to the lead behaviour at the interview stage to determine merit order.

Interview

We use behaviours to help us understand your experience, to see if you're a good fit for the role. You are assessed against Grade 7 in the Civil Service success profiles behaviours framework. We are assessing 6 behaviours at interview stage:

1. Seeing the Bigger Picture
2. Making Effective Decision
3. Managing a Quality Service
4. Leadership
5. Communicating and Influencing
6. Working Together

Essential Experience/Technical Skills - assessed at interview

CV

You’re not required to upload your CV. However, when submitting your application there is a ‘CV section’. You are required to provide information about your employment and/or academic history for the past three years. The CV section will be used as supporting evidence, it won’t be assessed.

It’s your responsibility to provide the specified information in the requested format to ensure that you're considered for the post.

If you're unable to cover three years through employment or academic history, you must provide a character reference for clearance purposes.

Strengths

Strengths are tested at interview stage - the strengths tested are not shared before the interview.

Other

This is a full-time post. We do consider requests for flexible, part-time working and job share, always considering the operational needs of the department.

Please note that the CPS is unable to offer visa sponsorship. Therefore, if you require visa sponsorship to work in the UK, you will not meet the eligibility criteria for this role.

Clearance

If successful, you are required to securea Disclosure and Barring Service check and Security Check clearance, for which you must have a current valid UK address.

If successfully appointed, we ask you to complete a character enquiry form, nationality and immigration questionnaire and national security vetting form.

If you're a Crown Prosecution Service member of staff, you won’t need to do a Disclosure and Barring Service check as you already hold this clearance.

The job you’re applying for is covered by Article 3(a) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, consequently Section 4(2) of that Act doesn’t apply.You’re required to disclose all previous convictions and cautions including spent convictions. Failing to make a full declaration will result in withdrawing your offer of employment if our checks reveal convictions that haven’t been disclosed.

To be cleared to Security Check clearance level, you have to be able to meet the residency requirement in the Cabinet Office guidance. For the Crown Prosecution Service, this is three years within the last five years.

Reserve list

If you're recommended by the selection panel but not appointed to the current vacancy, you’re put on a reserve list for 12 months. You may be offered another External Affairs and Policy Advisor post in the CPS if a vacancy comes up during this period. We may also approach candidates on the waiting list to fill other roles that require similar knowledge and experience.

Fraud check

The Crown Prosecution Service provides a Fair Processing Notice to all new applicants after they’ve been successful at interview. These candidates are informed that, as one aspect of pre-employment screening, their personal details – name, National Insurance number and date of birth – are checked against the Internal Fraud Database. We won't employ anyone included on the database unless they can demonstrate exceptional circumstances.

The Strategic Resourcing team in the Crown Prosecution Service will, on behalf of the vacancy holder, inform applicants when they are refused employment because of their inclusion in the Internal Fraud Database.

Civil Service Commission

If you’re dissatisfied with the recruitment process and wish to make a complaint, please contact Strategic.Resourcing@cps.gov.uk with your concerns.

If you remain dissatisfied and wish to make a further complaint, please click on the following link to the Civil Service Commission complaints page Recruitment Complaints - Civil Service Commission

Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles can be found at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/

Details of the Civil Service Nationality Rules are located at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

Candidates are subject to UK immigration requirements. For the most up-to-date information on the requirements of working in the UK, please go to the UK Visas and Immigration website at https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas

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

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 security check (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 : Ben Savage
• Email : ben.savage@cps.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : strategic.resourcing@cps.gov.uk

Attachments

CPS Terms and Conditions Opens in new window (docx, 255kB)NEW CPS Personal Statement Guidance 2023 Opens in new window (docx, 269kB)CPS Terms and Conditions Opens in new window (pdf, 752kB)