Head of Behavioural Science (Ref: 15392)

Job summary

This position is based Nationally

Job description

Head of Behavioural Science

Location: National*

Closing Date: 22/03/2026

Interviews: week commencing 6th March 2026 (this may be subject to change)

Grade 6

(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)

Salary:

National £71,381 - £80,419

London £75,674 - £85,257

Working pattern: Full time, Part time, Flexible Working, Job share

Contract Type: Permanent

Vacancy number: 15392

*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP

The Role

We’re recruiting for a Head of Behavioural Science here at Ministry of Justice, to be part of our warm and collaborative Science Office.

Providing high-quality scientific advice and evidence is a core function of the Ministry of Justice Science Office. The Head of Behavioural Science plays a senior leadership role in ensuring that behavioural science is applied effectively, ethically and proportionately across the department.

This role leads the department’s behavioural science capability and shapes how behavioural science is understood, governed and deployed across policy and operational delivery. The postholder will ensure that behavioural science contributes demonstrable value, is grounded in robust evidence and evaluation, and is applied appropriately in complex justice contexts, including high-stakes and coercive environments and those involving vulnerable populations.

There are significant opportunities for behavioural science across the justice system, aligned to outcomes including protecting the public, reducing reoffending and ensuring access to justice. The postholder will provide professional leadership to ensure behavioural science interventions are credible, scalable and effective in real-world settings, and that limitations and risks are clearly understood by decision-makers.

The MoJ Science Office sits within the Data Directorate, and is led by MoJ Chief Scientific Advisor. We are the MoJ's centre of expertise for science, R&D strategy, foresight and emerging technology, ensuring that decision making across the justice system is informed by robust evidence, scientific thinking, and forward-looking insight. Our work brings together futures and horizon scanning, deep-subject specialism in natural and behavioural sciences, and the responsible application of new and emerging technologies to address current challenges and support long term, strategic decision making.

As a team we are collaborative, outward facing, and impact driven. We operate as an open innovation unit working closely with other government departments, the Government Office for Science, regulators, academics and industry partners to bring fresh thinking and robust insight into the heart of MoJ.

Key Responsibilities:

If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!

Benefits

● 37 hours per week and flexible working options including working from home, working part-time, job sharing, or working compressed hours.

● A £1k per person learning budget is in place to support all our people, with access to best in class conferences and seminars, accreditation with professional bodies, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms

● Staff have 10% time to dedicate to develop & grow

● Generous civil service pension based on defined benefit scheme, with employer contributions of 28.97% from April 1st 2024 (Contribution Rates)

● 25 days leave (plus bank holidays) and 1 privilege day usually taken around the Kings’ birthday. 5 additional days of leave once you have reached 5 years of service.

● Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!

● Wellbeing support including access to the Calm app.

● Nurturing professional and interpersonal networks including those for Carers & Childcare, Gender Equality, PROUD and SPIRIT

● Bike loans up to £2500 and secure bike parking (subject to availability and location)

● Season ticket loans, childcare vouchers and eye-care vouchers.

● 5 days volunteering paid leave.

● Some offices may have a subsidised onsite Gym.

Person Specification

Essential

Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for SC.

We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring and do not discriminate based on culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor.

Our values are Purpose, Humanity Openness and Together. Find out more here about how we celebrate diversity and an inclusive culture in our workplace.

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 D&I Strategy.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £71,381, Ministry of Justice 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

How to Apply

Candidates must submit a CV and 750-word personal statement which describes how you meet the requirements set out in the Person Specification above.

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement

Application Guidance

In MOJ, we recruit using a combination of theSuccess Profiles Frameworks. We will assess your Experience, Technical Skills and the following Behaviours during the assessment process:

● Communicating and influencing

● Leadership

A diverse panel will review your application against the Person Specification above.

Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a 1-hour panel interview held over Microsoft Teams.

Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based deep professional knowledge of behavioural science and behavioural insights, especially its application to public policy and government or similarly complex environments. Applying this knowledge should involve strong experience delivering behavioural science projects or interventions from end-to-end, and of using robust analysis to iteratively test and scale those with the greatest potential impact will be conducted before the sift.

When sifting applications, we’ll be assessing candidates based on the following criteria:

Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrate the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and offer you the position without needing a further application.

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, from which further appointments may be made.

Use of 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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

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.

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

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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://www.jobtrain.co.uk/justicedigital/Job/JobDetail?JobId=1000

Attachments

Head of Behavioural Science JD Mar26 Opens in new window (docx, 39kB)