Head of Data, Legal Aid Digital (Ref: 15433)

Job summary

This position is based Nationally

Job description

Head of Data, Legal Aid Digital

Location: National*

Closing Date: 20th March 2026

Interviews: w/c 30th March 2026

Grade: Grade 6

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

Salary: London: £75,674 – £85,25 (which may include an allowance up to £9,151)

National: £71,381 – £80,419

Working Pattern: Full-time/Part-time/Flexible working

Contract Type: Permanent

Vacancy number: 15433

*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 Data here at Justice Digital, to be part of our warm and collaborative LAA Digital team.

This role aligns against Head of Data Governance from the Government Digital and Data Frameworkfrom the Government Digital and Data Framework

As Head of Data, you will ensure that LAA Digital department and associated business unit can effectively use data to make better decisions, policies, and services. You will foster an environment where data protection and privacy are balanced with access, sharing, and innovation

To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital please take a look at our blog and our Digital and Technology strategy 2025

Key Responsibilities:

• Contribute to defining and implementing a departmental data strategy aligned with wider government data strategy.

• Collaborate with senior leaders to align priorities and secure support for data initiatives.

• Identify the data and data technologies needed within the department and support sourcing strategies.

• Promote the use, reuse, and sharing of data across teams.

• Improve the quality of data used within the department.

• Ensure ethical use of data and compliance with standards and regulations.

• Increase data literacy and support data management practices across teams.

• Work with cyber security to ensure data is secure yet accessible.

• Support the development of data skills within the department.

• Lead digital’s data stewardship teams and take responsibility for GDPR recovery.

Please not, this list is not exhaustive and may evolve over time.

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

• Data Innovation – investigate emerging trends in data-related approaches, perform horizon-scanning for the organisation and introduce innovative ways of working

• Data Governance – define the data governance strategy for the organisation, and connect it with the wider organisational strategy

• Communicating between the technical and non-technical – mediate between people and strengthen relationships, adopting the appropriate communication method with stakeholders at all levels

• Data Management – champion and lead data management and governance processes within your team and across your organisation

• Enabling and informing risk-based decisions – apply risk methodologies at the most complex levels of risk

• Data Literacy improvement – encourage a data-driven culture within the organisation by strengthening data literacy skills among all employees

Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for SC clearance

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 CV and Statement of Suitability (500 words max), divided into two clear sections. The sections must address the criteria from the Person Specification below and be a maximum of 250 words each (giving a maximum total of 500 words for both answers):

• Data Innovation - investigate emerging trends in data-related approaches, perform horizon-scanning for the organisation and introduce innovative ways of working (250 words).

• Data Governance - define the data governance strategy for the organisation and connect it with the wider organisational strategy (250 words).

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

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=1001

Attachments

Head of Data Legal Aid Digital Data JD - Feb 26 (2) Opens in new window (docx, 30kB)