Head of Engagement - Justice AI Unit (Ref: 18842)

Job summary

This position is based Nationally

Job description

Overview

The Head of Engagement will work to ensure the Justice AI Unit has the people and capability needed to deliver the AI Action Plan for Justice. The role combines strategic people enablement with practical delivery, ensuring recruitment, onboarding, learning and development and engagement activity are aligned to organisational priorities.

The Head of Engagement will lead delivery of major departmental engagement campaigns linked to the Justice AI Unit’s priorities, including One Big Thing where relevant. This will involve using communications, engagement, networks, events and performance insight to build awareness, participation and confidence in AI adoption across MoJ.

As the Justice AI Unit continues to grow in scale, complexity and profile, the postholder will lead the development of a consistent and scalable approach to people enablement. They will create an environment where colleagues understand the unit’s priorities, feel connected to its purpose, are supported to contribute effectively, and have access to the information, tools and development they need to deliver at pace.

The postholder does not need to be an AI specialist, but they will need to be confident working in an AI, digital or transformation context, translating technical or strategic priorities into accessible engagement activity for non-specialist audiences.

To learn more about the Justice AI Unit and our work, see the AI Action Plan for Justice, visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn for updates and insights.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and lead the Justice AI Unit's people enablement, engagement and communications strategy, ensuring it supports delivery of the AI Action Plan for Justice and aligns with the unit's operating model, governance and priorities.
• Act as a senior adviser to the unit's leadership team on workforce planning, capability requirements, organisational readiness, engagement risks and people related trade-offs, providing clear recommendations in ambiguous or fast-moving circumstances.
• Lead the unit’s end-to-end employee lifecycle approach, establishing scalable ways to recruit and onboard permanent employees and contractors, support wellbeing and development, strengthen retention and succession planning, and manage transitions and exits so the unit can grow sustainably and deliver at pace.
• Develop practical tools, guidance and self-service resources that strengthen line management capability, support consistent people processes and improve team effectiveness.
• Provide visible leadership for an inclusive, high-performing and learning-oriented culture, helping colleagues feel connected to the unit's mission and equipped to contribute effectively.
• Lead the design, delivery and evaluation of major communications and engagement campaigns that build awareness, participation and confidence in AI adoption across MoJ.
• Shape clear narratives, messages, events and engagement products that explain the unit's priorities, progress, changes and expectations for specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• Use qualitative and quantitative insight, including staff feedback, survey results, participation data and performance metrics, to assess impact, identify gaps and drive continuous improvement.
• Work closely with HR, communications, delivery, policy, and other teams to ensure departmental policy, professional standards and best practice are applied effectively in the unit's context.
• Build and maintain senior stakeholder relationships across MoJ and wider government, sharing good practice and influencing cross-government approaches to capability, engagement and AI-enabled transformation.

Person Specification

Essential skills and experience

• People lifecycle and organisational development: You have experience improving organisational capability, employee experience and team effectiveness, including workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, wellbeing, retention and exits.
• Communications, engagement and campaign delivery: You have experience leading communications, engagement or change campaigns from planning through to delivery and evaluation, working with multiple stakeholders to achieve measurable outcomes.
• Strategic thinking and judgement: You can understand organisational priorities, identify risks and opportunities, and translate strategic objectives into practical people, engagement and communications activity.
• Senior communication: You can create clear narratives, communicate confidently with a range of audiences, and produce high-quality advice, messages and engagement products for senior stakeholders.
• Stakeholder management and influence: You have experience building trusted relationships with senior leaders, HR professionals, delivery teams, technical specialists and wider stakeholders to influence outcomes.
• Delivery at pace: You can manage multiple priorities, adapt quickly and deliver through others in a fast-moving, ambiguous or high-profile environment.
• Data and insight: You can interpret qualitative and quantitative data, including engagement insight, staff feedback and participation metrics, to understand impact and improve future activity.
• AI, digital or transformation context: You have experience working in a digital, data, technology, transformation or AI-focused environment, and can translate technical or strategic priorities for non-specialist audiences.

Desirable skills and experience

• Knowledge and application of Ministry of Justice HR policies, workforce planning and capability frameworks.

How to Apply

Candidates must submit a CV and Personal Statement.

Your Personal Statement, no more than 500 words, should outline your experience, using examples of work you have undertaken. It should address the following criteria from the Person Specification:

• People and organisational development
• Campaign and change delivery

A diverse panel will assess applications against these criteria.

Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift may be conducted based on People and organisational development.

Selection Process

Successful candidates who meet the required standard will be invited to a virtual panel interview.

As part of the interview, candidates may be asked to deliver a short presentation. Details will be provided in advance.

We will assess your experience and the following Civil Service Success Profiles behaviours:

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

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

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 £58,511, Ministry of Justice contributes £16,950 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 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.

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/18842?entityId=18842