Head of Transformation and Change Delivery

Job summary

This is a senior leadership role within our Transformation and Change Delivery unit at the heart of COPFS’s transformation agenda.

You will be accountable for turning our strategic ambition into measurable, organisation wide outcomes. Leading a new unit, you will set the standards, governance and delivery discipline for all major programmes and complex change initiatives across COPFS.

You will operate as a trusted partner to Directors and Programme boards, providing clear insight, challenge and assurance across a diverse portfolio of change that spans digital, service, organisational cultural transformation. Where delivery is fragmented or uncertain, you will bring clarity, structure and momentum.

Alongside hands on accountability for high-risk, high-profile programmes, you will build long term delivery capability across the organisation – developing people, strengthening ways of working and embedding a culture of outcome focussed change.

Reporting to the Director of Transformation and Change, you will work across organisational boundaries and on occasion, deputise at senior leadership level.

Job description

Strategic Programme & Portfolio Leadership
• Provide senior leadership across COPFS’s transformation and change delivery portfolio, with accountability for the successful delivery of major, complex programmes spanning multiple interdependent projects.
• Translate organisational strategy and priorities into clear, coherent programme roadmaps with defined outcomes, benefits, milestones and success measures.
• Maintain oversight of interdependencies across the portfolio, ensuring priorities are aligned and delivery activity remains focused on achieving agreed outcomes.

Governance, Assurance & Decision Support
• Set and embed proportionate governance, standards and ways of working for programme and change delivery across COPFS.
• Ensure effective planning, risk, issue, dependency and financial management across programmes, with clear escalation routes and decision making mechanisms.
• Provide high-quality, insight led reporting and assurance to Programme Boards and senior leaders, enabling timely, evidence based decisions.

Delivery of High-Risk and High-Profile Change
• Take hands-on accountability for the delivery of selected high-risk, high-profile or strategically critical transformation programmes.
• Intervene where delivery is fragmented or off-track, bringing clarity, structure and pace while balancing ambition with realism.
• Ensure benefits are realised and measurable, and that change is implemented in a way that is sustainable and embedded within the organisation.

Leadership & Capability Building
• Build, lead and develop a high-performing transformation and change delivery team, including coaching, mentoring and supporting colleagues to build delivery capability and confidence.
• Establish a strong community of practice for programme and change professionals, promoting continuous learning, consistency and professional standards.
• Role model inclusive, collaborative leadership and a strong focus on outcomes, quality and continuous improvement.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement
• Work in close partnership with Directors, the Portfolio Management Office, Digital, Finance, Business Design & Analysis and operational areas to ensure end-to-end delivery of transformation activity.
• Build effective relationships across COPFS and with external stakeholders where required, influencing and negotiating to secure commitment to delivery priorities.
• Lead and facilitate delivery planning workshops and senior discussions, interpreting complex information quickly and guiding groups towards clear conclusions and actions.

Corporate Contribution
• Contribute as a senior leader within the Transformation and Change Directorate, supporting collective leadership and coherence across its functions.
• Deputise for the Director of Transformation and Change as required, representing delivery perspectives at senior leadership level.

Person specification

Applicants interested in this role are likely to be experienced transformation or programme delivery leaders who have operated at enterprise scale and are comfortable taking accountability for complex change outcomes in demanding environments. You should be someone who:

• Has led complex, multi strand change at enterprise scale
• Is comfortable operating in ambiguity and shaping new functions
• Brings authority, judgement and influence at senior levels
• Is motivated by building capability as well as delivering outcomes
• Is excited by the opportunity to modernise delivery in a complex public service environment

You do not need to come from the justice system to be able to apply for this role. We welcome experience gained in other large public bodies, arms-length organisations or complex private sector environments where comparable scale and complexity can be demonstrated.

You may have professional qualifications such as MSP, PRINCE2, Agile, PMP, PgMP or similar, or equivalent depth of experience and expertise in programme management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall) and tools.

Membership of, or alignment to, the Project Delivery Profession or equivalent would be desirable but is not essential.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Developing Self and Others

Technical skills

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

• See application pack for details.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £80,172, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service contributes £23,225 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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, Experience and Technical skills.Please see application pack for more details.

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

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 : Jenny Stewart
• Email : jenny.stewart@copfs.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@copfs.gov.uk