Offender Subject Access Request Team - Team Leader (Ref: 17949)

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

About the Department

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is one of the largest government departments, employing around 70,000 people (including those in the Probation Service), with a budget of approximately £9 billion. Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK - including at 500 courts and tribunals, and 133 prisons in England and Wales.

What we do

We work to protect the public and reduce reoffending, and to provide a more effective, transparent, and responsive criminal justice system for victims and the public. We are also responsible for the following parts of the justice system:

• Courts
• Prisons
• Probation services
• Attendance centres.

We also work in partnership with other government departments and agencies to reform the criminal justice system, to serve the public and support the victims of crime. We are also responsible for making new laws, strengthening democracy, and safeguarding human rights.

New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range. Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer/pay on promotion rules.

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice.

We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Background

The Offender Subject Access Request team sits within the MoJ’s Security, Services and Information Governance Group Directorate, which has a broad range of responsibilities including corporate communications through to information management and records compliance.

As part of the Directorate’s Information Services Division, our aim is to ensure the MoJ holds information in compliance with legislation; that all information is correctly stored, accessible, and shared appropriately; and our information is protected, and the risks managed. We believe that knowing what information and records we have and having the right information available at the right time by those who need it or request it, is at the heart of an excellent justice system.

The Offender SAR team manage and process over 6,000 Subject Access Requests (SARs) on behalf of the MoJ per annum.

About the Role

This is an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Team Leader, providing an expert and dedicated function in the processing of offender Subject Access Requests (SARs).

Our work plays a vital role in supporting individuals through their sentence and rehabilitation by ensuring they have access to the right information at the right time. We are committed to responding to all requests in full and within statutory timescales.

As a Team Leader, you will manage and lead a team of administrative staff responsible for processing offender SARs. This is a people-focused role, where you will provide day-to-day support, guidance, and leadership to ensure your team feel motivated, engaged, and equipped to perform at their best.

You will oversee the assessment of personal data, ensuring disclosures are lawful and exemptions are applied appropriately where necessary. You will ensure work is effectively planned, prioritised, and allocated through our workflow management system, enabling requests to be completed in full, to a high standard, and within statutory deadlines.

You will be part of a large and evolving team exploring new technology to improve efficiency and manage complex workloads. This role offers an excellent opportunity to shape team performance, support staff development, and contribute to continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, manage and motivate a team, ensuring work is organised and delivered on time
• Allocate and monitor workloads using the team’s workflow system, ensuring work is prioritised effectively to meet statutory timescales
• Oversee decision-making on disclosure of personal information and application of exemptions
• Conduct regular 1-1 meetings, providing coaching, feedback and support to drive performance and wellbeing
• Manage HR-related processes including attendance, conduct, performance management, and capability concerns, in line with policy
• Set clear expectations and monitor progress against targets to achieve 100% compliance wherever possible
• Support staff development, identifying training needs and helping individuals reach their full potential
• Undertake quality assurance checks and implement improvement or remediation plans where required
• Recognise and reward high performance and positive behaviours
• Work with EO colleagues to identify opportunities for process and performance improvements
• Support implementation of changes and lead your team through them effectively
• Ensure staff have a strong understanding of the Data Protection Act (DPA) and apply it correctly
• Provide guidance and hold regular team meetings to ensure consistency and best practice

Person Specification

Essential skills:

• Create a supportive, inclusive working environment, promoting staff wellbeing, engagement, and resilience
• People management skills, with the ability to support, motivate and develop staff in a people-focused environment
• Provide day-to-day support, responding to team needs and removing barriers to performance
• Is organised, proactive and able to manage competing priorities
• Communicates clearly and provides constructive feedback
• Takes a flexible, positive, and solutions-focused approach
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment
• Working in a digital environment to streamline processes and deliver high quality, value for money services
• Experience of delivering customer service excellence in a processing environment
• Proven capability to manage workloads effectively, prioritising tasks to meet stringent deadlines while maintaining high standards of quality
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Teams, Outlook, and Adobe software.
• Excellent command of the English language, with strong reading comprehension and written communication skills.

Desirable skills:

• Working knowledge of the Data Protection Act (DPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Has experience of allocating and managing workloads through a case management or workflow system
• Experience of handing confidential information with sensitivity, professionalism and integrity
• Experience of working in or with HMPPS
• Delivers effective 1-1s, coaching, and staff development
• Managing HR matters, including performance, attendance and wellbeing

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £29,303, Ministry of Justice contributes £8,489 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 Strengths.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

Open to UK nationals only.

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 : 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/17949?entityId=17949