Senior Policy Manager – Head of OGD Growth (Ref: 17713)

Job summary

This position is based Nationally.

Job description

This leadership role sits within the Rehabilitation Directorate, where a core priority is to enable people in prison to build skills, gain experience and engage in meaningful, purposeful activity that supports rehabilitation and reduces reoffending. A central aim of this role is to unlock high‑quality work opportunities that benefit individuals in custody while also supporting wider government objectives, including reducing the cost of public sector procurement and delivering strong value for money for the taxpayer.

This is a senior, high‑profile role leading HMPPS’s work to grow and deliver contracts with Other Government Departments (OGDs). You will build on progress to date, including delivering on a flagship multi‑million pound contract with the Ministry of Defence, and take responsibility for turning ambitious cross‑government agreements into operational reality.

You will lead the development of a clear OGD strategy, shaping how HMPPS works across government to create new opportunities that deliver dual benefit: improving rehabilitative outcomes through skills and purposeful activity, while helping government partners meet their own workforce and procurement needs more efficiently.

A critical part of the role will be ensuring that major contracts are not only secured, but successfully implemented, working closely with the operational frontline, the Prison Industries team and other central colleagues to ensure effective delivery.

You will operate with confidence at senior levels, briefing Ministers and senior officials, convening external roundtables, and representing HMPPS across government. You will need to combine strong strategic thinking with a robust grip on delivery.

Alongside leading high‑profile cross‑government contracts, you will hold strategic oversight of the prisoner apprenticeship programme. Working with OGDs, employers and operational colleagues, you will drive the scale and impact of apprenticeships in custody, aligning delivery with wider government workforce priorities, ensuring it delivers high‑quality, employer‑led opportunities that build skills, supports rehabilitation, and meets labour market needs.

This role is ideally suited to a leader who enjoys working across organisational and departmental boundaries, has the credibility to influence at pace, and is motivated by delivering large scale, complex programmes that make a real difference. It offers a unique opportunity to shape how HMPPS partners across government and to lead one of the most significant growth agendas in the Employment, Skills and Education portfolio.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £71,027, HM Prison & Probation Service contributes £20,576 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, Strengths 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.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 5358

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/17713?entityId=17713