Service Prosecuting Authority RASODA Lead / Senior Prosecutor

Job summary

Note: This summary covers two G6 prosecutor roles within the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA): Senior Prosecutor and RASODA (Rape, Serious Offences and Domestic Abuse) Lead.

The G6 prosecutor roles are senior legal posts responsible for leading or supporting the prosecution of serious, complex and sensitive cases within the Service Justice System (SJS), including rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO), serious violence, domestic abuse and high-risk or high-profile matters.

Senior Prosecutor: This role focuses on leading the prosecution of the most serious, complex and sensitive cases, providing strategic case direction and supporting wider prosecution performance, professional standards and continuous improvement. The post holder will be in court more regularly than the RASODA lead and be expected to conduct cases across the spectrum of criminal offending including serious violence and fraud.

RASODA Lead: This role has additional specialist responsibility for RASSO and domestic abuse casework. It supports SPA prosecutors in assessing and prosecuting RASSO and domestic abuse cases, benchmarks SPA casework against civilian justice best practice, and develops SPA training, guidance and policy on RASODA work. The RASODA Lead also supports concurrent jurisdiction issues, disclosure, and provides early advice to the Service Police Forces, including on reasonable lines of enquiry where required.

Both roles require independent prosecutorial judgement in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, ensuring decisions are legally robust, fair, and in the public and Service interest. The post holder will conduct casework, make and review charging decisions, provide legal advice, and conduct advocacy in the Court Martial, equivalent to the Crown Court, and the Court Martial Appeal Court.

Both roles deliver strategic leadership across SPA. The post holder operates at senior level across Defence and the criminal justice system, contributing to policy development, and to SPA’s internal training programme for new and developing advocates.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. The post holder reports to the Director of Service Prosecutions and works closely with the Deputy Director. The Deputy Director of Service Prosecutions (DDSP) will have operational accountability for the prosecutors’ day-to-day deployment, workload, priorities, and delivery of the business objectives of the team. The DSP and DDSP will work collaboratively to ensure operational accountability and formal line-management responsibilities remain aligned. The post holders will be the most senior prosecutors who routinely attend Court.

Job description

Prosecution & Case Leadership

• Conduct casework in the most serious and complex cases, including RASSO, serious violence, and sensitive or high-profile matters.

• Undertake advocacy in the Court Martial and appellate courts as required.

• Apply the Code for Crown Prosecutors rigorously, ensuring legally robust, fair and defensible charging decisions.

• Provide authoritative advice to Service Police on legal issues including reasonable lines of enquiry and case building.

Strategic Legal Advice & System Leadership

• Provide senior-level legal advice on complex and novel issues across the Service Justice System.

• Act as a trusted adviser to the Director of Service Prosecutions and senior Defence stakeholders on legal risk, case strategy, and public confidence.

• Support engagement with wider criminal justice partners (e.g. AGO, CPS where relevant).

• Contribute to legal policy development, ensuring SPA practice aligns with wider criminal justice.

• RASODA Lead: In addition to the shared strategic legal advice responsibilities, the RASODA Lead will work with Managing Prosecutors to provide advice and guidance to SPA prosecutors on casework, including early engagement and case-building with the Service Police Forces, and advocacy related to RASODA work. This includes providing legal advice and coaching prosecutors to develop their professional knowledge and skills. The RASODA Lead also provides advice and guidance to the Director of Service Prosecutions and Deputy Director of Service Prosecutions on RASODA and related work.

Case Management & Performance

• Oversee management of complex caseloads, ensuring compliance with statutory timelines and procedural obligations.

• Ensure that the interests of victims, witnesses and defendants are properly considered and safeguarded throughout proceedings.

• Maintain oversight of case progression, minimising delay and improving timeliness of justice.

• Escalate significant legal or reputational risks in accordance with SPA governance arrangements.

Professional Leadership, Standards & Capability

• Provide leadership, mentoring and professional oversight to SPA prosecutors, including junior lawyers.

• Develop specialist prosecution capability across areas such as RASSO, and complex fraud (where required).

• Lead internal legal training and contribute to capability development across SPA.

• Ensure adherence to SPA policies, legal standards and continuing professional development requirements.

• RASODA Lead: The RASODA Lead acts as policy and guidance owner for SPA guidance and policy related to RASODA work, identifies where improvements can be made in SPA processes, and assists in the design and implementation of new processes and procedures. The role develops specialist prosecution capability in RASODA, works with the SPA training team to identify training needs, helps develop learning events related to RASODA work and wider advocacy and casework, and undertakes learning events and presentations to upskill SPA employees.

Governance, Assurance & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure compliance with SPA policies, legal frameworks and professional standards across all casework.

• Support internal assurance, audit and inspection processes including quality reviewing decisions made and advocacy undertaken by other prosecutors.

• Identify and drive improvements in prosecution practice, including reducing delay and strengthening case quality.

• Contribute to broader SJS reform and continuous improvement initiatives where required.

• RASODA Lead: The RASODA Lead assists in developing statistics for reporting RASODA and other work, works with SPA and external stakeholders to identify best practice, and seeks to improve the service offered to victims, particularly in RASODA cases. This includes chairing or co-chairing RASSO scrutiny panels and mentoring the lead prosecutor for domestic abuse to ensure they are informed and supported to provide bespoke, trauma-informed operational support to the Service Police Forces in domestic abuse cases.

Person specification

Essential:

• Qualified barrister or solicitor in England and Wales with significant post-qualification experience in criminal law.

• Extensive experience conducting serious and complex criminal prosecutions, including advocacy in the Crown Court and, ideally, in the Appellate Courts.

• Experience in prosecuting rape and serious sexual offences, with the RASODA Lead expected to have particular expertise in this area.

• Deep understanding of the Code for Crown Prosecutors and criminal justice law and procedure.

• Proven ability to provide clear, authoritative legal advice.

• Strong analytical skills, with ability to assess complex evidential and legal issues.

• Excellent drafting and advocacy skills.

• Demonstrable leadership capability, including mentoring and professional development of others.

• Strong judgement, integrity and resilience in high-pressure and sensitive environments.

• Ability to quickly learn Service Law and Court Martial procedure which may be demonstrated by proven ability to learn other areas of law quickly.

• Travel and overnight stays (UK and potentially abroad) to Court Martial Centres will be required, according to business need.

Desirable:

• Experience within military or Service Justice System environments.

• Familiarity with Service law and Court Martial procedures.

• Experience contributing to policy development or organisational improvement.

Licences

Essential: Qualified barrister or solicitor in England and Wales.

Qualifications

Essential: Qualified barrister or solicitor in England and Wales.

Memberships

Solicitors Regulatory Authority / Bar Standards Board

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £72,840, Ministry of Defence contributes £21,101 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• 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%

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and working from home as part of a non-contractual hybrid working arrangement. All office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to site capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD workplace, will also count towards this level of office attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this and other flexible working arrangements may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

The post does not offer relocation expenses.

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

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.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical expertise.

You will be asked to provide a CV and 1000 word personal statement about how you meet the criteria as part of the application. These will be sifted by scoring your experience and the behaviours listed above.

At sift, Candidates will be assessed against you CV, Personal Statement (1000 words maximum) and the following behaviours:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

Where there is significant interest in the Vacancy Notice the panel reserves the right to carry out an initial sift based on the lead behaviour: Making Effective Decisions.

At interview, Candidates will be assessed against the following:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

If you are called to interview, you will be asked to undertake a pre-interview assessment, lasting approximately 40 minutes, and will look to assess your ability in relation to legal case analysis and review. The candidate will be expected to present their conclusions during the subsequent interview including, showing evidence of advocacy. Further information about the format of the assessment will be provided prior to the interview date as prior preparation will be required.

The interview will include discussion of the assessment, the advocacy exercise, questions about your previous experience, and a question on the behaviour “Managing a Quality Service”. This will last approximately 40 minutes. Note: the role does not require you to line manage and this criterion concerns the service you provide.

The candidate will be asked for their preferred position at interview, but the selection panel cannot guarantee the candidate’s preference.

There will an online MS TEAMS brief where prospective candidates can receive further information about the positions and ask any questions they may have. This will take place on the 28 August 2026 at 1pm. Candidates should contact the vacancy lead to be provided with a link.

This vacancy is part of the A Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-pla….

Further information:

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.

There may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all DCS candidates that meet the minimum criteria for the job. For example, in certain recruitment situations such as a high volume of applications, seasonal demand, or peak periods, the employer may wish to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both DCS and non-DCS applicants.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.
Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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.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 : Mr John Foody
• Email : john.foody100@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: info@csc.gov.uk.

Attachments

Defence Civil Service Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)Defence Internal Brief notice Opens in new window (docx, 43kB)Candidate Information Opens in new window (docx, 32kB)