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Candidate Information Pack
Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
SCS Pay Band 1
Closing Date: 23:55 23rd November 2025
Introduction 3
Welcome to DEPARTMENT/TEAM 3
About the Ministry of Justice 4
About the role 5
Key Responsibilities 6
Person Specification 7
Civil Service Success Profiles 9
The Recruitment Process 12
Application and CV & Success Profile Statement Assessment 12
Assessments 13
Panel interview 14
After the panel interview 14
Success Profile Statements Guidance 14
Expected Timeline 16
Benefits of working the Ministry of Justice 17
Pensions at the Ministry of Justice 19
Disability Support 21
FAQs 23
Data Sharing 25
Diversity & Inclusion 26
Civil Service Code 27
Contact Us 28
Based in London and Belfast, we provide the best possible advice and support we can to our Ministerial team, led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the UK Cabinet minister with lead responsibility for all matters Northern Ireland.
We have achieved a lot over the past year, not least supporting and enabling the successful restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive. Our work is highly stimulating and fast moving, politically and operationally. It also demands sensitivity and patience.
As a department with the benefit of being small and expert, we work best together, and in a way that reflects the deep interconnections between the issues in Northern Ireland. In practice, this means we: plan for outcomes; deliver through projects; and organise through our relationships and expertise
Our work is often high profile and never far from the media. This comes with challenges as well as exciting opportunities to share the work that we do. It requires us to deliver through our civil service values and with an appreciation of the significance and sensitivity of the work that we do. It is also extremely rewarding. Few organisations can offer careers with the potential to make such a direct impact on society, working closely with a Ministerial team. You may be working in the civil service or in wider public service, or indeed elsewhere. If you have the skills, experience, ambition and energy to join this team I look forward to your application.
Dr Julie Harrison
Permanent Secretary, Northern Ireland Office
The Ministry of Justice is a major government department at the heart of the justice system. We deliver some of the most fundamental public services including courts, tribunals, prisons, legal services, youth justice, probation services, and attendance centres.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) works to protect and advance the principles of justice. Our vision is to deliver a world-class justice system that works for everyone in society.
The justice system plays a crucial role in our success as a nation - keeping people safe, emphasising fairness, guaranteeing individual rights and giving businesses confidence to flourish.
The delivery of our three strategic outcomes are central to doing this:
Punishment that cuts crime: to rebuild confidence in the criminal justice system by protecting the public and reducing reoffending with a sustainable and effective prison and probation service.
Swifter justice for victims: to rebuild confidence in the criminal justice system by ensuring timely, just outcomes for victims and defendants through a modern and efficient criminal courts system.
A beacon for justice and the rule of law: to uphold the rule of law at home and abroad; promote our world-leading legal services, which contribute to economic growth; and deliver accessible and timely civil, family and administrative justice.
About the Northern Ireland
Office
The purpose of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the NIO (UKG’s centre of expertise on Northern Ireland) has remained the same, whether or not the Executive is functioning, since the Assembly met in 1999. That purpose is to ensure that Northern Ireland is secure, with stable and effective devolved institutions, improving community relations and a growing economy.
We are a small Ministerial Department with big responsibilities - delivered primarily through the purposeful application of expertise, organisation and relationships.
The department supports the Secretary of State and the wider Ministerial team to deliver the Prime Minister’s priorities in Northern Ireland. It ensures Northern Ireland issues are fully and effectively represented at Westminster and across Government - and that the Government’s responsibilities are fully and effectively represented in Northern Ireland. We do this through supporting and ensuring the effective functioning of the devolved institutions; keeping people safe from the threats of terrorism and organised criminality; supporting the delivery of a growing economy; helping to reduce community divisions; building mutual trust and establishing meaningful interculturalism.
The Northern Ireland Office employs around 170 staff, with offices in Belfast and London. As a small Department, we adopt a flexible project-based approach to ensure that we have the right people, with the right skills, in the right place to support the delivery of our key objectives. For more information about what we do, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisatio
ns/northern-ireland-office
Job Title
Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Location
The post is based in London reflecting the Secretary of State’s primary work location given the Secretary of State’s Parliamentary responsibilities.
Please note the requirements for travel and level of flexibility available as set out in the FAQs section.
Salary
The salary for this role is set within the SCS Payband 1 range. It is expected that successful applicants will be appointed at the band minimum of £81,000.
Existing Civil Servants will be appointed in line with the Civil Service pay rules in place on the date of their appointment.
A Private Office Allowance applies to this role
Contract Type
This role is offered on a two year-loan or secondment with the option to extend for a third year.
The Role
This is a challenging and demanding role but also a rewarding one. It offers a unique and exciting opportunity to operate at the very heart of the Northern Ireland Office, working closely with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, other Ministers and senior officials. You will gain an unrivalled insight into the workings of the wider Department, Whitehall and the operation of devolved government in Northern Ireland.
Key Responsibilities
Ensure that the Secretary of State, Ministers and the NIO Senior Leadership Team (SLT) are supported by a highly effective and resilient Private Office team with outreach across the department.
Ensure the operational effectiveness and resilience of a Private Office of 20 individuals including an Executive Support Team and Parliamentary Team. This will entail leading a programme of modernisation and digitalisation within our Private Office as well as prioritising supportive management and personal development across this team.
Lead this team to facilitate continuous and effective two-way communication and service between the Secretary of State, Ministers and officials.
Work closely with the Permanent Under Secretary and SLT to prioritise and support the delivery of our key departmental objectives, ensuring these are fully aligned with SoS and Ministerial priorities and use of time.
Provide oversight and assurance of all Private Office processes to support SoS’s and Ministers’s day to day work and decision making, using data and evidence to monitor and improve these processes.
Use your judgement to identify and prioritise issues that need to be brought to the attention of SoS Ministers, working closely with SLT and peers/Team Leaders to manage competing interests in the immediate, short and long-term.
Be resilient, accurate and resourceful in providing urgent guidance on difficult issues, identifying and managing risks and opportunities at pace.
Have a strong grasp of the priority policies and objectives for the Secretary of State, and the ability to source and use the expertise of policy officials to progress these.
Know how to work effectively with Special Advisers, facilitating their relationships with the wider department and SoS and Ministers to maximise their impact.
Have a strong and responsive network with other Ministerial Private Office teams in both Whitehall (including no10 and Cabinet Office) and Northern Ireland departments.
Build partnerships with key external stakeholders including officials in the Irish government and the US administration, and use these to represent the views of the Secretary of State, Ministers and senior officials credibly and sensitively.
This is a very challenging role in a complex and often fast moving political environment. It is important through your CV and Statement of Suitability that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the selection criteria detailed.
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:
Essential criteria:
Exceptional interpersonal and team management skills, with the ability to provide leadership across a geographically dispersed and multi-faceted Private Office team.
Proven experience of working effectively with Ministers and senior officials to deliver policy outcomes.
The ability to build and maintain a strong network of internal and external stakeholders with a strong ability to influence at all levels, working collaboratively to resolve difficult issues.
Excellent judgement, and a good understanding of the political nuances of
working on devolved matters as well as within Whitehall.
Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to work effectively across a range of tasks and under pressure.
The ability to think strategically and creatively, and to be able to communicate clearly under pressure in a timely way.
Desirable criteria:
An understanding of the Northern Ireland political system and the work of the Northern Ireland Executive would be advantageous, but is not essential.
Civil Service Competency:
You will also be assessed against the following behaviours at interview stage:
Communicating and Influencing
Changing and Improving
Making Effective Decisions
Delivering at Pace
Further information about the Civil Service Competency Framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-competency-framework
Civil Service Leadership Statement:
All leaders within the Civil Service are expected to demonstrate the qualities within the Civil Service Leadership Statement during their Staff Engagement Exercise
Application
To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process accessed via the advertisement listed for this role.
This should be completed no later than 23 November 2025 and will involve uploading the two documents outlined below:
Document details:
A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
A Statement of Suitability (no more than 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.
As part of the application process, you will be required to complete your diversity information. All monitoring data will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be provided to the selection panel. We capture this information to monitor our internal vacancy filling processes with a view to ensuring that we continue to build a talented workforce with diverse perspectives and backgrounds.
In addition to diversity information, you will be asked whether you wish to apply for the role as part of the Disability Confident Scheme. For more information about the scheme, please see the FAQs section.
Please submit and complete all of the documents listed so that the panel will have all the required information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. Please note failure to submit a CV and Statement of Suitability will result in your application not being considered for this role.
Should you encounter any issues with your application please get in touch with SCS Recruitment via:
scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk.
Selection Process
The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all longlisted and shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
You may have the opportunity to be invited to an informal fireside chat with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, ahead of panel interviews. The purpose is to to give candidates the opportunity to learn more about the role and the Northern Ireland Office.
Assessment
Candidates successful at sift stage will be invited to attend a panel interview, chaired by Ruth Sloan, Chief Operating Officer, NIO.
Full details of the assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.
Offer
Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible after the final interview.
What are Behaviours?
The Civil Service recruits using Success Profiles and Behaviours are an element of Success Profiles used to see whether candidates are able demonstrate specific Behaviours associated with the role they are applying for during the selection process.
In this process the below Behaviours are most relevant to this role and will be assessed during the interview stage of the process. The definitions of Behaviours are set out below:
Communicating and Influencing
You communicate clearly and with confidence, both verbally and in writing. You are open, honest and transparent in your communications. You communicate effectively with internal and external senior stakeholders to present information in a convincing and influential manner. You tailor your communication methods and content to the audience, simplifying strategic messages.
Changing and Improving
You create an environment of continuous improvement and change. You see the benefit of change and promote this within your area of responsibility. You identify business needs, both current and future, and use this to identify opportunities for change, utilising innovative solutions that benefit the end user. You are able to embed change, managing risks. You evaluate the impact of change against the expected outcomes for service users and the public.
Delivering at Pace
You translate organisational strategy into clear objectives for activity within your area of responsibility. You promote this amongst staff and ensure teams take responsibility for delivering against objectives. You prioritise competing or conflicting demands, and are able to decisively adjust activity based on changing requirements. You manage resource effectively to enable those in your area of responsibility to deliver. You delegate effectively, managing any risks associated with doing so.
Making Effective Decisions
You make defensible, objective and fair high-impact decisions, considering the impact on the service user and wider organisation. You are willing to take ownership of your decisions, being transparent and open about the reasons for them. You effectively analyse data to make evidence-based decisions, whilst being comfortable taking considered risks based on the best evidence available. You consult with others to incorporate views and professional expertise, ensuring appropriate individuals are involved in the decision-making process.
Please click here or more information on Behaviours and Success Profiles
Guidance for writing your Statement and CV
As part of the application process you need to submit a Statement and CV. Both your Statement and CV should demonstrate how you meet the essential experience outlined in the Person Specification section.
Ensure you read through the role information thoroughly and identify the essential criteria for each area. You should ensure you provide evidence for each of the essential experience which are required for the role in your Statement and CV. You may not be progressed to the next stage of the assessment process if you do not provide this evidence.
When structuring your Statements try to:
Group evidence of the same experience skills together by using subheadings and paragraphs. This will help to ensure you are writing about the experience that is directly relevant for the role you are applying for.
You should ensure that you detail recent and relevant examples of the essential experience required for the role and describe the outcome that came from this.
Providing a name-blind CV and Success Profile Statements
In both your CV and Success Profile Statements please remove references to any personal information that could identify you. For example:
Name and title
Educational institution names
Age and gender
Email address
Postal address and telephone number
Nationality and immigration status.
This will help us to recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not on your background, gender or ethnicity. Recruiting this way is called name-blind recruitment.
For more information on how to write your Statement and CV please visit the Civil Service Careers Website
We will try and offer as much flexibility as we can, but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments or interviews. You are therefore asked to note the below timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process, in order to meet the dates given. Please note that these dates may be subject to change.
The anticipated timetable is as follows:
23:55 on 23rd November 2025
Shortlist Meeting
Week commencing 1st December 2025
Panel Interview and Presentation
Week commencing 15th December 2025
Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing
Our departmental values - purpose, humanity, openness and together - are at the heart of our commitment to create a culture where all our people are able to thrive and flourish in the workplace.
We want to attract and retain the best talent from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. We want everyone to be the best of themselves, to feel supported and have a strong sense of belonging in the workplace. Our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce is reflected in all of our people policies and strategies.
Benefits
As a Ministry of Justice employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits which include but are not limited to:
Pension
The Civil Service Pension Scheme is one of the best workplace pension schemes in the UK public sector. Visit www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk for more details.
Generous Annual Leave and Bank Holiday Allowance
25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays. This will be complemented by one further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the King’s Birthday.
Flexible Working
While not every type of flexible working will be suitable for every role and business area, flexible working can take many forms and The Ministry of Justice is committed to delivering its business effectively and sustainably by creating modern and inclusive workplaces that enable smart, flexible and hybrid working.
For more information on our amazing benefits including our Civil Service Pension Scheme, annual and special leave, and our Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing schemes please visit our Senior Civil Service website
What reasonable adjustments can be made if I have a disability?
We are committed to supporting all candidates to take part in the recruitment process. This includes supporting individuals who have a disability by making reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.
If you feel you require any kind of support and/or would like to discuss this with someone, please indicate 'yes' to requesting reasonable adjustments in your application form and ensure that you respond to the Reasonable Adjustments Scheme team by email.
How we can support you
There are many types of reasonable adjustments that can be made during assessment processes.
Examples of some types of adjustments include:
Extra time to complete assessments;
Providing a break within an assessment;
Providing interview questions in a written format at the interview as well as orally;
An interview at a certain time of day;
This is not an exhaustive list but rather some examples of how we can support you during the SCS Recruitment Process.
Whilst we aim to confirm all adjustments requested, there may be occasions where this isn't possible. If an adjustment cannot be provided, the reasons for this will be explained to you.
Help with your application
It is important you contact us as early as possible by email if you would like to request reasonable adjustments so that the recruitment process runs smoothly for you.
If you do decide during the process that you do require adjustments and you have not completed all your assessments, please contact the SCS recruitment team in advance of your next assessment.
If you have any questions in advance of making your application regarding reasonable adjustments please contact the SCS recruitment team at scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk.
Do you offer a Disability Confident Scheme for Disabled Persons?
As a Disability Confident employer, the MoJ offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. This could be in terms of the advertised essential skills and/or application form sift criteria. Within the application form, you will be asked if you would like to be considered for an interview under this scheme, so please make us aware of this when prompted.
No.
If you wish to discuss your needs in more detail please get in touch with the named point of contact in this pack.
If successful you will be based in London or Belfast. Relocation costs will not be reimbursed.
This role will also require travel nationally.
Am I eligible to apply for this role?
For information on whether you are eligible to apply, please visit Gov.UK.
Is security clearance required?
Yes. If successful you must hold, or be willing to obtain, security clearance to SC, with the need to obtain DV level later. More information about the vetting process can be found here.
Will this role be overseen by the Civil Service Commission?
No. However, the recruitment process will still be governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.
What do I do if I want to make a complaint?
The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.
Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk in the first instance.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order.
To Shared Service-Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 08.00 - 18.00) or e-mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com)
To Ministry of Justice Resourcing (resourcing-services@justice.gov.uk)
To the Civil Service Commission (https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/contact-us/)
What should I do if I think that I have a conflict of interest?
If you believe that you may have a conflict of interest you must declare it by contacting SCS Recruitment on scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk before submitting your application
We will ensure that we will treat all personal information in accordance with data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018.
Data Sharing
To process your application your personal data will be shared with the Ministry of Justice SCS Recruitment Team, campaign Panel Members and anyone else necessary as part of the recruitment process.
The legal basis for processing your personal data is:
Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. Personal data are processed in the public interest because understanding civil servant experiences and feelings about working in the Civil Service can inform decision taken to improve these experiences, and ultimately organisation performance.
Sensitive personal data is personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person's sex life or sexual orientation.
The legal basis for processing your sensitive personal data is:
Processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest for the exercise of a function of the Crown, a Minister of the Crown, or a government department: it is important to know if groups of staff with specific demographic characteristics have a better or worse experience of working for the Civil Service, so that appropriate action can be taken to level this experience;
Processing is of a specific category of personal data and it is necessary for the purposes of identifying or keeping under review the existence or absence of equality of opportunity or treatment between groups of people with a view to enabling such equality to be promoted or maintained.
Please note if you are successful in your application your sensitive personal data will be used as part of the on-boarding process to build your employee record.
For further information please see the GDPR Privacy Notice
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent where it is found. To learn more, please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy
Should candidates like to discuss the role in more detail before submitting an application, please contact SCS Recruitment on scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk.
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