Ministry of Justice

Job Title & Grade: Operations, Policy Implementation and Change Lead – Grade 7
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary range (depending on location): 
National - £58,511 to £65,329
London - £63,343 to £70,725

Please note that unless you are currently employed by the Civil Service and are earning more than the minimum above, if successful you will be offered the minimum for the grade depending on your location.

Location: National – Any LAA Office

Please note that whilst this role is open to all MOJ staff, you can only apply for London, Cambridge and Brighton offices if you are a current LAA staff member based in those offices. This is due to and in line with the LAA's Location Strategy and the Cabinet Office's Places for Growth Strategy.

Minimum Working Pattern:

If you are applying for a part time role, please note that in order to meet business needs we need cover for a minimum of 28 hours and to cover 4 days of the week
To meet legal requirements, if you are between the ages 16-18 and you are a successful candidate, you will be required to complete an apprenticeship after your initial on the job training.

The Legal Aid Agency

We are an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). At the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), we have a vital purpose. We help eligible people meet the costs of legal advice, family mediation and representation in a court or tribunal in England and Wales.  

Our people are at the heart of achieving excellence. Employing around 1,200 colleagues across England and Wales, we have some of the best People Survey results in the Civil Service and are proud of our supportive, inclusive culture.   

We’ll invest in you by providing structured training and development opportunities. 
This is a great chance to start your career with the LAA and we offer real opportunities to progress and develop your career, either with us or the wider Civil Service if you choose.  

Case Management

The Case Management team is central to the Agency, it is responsible for handling legal aid applications, processing case payments and dealing with correspondence and enquiries received in both Civil and Criminal Legal aid matters. Our dedicated staff ensure that 600,000 new clients access justice each year, while ensuring that legal aid lawyers are paid fairly. 

We listen and engage with all staff in case management, ensuring we always value the ‘caseworker voice’ and that this is represented when delivering change. We support all staff in our work, recognising success and promoting a positive and healthy work-life balance.  

We have a culture where new ideas are encouraged and appreciated.   

Civil Billing Team

The Civil Billing team works closely with legal providers and the wider Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to deliver our purpose. Operating within Civil Case Management, the team is responsible for processing over 530,000 civil legal aid bills each year, with a total value in excess of £800 million. In addition, the team manages the recovery of secured debt from legal aid clients, returning more than £15 million annually to the Legal Aid Fund. We provide services that support people in need, and this commitment sits at the heart of our day-to-day decision-making and our work to continuously improve legal aid services.
The engagement and commitment of our staff are crucial to achieving this shared purpose. Together, we demonstrate openness, honesty, and commitment, with a clear focus on delivering results. The team is geographically diverse, with Legal Aid Agency (LAA) offices based nationally.

Job Summary

The Operations, Policy Implementation and Change Lead will report directly to the Head of Civil Billing. The role holder acts as a senior leader within the Case Management directorate and will sit within the Senior Management Team (SMT) and support Operational Leadership Team (OLT). They are responsible for shaping and delivering operational implementation of LAA and wider MoJ strategic objectives within Case Management with specific accountability for the delivery of operational policy/processes and delivery of change. 
They will use highly developed problem-solving skills and continuous improvement to develop Case Management, ensuring the directorate remains cost effective and efficient. They will present ideas for improvement directly to several governance forums including but not limited to the Leadership Executive Committee (LEx Co), People and Operations Committee and Transformation governance boards. They will take responsibility for delivering agreed actions including representing the LAA when liaising with Representative Bodies, wider MoJ and across government.

Key Responsibilities:

·    Lead and manage Operational Leads to ensure effective performance, delivery against team and personal objectives, monitor Business Improvement and Continuous Improvement Activity, Quality and Training in relation to policy implementation and change. 
·    Maintain a level of knowledge of the Case Management processes, regulations, guidance and systems to support its development and improvement.  
·    Communicate keys messages whilst ensuring the effective delivery of performance in line with Key Performance Indicators and contributes to the management of overall Case Management performance, ensuring targets are met. 
·    Advise LAA/MoJ Policy on impacts of implementing policy changes operationally including early engagement of Ministerial proposals; to ensure that all internal processes are re-designed and delivered to meet requirements whilst maintaining standards of customer service. This includes suggesting regulation or guidance improvements. 
·    Ensure the accurate interpretation, application and communication of proposals and policy implementation including resourcing, training, engagement and communications and developing a stakeholder engagement plan. 
·    Effectively communicate and engage with the partners across the LAA to ensure that legal aid implications are actively considered and fully incorporated into whole system initiatives.
·    Ensure that Civil category fund forecasts and MoJ Finance are informed by current policy initiatives and a detailed understanding of current trends and wider system impacts. 
·    Works collaboratively to contribute to, and influence, long term planning of Business Continuity measures. Develop and manage a register of business risks and issues and develop appropriate contingency plans.
·    Lead to ensure priorities and key performance measures are delivered and the appropriate governance and oversight arrangements are in place for delegated budgets and resources across the main processing teams which will help shape the future of the department.
·    Represents Case Management as part of their Senior Management Team (SMT) and the Senior Leadership Group (SLG) for the LAA, contributing to the strategic vision as a whole and role modelling the leadership statement, championing diversity and inclusion.
·    Build effective engagement management and communication strategy by working with the LAA and MoJ internal and external communications teams allowing the understanding of issues, reduce lost time, failure demand and support training for external stakeholders and provider representative bodies.  
·    Work with Transformation Team and LAA Digital to support and influence in the delivery of the transformation portfolio, ensuring that delivery is on track to meet key milestones.
·    Challenge and influence ways of working both in terms of status quo but also where initiatives will negatively impact operations and user experience. Identify innovative ways of working whilst highlighting any risks with change.
·    Ensure that any new processes deliver cost effective and consistent quality services, complying with standards expected from a public body.
·    Oversee the design and implementation of recruitment and learning and development strategies, ensuring the workforce has the skills, capabilities, and experience required both now and in preparation for policy change, to deliver high‑quality services to all stakeholders
·    Lead on delivering the technical detail and analytical components of submissions, Parliamentary/MP Questions and Public Accounts Committee responses, working with the Deputy Director to ensure Ministerial priorities are met effectively.
·    Attend Legal Aid Agency offices as required to undertake face to face meetings, line management responsibilities, training, business improvement activity, visible leadership, and the effective communication of key organisational messages.

Essential Knowledge, Experience and skills

•    Extensive knowledge of civil legal aid policy, regulations and legal aid systems/procedures.
•    Demonstrable experience of leading large operational and geographically dispersed teams and policy implementation including embedding new processes or ways of working in a complex environment.
•    Experience of leading and developing teams, including managers, to deliver high-quality services and continuous improvement.
•    Strong stakeholder management skills, with experience of influencing and negotiating with internal and external partners.
•    Experience of analysing complex information and using sound judgement to inform decision-making.
•    Ability to communicate complex information clearly and persuasively, both verbally and in writing.

Desirable Knowledge, Experience and skills

•    Knowledge of legal aid operations or a comparable operational delivery environment.
•    Experience of delivering government policy into operational practice.
•    Experience of business continuity planning.
•    Understanding of financial forecasting or resource planning in a public sector context.

Person Specification 

The successful candidate will demonstrate:
•    The ability to lead teams through change in a fast-moving environment.
•    Confidence in working with stakeholders at different levels of seniority.
•    Resilience and sound judgement when operating in ambiguous or evolving policy contexts.
•    A collaborative leadership style that values diverse perspectives, opinions and promotes inclusion.
•    A track record of delivering outcomes through others.

Assessment approach 
Application Process 

To apply please provide a statement of suitability showing how you meet the essential criteria in no more than 1250 words as well as a Leadership behaviour example of no more than 250 words.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Leadership. Candidates who pass the initial sift will progress to a full sift of your statement.

Your statement should demonstrate your ability to do all of the essential criteria listed, using examples can help strengthen your application.

Please note we do not require a CV and that we only require a Statement of Suitability and a behaviour example for your application. The wording on this advert may suggest that an Experience question is also required, however this is not necessary.

Interview / assessment Process
If you are successful through the application stage, you will be invited to an interview / assessment centre in person or via Microsoft Teams where you will be assessed against the following: 

•    Strengths relevant to the role
•    The following Behaviours: 

• Leadership
• Seeing the big picture

•    Your Experience of implementing, promoting, or understanding diversity and inclusion policy - Diversity is the presence of difference, this can include one or more of the protected characteristics (Gender, Age, Race, Disability etc.) or it can be about working patterns, whether we like to jump into a task or reflect on it before acting. Inclusion is how we welcome, value, and celebrate diversity, giving everyone a voice, tapping into ideas, and enabling everyone to be themselves at work and achieve their potential.

For this grade/ role we would expect the candidate to demonstrate understanding of the terms Diversity and Inclusion and be able to explain why they are important in a work environment. We would also expect examples of action they have taken to embrace diversity (e.g., increasing understanding for self or others) or improve inclusion at a departmental level. 

•    You will also be asked to prepare a short presentation on a topic; this will be confirmed prior to the interview. This will be assessed against the behaviour Communicating and influencing.  

Shortlisting is planned for week commencing 1st June 2026
Interviews are planned for week commencing 22nd June 2026

If you would like more information on this opportunity, please contact –Anthony Evans, (LAA) Anthony.Evans@Justice.gov.uk

Our LAA commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain, and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. Under the Equality Act 2010 a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months. 

If you are responding to a role within the Legal Aid Agency and would like to be considered under the guaranteed interview, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the sift or later selection processes.

The LAA’s goal is to build an organisation that is open and inclusive and truly values and celebrates the diversity of its workforce. One that reflects and understands the needs of the diverse society we serve. This is regardless of social background, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, beliefs, disabilities or long-term illness or caring responsibilities.

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long-term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments to support you through the recruitment process, please let us know by adding the information to the applications system or emailing LAARecruitment@justice.gov.uk after you have applied so that we can discuss options with you.

Complaints procedure

If you have any complaints about this recruitment activity, please share your concerns by emailing LAARecruitment@justice.gov.uk initially. We aim to respond to any complaint within 10 working days.