JOB DESCRIPTION

Chief Operating Officer Group

The Ministry of Justice Chief Operating Officer Group sits at the centre of the department, delivering critical corporate functions and enabling the organisation to operate effectively at scale. Spanning finance, risk, governance, commercial, property, performance and public bodies oversight, the Group plays a vital role in ensuring the MoJ can meet its priorities and deliver a justice system that works for everyone. Operating across the full breadth of the organisation, it brings together expertise, insight and capability to drive performance, strengthen governance and support delivery in complex and high-profile environments.

Information about the MoJ and its priorities can be found at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about

Overview

Are you passionate about strengthening risk management across complex organisations? We are seeking a highly capable Senior Risk Lead (Grade 7) to join the MoJ’s Risk Management Centre of Expertise. This is an excellent opportunity to gain a holistic view of the Ministry of Justice and influence organisational decision making and outcomes.

In this senior practitioner role, you will champion delivery of the MoJ’s risk management and control framework, maintain strategic oversight of the department’s risk landscape, and provide high‑quality insight, analysis and advice that informs decision making at the most senior levels. You will work closely with leaders across the MoJ, its Executive Agencies, and Arm’s Length Bodies to drive continual improvement in risk maturity.

About the Role

Operating at the heart of departmental decision‑making, you will strengthen the MoJ’s risk and control environment, ensuring risk is well understood, well managed, and well governed across the Department.

A confident communicator and relationship-builder, you will collaborate with senior leaders, risk leads and an active risk community across the MoJ. Through your oversight of the departmental risk landscape and provision of high‑quality analysis and insight, you will support senior governance forums including Executive Committee in making informed strategic decisions.

As part of a small cadre of Grade 7 risk professionals, you will contribute to leadership of the Centre of Expertise, support capability-building across the organisation, and champion a risk intelligent culture making the MoJ a leading example across government for best practice in risk management.

The Team is largely London based. If you are not London based, you are likely to need to travel to London for face to face meetings and events at least monthly.

Main Activities / Responsibilities

The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

1. Strategic Risk Oversight & Insight

• Use analytical tools and techniques to produce high‑quality risk insight and advice for senior governance forums, including the Finance Performance & Risk Committee, Executive Committee, Audit & Risk Assurance Committee and Departmental Board.

• Maintain strategic oversight of key risks and controls across the Department and its Public Bodies.

• Influence decision‑making by ensuring risks and controls are clearly articulated, understood, and acted upon.

2. Stakeholder Engagement & Advice

• Build strong, trusted relationships with senior leaders and risk leads across the department.

• Provide expert advice to support continuous improvement in risk understanding, management, and control maturity.

• Strengthen integration between risk management, strategy, strategic finance, planning, performance, change, operations and functional experts.

3. Framework Development & Capability Building

• Develop and maintain the MoJ’s risk management framework and guidance in line with the Orange Book.

• Equip teams and individuals with the tools, skills and confidence needed to strengthen risk maturity and embed a positive, risk intelligent culture.

4. Cross‑Government Engagement

• Represent the MoJ within the wider government risk community, including the Government Finance Function’s Risk Centre of Excellence.

• Ensure the MoJ remains aligned with evolving civil service best practice in risk management and control.

5. Compliance

• Ensure compliance with the MoJ’s risk management framework across business groups, Executive Agencies and Arm’s Length Bodies.

• Support leadership in understanding areas of strong practice and opportunities for improvement.

Experience

Experience in enterprise risk management and organisational control is essential, alongside strong analytical, influencing and relationship‑building capabilities, including the ability to engage senior stakeholders.

Essential Criteria

Qualifications: IRM Certificate in enterprise risk management or equivalent level enterprise risk management experience which should be set out in the statement of suitability.

Application process

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework.

Sift

Candidates will be shortlisted for interview based on their enterprise risk management experience set out in the statement of suitability and CV alongside evidence provided of relevant behaviours.

With reference to your enterprise risk management experience, please provide examples of how you have met each of the behaviours below:

Seeing the Big Picture

• Think strategically and see the whole‑system view, understanding how risks, issues and priorities interconnect across the organisation and wider justice system.

Leadership

• Lead, motivate and develop others, have a passion for risk management to inspire confidence, set clear direction. Creates an positive inclusive environment where colleagues feel supported, engaged and able to excel.

• Demonstrate sound judgement and professional integrity, making balanced decisions, exercising discretion with sensitive information, and role‑modelling Civil Service values.

Working together

• Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships across teams and organisational boundaries, valuing diverse perspectives and working through others to deliver shared objectives.

• Constructively challenges senior leaders and peers, ensuring risks and implications are fully considered while maintaining trust and positive working relationships.

Making effective decisions

• Make sound, evidence‑based decisions using data and stakeholder insight to weigh risks and reach clear, defensible conclusions.

• Drive timely decisions at the right level, encouraging challenge and innovation, avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy and acting confidently under uncertainty.

Please refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details, including by grade:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles/success-profiles-civil-service-behaviours#why-we-assess-behaviours

If we receive a large number of applications, we will carry out an initial sift based on your enterprise risk management experience as set out in the statement of suitability.

Experience

You will be required to submit an anonymous copy of your CV and a statement of suitability (no more than 500 words) explaining your enterprise risk management experience and how you meet the key responsibilities of the role.

Candidates invited to interview

Please note that interviews will be carried out remotely via MS Teams. During the interview:

• You will be asked to do a presentation, details of which will be shared with candidates who are successful at sift.

• You will also be assessed using strengths which aren’t shared in advance of interview.

Behaviours

We will be assessing you on enterprise risk management experience using the behaviours set out below and detailed in the Success Profiles framework.

Seeing the Big Picture

• Think strategically and see the whole‑system view, understanding how risks, issues and priorities interconnect across the organisation and wider justice system.

Leadership

• Lead, motivate and develop others, have a passion for risk management to inspire confidence, set clear direction. Creates an positive inclusive environment where colleagues feel supported, engaged and able to excel.

Communicating and Influencing

• Build trusted and influential relationships with senior stakeholders. Communicate complex information clearly and persuasively, ensuring messages land well with diverse audiences.

• Present ideas and analysis with clarity and impact, using strong written, verbal and presentation skills to support informed decision‑making and influence outcomes at senior levels.