Do you want to be part of an energetic, innovative team helping to deliver one of the biggest changes to Civil Service administration in decades?

An opportunity has arisen to join the Cluster HR Function as a Core Cluster HR Programme Management Lead within the Synergy transformation programme. This is a high-profile, cross-departmental role working across DWP, Defra, MoJ and the Home Office.

The role will provide programme management, governance and delivery oversight across HR transformation activity, helping to ensure plans, risks, dependencies and decisions are coordinated across the cluster. Working closely with the Synergy Cluster HR Delivery Lead, programme colleagues and departmental stakeholders, the post holder will support a joined-up approach to delivery and help embed a sustainable future HR operating model.

The Cluster HR Function

The Cluster HR Function is a multi-departmental team responsible for shaping and coordinating HR transformation for the Synergy programme. It supports the development of a unified HR operating model by reducing duplication, improving consistency and preparing departments for implementation and steady state.

Working on a cluster-first basis, the function brings together HR, programme and departmental colleagues to support governance, readiness, engagement and delivery across the four departments. Its work is aligned to the Synergy Common Operating Model and supports wider convergence across HR, Finance, Commercial and the Synergy Hub.

Role Purpose

The Core Cluster HR Programme Management Lead provides structured programme level co-ordination, governance and assurance across HR transformation activity within the Synergy Cluster, helping to maintain coherence across the cluster and grip on delivery as the programme progresses.

The role acts as a critical operational bridge between the Programme, the Cluster HR Function and departments, ensuring that HR activity is well planned, implementation ready and aligned to the strategic direction. Through strong oversight of milestones, dependencies, risks and decision making, the post holder supports effective delivery in a complex, multi-departmental environment with evolving requirements.

A key focus of the role is supporting the transition from programme delivery into steady state, ensuring that governance, controls and agreed ways of working are embedded in a way that enables the future HR operating model to function effectively at cluster and departmental level.

Operating with a high degree of autonomy within defined governance frameworks, the post holder will provide clear insight to senior leaders, enable timely and evidence‑based decisions, and escalate issues where necessary to maintain momentum and delivery focus.

Key Responsibilities

The role will contribute to and lead activity across the following areas:

Cluster HR Governance and Assurance

• Coordinate and manage cluster level HR governance and assurance activity, ensuring alignment with Programme requirements.

• Track and coordinate design endorsement and assurance activity, including preparation of papers, responses and follow up actions.

• Provide project management skills and programme management oversight across cluster HR activity, maintaining grip on milestones, dependencies, risks and issues.

• Oversee secretariat support for HR governance forums, including agenda planning, paper coordination, action tracking and decision logging.

Delivery Oversight and Reporting

• Produce and maintain reports, dashboards and forward looks to provide clear visibility of progress, risks, issues and decisions.

• Maintain delivery roadmaps and plans supporting coordinated HR transformation activity across the cluster, including the transformation roadmap to 2030.

• Own and maintain the cluster dashboard, HR radar and associated tracking products.

Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination

• Lead and coordinate cross cluster stakeholder engagement activity, building effective working relationships to support delivery.

• Create engagement materials and coordinate engagement across HR, operational and programme stakeholders to ensure shared understanding of priorities, risks and decisions.

• Support senior colleagues with clear, evidence-based updates and briefings on governance, assurance and delivery matters.

Operational Management and Control

• Oversee effective file and configuration management to ensure documentation is controlled, accessible and compliant with agreed standards.

• Maintain accurate action and decision logs to support transparency and accountability.

• Identify emerging risks, pressures and impacts on delivery and readiness, working closely with core Synergy colleagues.

What the Role Offers

This role offers a unique opportunity to work within one of the Civil Service’s most significant transformation programmes, influencing the future design and delivery of HR services across some of the UK’s largest government departments.

The post holder will operate in a delivery focused, cross-cluster and cross departmental environment, contributing directly to the transition to a unified, efficient and future ready HR function where consistency, collaboration and user centred service design are core principles.

Who Should Apply

Existing Civil Servants who are operating at, or are ready to operate at, Grade 7 level, and who are motivated by working in a complex, cross departmental transformation environment.

Person Specification

The role will particularly suit individuals who:

• Have experience of project or programme management, governance, assurance or delivery oversight within HR, transformation or largescale organisational change programmes and be comfortable operating in environments with a high degree of ambiguity and evolving requirements.

• Are confident working across multiple stakeholders and departments, balancing differing priorities while maintaining clarity, consistency and delivery focus.

• Have a strong understanding of governance, assurance and control, including tracking milestones, risks, issues, dependencies, actions and decisions.

• Are comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy within defined frameworks, providing structured oversight and clear escalation where required.

• Can produce clear, evidence-based reporting, dashboards and briefings to support senior decision making.

• Can create clear, tailored engagement products that help land key messages with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.

• Have experience of coordinating or supporting design assurance, implementation readiness or operating model change, ideally within a shared services or transformation context.

• Are able to build effective working relationships across HR, operational and programme communities, acting as a credible bridge between strategic intent and operational delivery.

This role is well suited to individuals who enjoy working in fast paced, delivery focused environments and are motivated by the opportunity to help shape and embed a future ready, cluster first HR operating model across government.

They should be open to innovative ways of working and confident using the full suite of Microsoft 365 applications and tools in their day-to-day work to support collaboration, planning, reporting and delivery.

This is a two-year project to develop Cluster HR Function. Any future roles required permanently in steady state will be determined as part of the organisation design and advertised across the cluster.

Travel Requirements

Travel will be required for team days at MoJ offices, and to meet the needs of the programme at other Cluster offices such as DWP, Defra, Home Office, as required at programme stages/deliverables.

Application Process

You will also be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework at application stage.

 
Application stage

Behaviours

Please provide evidence of how you meet the lead behaviour in a maximum of 250 words:

• Delivering at Pace (Lead behaviour)

Experience

Please provide the following:

• An anonymised copy of your CV

• statement of suitability (750-word count) explaining how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the criteria set out in the person specification.

In the event of receiving a high volume of applications, we will conduct an initial sift on Delivering at Pace (Lead behaviour).

Interview stage

Candidates who pass the application sift stage will be invited to have an interview before appointment, which will be conducted virtually on Microsoft Teams.

At interview, candidates will be assessed on behaviours (listed below) and Strengths from the Success Profiles framework:

Behaviours

• Delivering at Pace (Lead behaviour)

• Seeing the Big Picture

• Leadership

• Communicating and Influencing

Further information 

If you require further information on the role or have any questions, please get in touch with Louise.Martin1@justice.gov.uk or Jennie.heard@justice.gov.uk.