Job Specification

Deputy Secretary to the Civil Justice Council

Overview:

A unique opportunity to help lead the work of the Civil Justice Council (CJC), considering how to make the Civil Justice system more accessible, fair and efficient, and supporting its development. 

This role offers genuine scope to develop and demonstrate broad policy making skills, to facilitate and help lead thinking, policy, and the commissioning of projects and academic work, all from a critical position at the heart of the Civil Justice System. 

Organisation:

The Judicial Office (JO) is a unique branch of the civil service, independent from the machinery which supports the Government, and dedicated to supporting the judiciary as the third arm of the state. We promote and safeguard judicial independence to maintain confidence in the rule of law. We are answerable not to Ministers but instead, through our Chief Executive, to the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales and the Senior President of Tribunals as we help them to fulfil their responsibilities to the judiciary.

We support c.22,000 judicial office holders, providing policy, legal and handling advice, and operational support. This includes advice on judicial leadership, support with relationships with Government and Parliament, assistance with justice sector reform, judicial education and training, comms, and HR.

Directorate:

The postholder will join the Judicial Private Offices directorate. The business units include operational private offices; jurisdiction and policy private offices; and the Judicial Executive Board Secretariat.

Role Summary:

You will have significant autonomy in the day to day running of the Council. Strong working relationships with members of the judiciary, officials, lawyers and other diverse stakeholders in the civil justice system are integral to the role. You will need to be able to work with and value the contributions of people from a wide variety of backgrounds.  

Your responsibilities will be broad and will include: planning and attending Council meetings, working group meetings, and events; policy support and the production of policy papers; and being a public face for the Council. You will provide line management to a small secretariat team and will take responsibility for overseeing the Council’s publications and website, engagement with stakeholders, and its wider administration, strategy, and governance.  

In becoming a recognised figure in the field, you will be expected to remain in touch with developments across the Civil Justice System, developing and maintaining your own knowledge.  

The Civil Justice Council is a statutory non-departmental advisory body which is chaired by the Master of the Rolls.  This post sits within the wider Master of the Rolls’ Private Office, and you will have access to the broader opportunities and experience that working as part of a busy Private Office brings. 

With excellent opportunities to work on cutting edge projects alongside some of the country’s leading experts, this post offers significant exposure to policy making and delivery, through helping lead a unique organisation bringing together the civil service, judiciary, and wider legal world. 

Main Activities / Responsibilities:

The main responsibilities of the post include, but are not limited to:

• Managing effective working relationships with the senior judiciary, CJC members, and wider stakeholder groups.  

• Drafting sometimes complex and often important submissions, briefings, or consultation responses.  

• Attending, planning, and organising meetings of the Council and its working groups; including the preparation of agenda, papers, briefings, minutes and reports. 

• Identifying and communicating issues which may be of interest to the Council and its members. 

• Conducting research for and drafting papers on civil justice topics as necessary. 

• Recruiting Council members. 

• Ad-hoc projects such as running a public consultation or conference organisation. 

• Management of a small secretariat team.  

• Contributing to the wider work of the Master of the Rolls and Deputy Head of Civil Justice’s Private Office. 

Management of Resources:

The successful candidate will be required to line manage the Assistant Secretary to the Council (HEO) and a Business Support officer (EO).

The post-holder will report to the Private Secretary to the Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice and Secretary to the Civil Justice Council.

Person specification:

The successful candidate will be organised and strategic. They will have excellent and concise communication skills and be able to prioritise and handle multiple issues concurrently. They will be confident using their own initiative to take forward actions whilst overseeing the work of others to ensure a strong team performance. 

They will be able to facilitate constructive discussions and will be able to build long lasting professional relationships with others. These relationships will reflect their ability to collaborate and share information, resources and support. 

They will be strong at seeking out and sharing knowledge and experience. It would be of benefit, though it is not essential, for them to already have experience of the Civil Justice System. They will be confident in using evidence from a range of sources to make decisions where appropriate, and will be able provide advice to, invite challenge from, and consult with others when considering issues.  

They will be able to work with stakeholders to set priorities, objectives and timescales, and deliver high quality outcomes, resolving issues efficiently with an awareness of value for money. They will be happy working as part of a team. 

Desirable Knowledge and Skills:

• Experience of the Civil Justice System.
  
  
  

The support provided by judicial Private Offices necessarily involves working before and after court, in keeping with the judge’s diary commitments and sitting patterns. Some early mornings and late evenings can be expected, though every effort will be made to accommodate flexibility where necessary. These roles are not suitable for reduced hours working.

Eligibility

The post is available to existing Grade SEO’s on lateral transfer and to other candidates on promotion. This post is not suitable for job-share or reduced hours working.

Location

This post is primarily based in London, at the Royal Courts of Justice but does require some travel, accompanying the MR to events across England & Wales, and occasionally abroad.

Length of Deployment

We are looking for the successful candidate to be in post as soon as possible. This is a permanent post.

Selection Process
 
You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework. You will be required to provide evidence of the following Behaviours:

Managing a Quality Service

• Work with stakeholders to set priorities, objectives and timescales.

• Establish ways to find and respond to feedback from customers about the services provided.

• Identify risks and resolve issues efficiently.

• Involve a diverse range of colleagues, stakeholders and delivery partners in developing suggestions for improvements.

Seeing the Big Picture

• Align activities to contribute to wider organisation priorities.

• Remain alert to emerging issues and trends which might impact your work.

• Understand how the strategies and activities of the team create value and meet the diverse needs of all stakeholders.

Working Together

• Encourage joined up teamwork within own team and across other groups.

• Establish professional relationships with a range of stakeholders.

• Actively seek and consider input of people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

Delivering at pace

• Show a positive approach to keeping the whole team’s efforts focused on the top priorities.

• Promote a culture of following the appropriate procedures to ensure results are achieved on time whilst still enabling innovation.

• Act promptly to reassess workloads and priorities when there are conflicting demands to maintain performance.

Should we receive a large number of applications we will sift primarily on the lead behaviour of managing a quality service. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview.

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

Candidates invited to interview

Please note that interviews will be carried out in person at the Royal Courts Justice in London.

During the panel interview, you will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of, and strengths-based questions to also explore what you enjoy, and your motivations relevant to the job role.

There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.

If you wish to discuss the role before submitting an application, please contact Amy Shaw (amy.shaw1@judiciary.uk) Acting Private Secretary to the Master of the Rolls, Secretary to the Civil Justice Council