Lead Non Executive Director – Ministry of JusticeOpen 

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Departmental Board forms the collective strategic and operational leadership of the department. Chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice, it brings together the Ministerial and Civil Service leaders with senior non-executives from outside government. It is responsible for setting strategic direction, including reviewing progress against the department’s delivery plan.  The Departmental Board is supported by an Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, Delivery Board and the Nominations Committee.

The Ministry of Justice is seeking to fill the lead non-executive board member position. The department’s lead non-executive board member provides independent advice and scrutiny on an array of departmental issues including the operational implications and effectiveness of policy proposals, focusing on sustained performance, delivery and outcomes. Policy will be decided by Ministers, with advice from officials.

The lead non-executive board member will exercise their role through advice, influence and support to the Executive team and Ministers in order to address departmental challenges as well as improve performance. We are committed to ensuring our Board is diverse and welcome candidates from diverse backgrounds.

The Lead Non-Executive shall:

·       be a member of the Departmental Board, chaired by the Secretary of State for Justice, and Chair the Nominations Committee

·       scrutinise departmental performance and advise on transformation, operational issues and effective management, holding the executive to account, as required.

·       form a close relationship with the Permanent Secretary with whom they will meet to review progress of the Department’s strategic objectives as outlined in the Justice Delivery Plan

·       provide independent scrutiny and advice for the Department upon request with a strong focus on driving up performance

·       meet other non-executives across government and the Government Lead Non-Executive regularly to share best practice and to ensure Departments learn from the successes and failures of comparable organisations

·       arrange regular meetings, with the other non-executive board members, to review and discuss current and emerging Departmental issues and cross-government initiatives and policies

·       regularly appraise the performance of other non-executive board members.

·       report their views of the Department in their own section of the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts and lead the Annual Review of the Departmental Board.

·       work with the Executive Committee to continue to improve the delivery of the Departments business; and

·   Chair or join other relevant departmental Committees or Working Groups on request.

·       Relationship building: ability to build strong stakeholder relationships, including with Ministers and Senior Government officials and external stakeholders.

·       Leadership: the ability to set strategic vision and drive forward priorities of the organisation/ a strong track record in relevant senior leadership roles

·       Experience: a strong track record of delivery in a large and complex organisation within the private, public or voluntary sectors.

·       Knowledge: a clear understanding of the work, priorities and challenges of the organisation and the context within which it operates.

·       Collaboration: ability to work closely with the executive board and other key stakeholders, providing support, constructive challenge and assurance as appropriate.

·       Judgement: effective decision-making skills with the ability to critically analyse a wide range of information to make clear and objective evidence-based recommendations to support the delivery of the organisation’s objectives.

·       Communication: strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to listen, accept challenge and constructively challenge others in discussions with clarity and respect.

The successful candidate will ideally have more detailed expertise in one or more of the following;

·     IT/Digital: Significant experience of IT/Digital ranging from start-ups to scaled IT and/or digital. 

·       Change and project delivery: experience of transforming business by managing large scale and complex projects and programmes. Board-level experience of involving stakeholders in change would be a distinct advantage.

·       Commercial: good knowledge in the commercial sector and experience in ensuring efficiencies are made with third parties including effective decision making to keep costs down, including major procurement.

How to apply

If apply online is enabled

In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in.

Once you are logged into your account, click on ‘apply for this role’ and follow the on-screen instructions. To apply, all candidates are required to provide:

• equality information
• information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues
• a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• a supporting statement
• a short professional biography (150 words)

We will ask you to check and confirm your personal details to ensure your application is accurate.

You will also have the opportunity to make a reasonable adjustment request or apply under the disability confident scheme before you submit your application.

If apply online is disabled

In order to apply you will need to provide:

1. A  Curriculum Vitae which provides your contact details, details of your education and qualifications, employment history, directorships, membership of professional bodies and details of any relevant publications or awards;

2. A supporting statement setting out how you meet the criteria for appointment, as set out in the person specification for the role;

3. Information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues;

4. Diversity monitoring information. This allows us to see if there are any unfair barriers to becoming a public appointee and whether there are any changes that we could make to encourage a more diverse field to apply. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be used as part of the selection process and will not be seen by the interview panel;

5. Disability Confident – please state if you want to be considered for the disability confident scheme;

6. Reasonable adjustments – requests for reasonable adjustments that you would like to the application process (if applicable);

Completed applications should be submitted to  [ADD CONTACT DETAILS]

The Advisory Assessment Panel reserves the right to only consider applications that contain all of the elements listed above, and that arrive before the published deadline for applications.