7859 - MoJ Property Directorate - Head of Technical Services & Design

Ministry of Justice; London; Hybrid; GBP 68,000 - 84,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ministry of Justice is seeking a Technical Services & Design Lead to manage the Technical Standards and Digital team. This role involves developing technical specifications for custodial facilities and facilitating innovation across government projects. Candidates should hold relevant degrees and possess strong leadership and stakeholder management skills.

Benefits

Annual leave of 25 days, rising to 30 days after 5 years

Flexible working options, including hybrid and part-time

Comprehensive training and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience in leading and managing a diverse team.
• Strong communicator with the ability to present confidently to a range of audiences.
• IT literate and able to deliver projects according to a controlled framework.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Technical Services & Design team within the Prison Infrastructure and Technical Standards Division.
• Ensure design standards are compliant and provide value for money.
• Support project teams and chair the MoJ Standards Governance Board.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Analytical Decision Making

Project Management

Education

Undergraduate Degree in a related subject

Job description

The national salary is £68,967 - £78,842, London salary is £73,115 - £83,585. Your salary will be dependent on your base location

Working Pattern

Full Time

Vacancy Approach

External

Location

National

Region

National

Closing Date

30-Jul-2025

Post Type

Permanent

Grade 6

Number of jobs available

1

Reserve List

12 Months

Job ID

7859

Descriptions & requirements

Overview

Property Directorate is a customer service organisation that exists to enable our customers to perform to their best. We do this by providing working environments in which our customers want to work, and which support them in delivering their outputs efficiently, and by providing high quality, easy to use services. We manage one of the most diverse and complex estates in Government, hosted in MoJ, including the estates of the Home Office, Prisons, Probation, MoJ HQ and Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs)

We provide specialist services including facilities management, health & safety, fire safety and security; technical design expertise and sustainability, our cluster partners are supported by account management teams, and we have business management teams supporting the overall Directorate. Our portfolio consists of properties valued at £8.5bn for the MoJ alone.

We work closely with our cluster partners and the Government Property Agency, encouraging healthy collaboration and driving a professional service delivery approach.

We continue to deliver new ways of working across the estates cluster – leading on the scale and pace of activity on this for central government – providing more dynamic and flexible workspace while reducing the cost of the estate.

Team Overview

This is an exciting and challenging role leading an award-winning Technical Standards and Digital team that is vital in the execution of several key MoJ and Government policies that will have a major effect on the Prison sector. This role sits within the Prison Infrastructure and Technical Standards Division and will be a key member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) of this division and will be responsible for the overall leadership and management of the Technical Standards and Digital team which includes the BIM and MMC team.

The role will help shape the direction of the estate for the foreseeable future through the leadership of the teams responsible for Technical Specifications and Design Guides.

The Technical Services & Design Lead is responsible for managing and developing the technical specifications and design guides for both Custodial facilities and a proportion of Home Office facilities. The individual will also play a key role in the transition of the new ISO19650 BIM requirements into current and future programmes and will assist in implementing the MoJ’s MMC strategy alongside the Head of BIM & MMC role. As such, this will be a greatly rewarding and challenging post for a high calibre individual who is well organised, flexible, and able to work to tight deadlines with experience of leading teams to implement fundamental change and improvement. The role will require senior management engagement (including to Ministers), liaising with other government departments to develop a suite of fit for purpose and forward-thinking design guides,

and will foster innovation, share lessons learned, and promoting technical standards internally and externally to move the construction industry forwards.

Your input will be integral to drive forward the leading role MoJ has played across Government in terms of Digital, MMC and Platform approaches. This is excellent opportunity to balance your senior management skills with your technical expertise.

Job Description, Duties and Responsibilities –

We are looking for a talented individual to lead this team and use their knowledge, experience and drive to implement and embed existing strategies, whilst continuing to develop and improve technical specifications and design guides for the future.

Responsibilities will include the following:

• Specifications & Design Guides
• Ensuring that design standards, specifications and guides are compliant with legislation, fit for purpose and provide value for money.
• Continue to rationalise specifications and seek avenues to harmonise across the MoJ’s assets and wider Government Departments.
• Develop systems and products that meeting MoJ’s needs, such as Net Zero, reducing reoffending and providing safer, compliant environments.
• Support the project teams in all design matters where specialist advice is needed to overcome challenges or uncertainty.
• Chair the MoJ Standards Governance Board, seeking stakeholders’ agreement to all changes.
• Consider and make decisions on all Value Engineering that relates to technical specifications and consider all non-compliance requests through a derogation process.
• Support both new and existing suppliers understanding of MoJ’s requirements and where applicable oversee the product testing procedure and product acceptance criteria.

Team Management

• Responsible for the overall leadership and management of the Technical Standards and Digital team which includes the BIM and MMC team.
• General management of the technical team, providing clear direction and focus to a busy team, visibly championing the changes which deliver greater efficiencies.
• Continue to improve processes and develop strategies to implement on projects at differing stages.
• Promote & support wellbeing and personal development in a team spread nationally.
• Seek funding and develop the required business cases and justifications for projects or specific work tasks.

Leadership is a critical element of this role, as is the ability to prioritise and manage a workload, analyse complex information, present recommendations and make effective decisions.

Skills and Experience

• You should be able to work with minimum supervision, taking responsibility and accountability for outcomes.
• Experience of tackling problems and finding suitable solutions for end customer requirements.
• Experience of effectively working through a diverse range of stakeholders, to achieve successful outcomes.
• You should have experience of delivering projects to a standard control framework process.
• Leading a varied and senior team of professionals to deliver ambitious targets
• Setting strategy to a 5-year horizon
• Complex stakeholder management
• Leading role in complex and high value project/framework procurement processes
• Risk management and opportunity and benefits realisation

Skills:

• A strong communicator and able to present confidently to a wide range of audiences
• A strong delivery and commercial focus with understanding of potential cost reduction strategies and leveraging purchasing power to drive savings and benefits
• IT literate

Highly Desirable

• Knowledge of the wider (global) offsite market
• Knowledge of RIBA stages and experience of construction projects
• Contract management experience such as PPC 2000, NEC3 forms of contracts and contract remedies.
• Understating of Project Management techniques and processes
• Awareness of Government Property Profession

Qualifications

• Undergraduate Degree or equivalent in a related subject (e.g. project management, quantity surveying, design/architectural, building surveyor, engineering, construction or relevant subject matter).
• Accreditation with an engineering or design/architectural institution

Government Property Profession (GPP) Technical Skills

The GPP Framework is aimed at staff working in property or property-related roles and consider property to be their career anchor profession. This usually encompasses posts where professional qualifications and experience are directly relevant to the work being undertaken. However, it is also applicable to those who are currently not qualified property practitioners but wish to make this their profession of choice. Those with a property background at any level are encouraged to register with the GPP, which exists to support property practitioners at all levels. Details of the GPP Career Framework can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-government-property-profession-career-framework--2

Property Professional Expertise A

Analytical Decision Making W

Technology and Innovation A

Behaviours

We will assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Changing and Improving

The Property Directorate offers a flexible working system in many teams.

The Directorate is supportive of and encourages flexible working. Non-civil service candidates would typically start on the pay band minimum.

Additional Information

We can offer you:

Annual leave of 25 days rising to 30 days after 5 years, plus bank holidays, 5 days paid volunteering leave.

• Beneficial working arrangements including flexible working options, hybrid working, as well as part time and job sharing.
• The Ministry of Justice places significant emphasis on learning and development, offering all employees a minimum of five days of dedicated learning each year. Our Property team has access to a wide range of opportunities, including fully funded vocational programmes, professional accreditation, seminars, conferences, e-learning platforms, and industry-leading training.
• For your health and wellbeing we offer, Season ticket loans, Eye-care vouchers, Childcare vouchers, Wellbeing support including access to the Calm app, Access to onsite gym (subject to availability and location) and access to Vivup offering multiple discounts on Supermarkets, Home & Garden, Days Out & Experiences, Travel, bike loans and many more.
• Maternity and Paternity benefits, including adoption, with up to 26 weeks at full pay, 13 weeks at partial pay and paternity leave at full pay.

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

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.

Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised role: all successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale. This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO) – See Map . All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity).

For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within the National Office Network and moved its location’s respective pay scale (any legacy arrangements/locations will need to be amended).

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.

All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.

There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Pension

The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Training

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

Networks

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Support

• A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
• Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
• For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on www.GOV.UK or Childcare Choices .You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ .
• Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
• Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

• To the Civil Service Commission (details available here )

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.

For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos .

You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

Civil Service Nationality Rules

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.

Contact Information

For further information about the role, please contact- [e-mail]

PI G6 Head of Technical Services & Design.docx(Job Description Attachment)

We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Specific licence requirements

A Full U.K driving licence

Statement of Suitability

Guidance for the Statement of Suitability

A 750 word Statement of Suitability along with your Work History is required. This statement should clearly demonstrate how your skills and experience align with the job description, highlighting your relevant experiences and skills to allow us to effectively evaluate your application. Please note that this Statement of Suitability and Work History will be assessed and scored as part of the selection process. If the statement of suitability does not meet the requirements, or is not provided, candidates will be automatically rejected.

Evidence of Experience

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates

Interview dates to be confirmed

Behaviours

Leadership

Changing and Improving

Strengths

Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here .

Technical

Property Professional Expertise - A

Analytical Decision Making - W

Technology and Innovation - A

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.