Group Chief Technology Officer

East Midlands (England), East of England, London (region), North East England, North West England, Scotland, South East England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands (England), Yorkshire and the Humber

Job Summary

At the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), we are on a mission to transform services through the better use of technology. The role of Group Chief Technology Officer will play a critical role in helping us achieve this vision by driving digital transformation across both our public-facing and colleague-facing services.

The MoJ works to protect and advance the principles of justice. Our vision is to deliver a world-class justice system that works for everyone in society. The justice system plays a crucial role in our success as a nation – keeping people safe, emphasising fairness, guaranteeing individual rights and giving businesses confidence to flourish.

This is a Nationally based role.

Job Description

For full details about the Role, Key Responsibilities and Person Specification, please download and review the Candidate Information pack.

Person Specification

The Group Chief Technology Officer will be responsible for leading the technology strategy for the Ministry of Justice, the largest department in Whitehall, which has a budget of over £13bn annually and employs over 90,000 staff. They will be responsible for the technology strategy and delivery spanning a budget of over £900m. The CTO will have responsibility for technology choices that inform decisions across several business units, including the delivery of the tech strategy, architecture, and technology capabilities underpinning prisons, the probation service, legal aid services, agencies supporting victims and vulnerable people, and the Ministry’s headquarters.

Your leadership will unite and organise a vast and diverse community of technical professionals, ensuring our services are seamlessly integrated and operate cohesively. In collaboration with directors leading our product and digital teams, you will cultivate a culture centered on product thinking, innovation, and efficient delivery.

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

Additional Information

The Ministry of Justice has retained Russell Reynolds Associates to advise on this appointment. For further information about the position and additional details on qualifications, requirements, terms and conditions of service and how to apply, please visit: www.rraresponses.com. The closing date for applications is 23:55 on Tuesday 20th May 2025.

Alongside your salary of £97,000, Ministry of Justice contributes £28,100 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance

Selection process details

For full details of the Selection Process and Recruitment Timeline, please view the Candidate Information pack.

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

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check. See our vetting charter.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.

Nationality requirements

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)
• 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

Contact point for applicants

• Name : responses@russellreynolds.com
• Email : responses@russellreynolds.com

• Recruitment team Email : scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk