Higher Executive Officer (HEO) - Band C

Prisoner Education Service (Rehabilitation Services in Custody)

Location and Working Pattern:

Full Time

Post Number:

NT255

Duration:

Until 31 December 2025 with a potential to extend

Job Grade:

HEO

Level of NSV required (is applicable)

Standard

About the Department

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is a major government department, at the heart of the justice system. Responsible for courts, prisons and probation services, we work to ensure sentences are served and offenders are given rehabilitation opportunities to become law-abiding citizens.

The MoJ has one of the largest and most complex spend profiles in central government. The Commercial Directorate (COMMERCIAL) is responsible for coordinating procurement and contract management across the MoJ, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

We are running some of the most ground-breaking programmes such as Prison Reform and His Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service Reform. The scope of our contracts ranges from building, maintenance and the operation of Prisons, Courts and Young Offender establishments through to food for prison dogs. The directorate also buys and manages contracts for feeding up to 80,000 prisoners, the secure escorting of prisoners from numerous establishments based around the country and translation services.

COMMERCIAL is organised into category teams, each with an interesting portfolio of contracts and diverse customers and suppliers to manage. We also have systems, programme management office, supplier relationship and risk management teams who work across all areas.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit:

Rehabilitation in Custody Services can transform lives and is shown to dramatically reduce reoffending, hence working in the commercial Rehabilitation in Custody team will give you an opportunity to contribute to this rewarding work and develop your commercial skills as part of a supportive and high performing team.

This Band C role is available in the Rehabilitation in Custody Services which will be aligned to the Prisoner Education Service team. The Prisoner Education Services team works closely with HMPPS to procure and mobilise the next generation of prisoner education contracts, including:

• Core Education
• Careers, Information, Advice and Guidance
• Local Authority Libraries
• Screening and Assessment

The role will give the post holder breadth of experience and opportunity to join a well-established team working closely with Programme Delivery, Project Management and Operational colleagues to support the rehabilitation of prisoners, reducing rates of re-offending and contributing measurable social value to society.

We are seeking candidates with the right personal qualities - enthusiasm, energy, proactivity, collaboration, who are prepared to work as part of a team and under their own initiative and to be flexible and adaptable in a demanding environment.

This post provides a great opportunity to learn new skills and knowledge whilst contributing to the delivery of a high value and profile programme, within a committed and friendly COMMERCIAL team.

Job Description

Reporting to a Senior Commercial Manager, the post holder will be responsible for the delivery of commercial activity for the Prison Education Service programme.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Support the team and lead on activities which support the development of commercial procedures, tools and ways of working
• Supporting the team with end-to-end procurement activity, from market engagement through to contract mobilisation
• Working with the Deputy Director to deliver small, one-off projects
• Identifying, tracking and reviewing data (including but not limited to, spend, savings, supplier performance data) to ensure data is used to provide evidence-based decisions.
• Analysing market, spend and performance data and using this to inform commercial activity and deliver against reporting requirements.
• Providing direct support to the Deputy Director on portfolio wide operational activities, prioritisation, reporting and planning
• Cross-cutting portfolio activities, information management and organisation, including project scheduling activities and co-ordination
• Prioritisation of project correspondence, undertaking project work and preparing urgent information for Deputy Director.
• Act as a key contact in the team for general enquiries, 'signposting' queries to other functions/individuals where appropriate.
• General management including planning, developing and executing tasks and activities in a timely fashion
• Working with colleagues to progress or follow-up on actions delegated to and from the Deputy Director on projects to ensure the actions are addressed and responded to in a timely manner.
• Comply with all Departmental controls relating to commercial practice and otherwise, including strict adherence to delegated authorities,
• Understand, support and abide to governance processes for the delivery of work areas including compliance with Cabinet Office guidance and new legislative requirements.
• Collaboratively engage with and develop relationships with key stakeholders such as Contract Management Team (CMT), Finance, Legal and Policy Teams to support the outcomes of the Prisoner Education Service and acting at all times as an ambassador within COMMERCIAL and the wider team.
• Take a support role in contract award and development, working closely with team members to ensure the accurate development of contracts for contract signature, including developing and managing contract variations and change governance process.
• Take ownership for areas within the mobilisation of contracts to ensure a smooth transition of services.
• Contribute to identifying and managing risk for the Authority, including developing and implementing mitigation strategies.
• Delivery of continuous improvement to drive high quality customer service and user experience for Deputy Director and wider portfolio team.

Person Specification

• Taking ownership of tasks and projects from initial stages through to completion and working at pace.
• Demonstrable experience of project management; report drafting skills and activity prioritisation
• Proficient at using Microsoft Office software, particularly Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.
• Experience of seeking out and analysing information, presenting and making evidence-based proposals.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Time management, organisational and co-ordination skills
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Good interpersonal skills
• Highly motivated with a can-do attitude
• Awareness of public sector procurement legislation including the prevailing UK Procurement Act (as a result of EU exit and EU Rules as appropriate).
• Knowledge of sourcing and procurement an advantage
• Working knowledge of procurement systems, e.g. Jaggaer (Bravo)
• Experience of e-Procurement portals, or similar.
• Experience of procuring and mobilising services
• Relevant category knowledge and/or industry experience

Location of Role

The post is London based but travel is required to travel to Leeds and Manchester on a regular basis.