Operations Managers

Ministry of Justice; Christchurch; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Flexible working policy

Job summary

Ministry of Justice in the United Kingdom is seeking an Operations Manager to lead performance across HMCTS services in the Southwest region. You will provide visible leadership, translating national priorities into local plans and driving high-quality service delivery across courts and tribunals.

Based at Bournemouth Combined Courts of Justice with flexible/hybrid working across Poole and Weymouth, you will develop high-performing teams, manage resources, and build strong relationships with

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a challenging operations or management role.
• Demonstrable people management and coaching skills, leading teams to drive performance.
• Ability to manage resources, lead teams through change and drive continuous improvement.
• Ability to build relationships and manage stakeholders at all levels, with influencing skills.
• Excellent communication and inclusive leadership to engage teams and partners.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic oversight of Crown, Magistrates, Civil, Family and Tribunal work.
• Lead service delivery and drive team productivity across HMCTS operations.
• Translate national priorities into local plans and manage performance.
• Work flexibly across HMCTS sites including Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth.
• Foster inclusive leadership and build strong stakeholder relationships.

Skills

People management

Stakeholder management

Change leadership

Communication skills

Decision making

Job description

Our Operations Managers play a vital role in delivering justice. This is a high-profile leadership position. You will proactively lead service delivery, providing teams with clear direction, ensuring that business activities are well-coordinated to increase productivity and deliver high-quality services. We are seeking an experienced leader who will lead by example, champion change, and cultivate a culture of resilience and adaptability, empowering teams to thrive while building strong, collaborative relationships with all stakeholders., The role of a manager is at the heart of HMCTS operations, shaped by the Civil Service Line Management Standards. It's rewarding, challenging, and essential to our success. We're looking for managers with the experience and desire to develop high performing teams, providing clear direction on performance and attendance and creating a culture of fair reward and recognition. This role sits within HMCTS' Southwest region. You will be responsible for the strategic oversight of Crown, Magistrates, and Civil, Family and Tribunal work. You will support your Deputy Head of Operations to meet operational needs and deliver performance objectives by translating national priorities into local plans. The role provides visible leadership across operational areas, driving service delivery and team productivity. Your presence supports engagement, accountability, and alignment with organisational goals. You will give clear direction and focus and align and co-ordinate activity to increase productivity and deliver a quality service across Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth. You will model inclusive leadership. You will identify development needs and implement targeted growth plans to improve individual and business performance, ensuring teams are equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge, and capabilities to excel. Championing change and embedding a culture of continuous improvement, you will proactively use workforce planning, providing clear direction and focus to build teams that are resilient and adaptable. You'll foster a collaborative culture and communicate, support, and deliver HMCTS and MoJ strategic objectives, translating them into actionable local plans to deliver measurable results., Whilst the post holder will be based at Bournemouth Combined Courts of Justice, there will be a requirement to work flexibly across other local HMCTS sites, namely Poole Magistrates Court and Weymouth Combined Court. Where applicable, travel time and associated expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with HMCTS policies and procedures., 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. Flexible working hours 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., Could you describe your experience of managing performance across an operational service where there were competing priorities, resource pressures and stakeholder expectations? What was your role, what actions did you take, and what outcomes did you achieve? This question will be probed further at interview Level of security checks required DBS Basic

• Proven experience in a challenging operations or management role with the ability and willingness to adapt and learn at pace.
• Demonstrable people management and coaching skills, leading, developing and managing teams to drive performance in a service-focused environment to deliver measurable results.
• A strong leader, with the ability to manage resource allocation, lead teams through change with the confidence to make informed and timely decisions and drive continuous improvement.
• Ability to build relationships and manage key stakeholders at all levels, able to negotiate, persuade and influence.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to create a collaborative and inclusive culture.
• Confidence to make independent decisions and resolve complex problems. This includes learning and using data driven tools to identify trends and challenges to generate solutions.
• Ability to collaborate across the business to deliver local priorities and HMCTS and MOJ strategic objectives., Could you describe your experience of managing performance across an operational service where there were competing priorities, resource pressures and stakeholder expectations? What was your role, what actions did you take, and what outcomes did you achieve?
  HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family Courts and Tribunals in England and Wales as well as the reserved unified tribunals across the United Kingdom. Our roles support our service users and colleagues within HMCTS, where people and businesses access potentially life-changing justice. We're looking for individuals who are committed to public service and making a difference in people's lives to deliver justice., 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.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans 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

This is a business-critical role requiring full time hours only, Monday - Friday.

Benefits

• Annual Leave 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.

Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. 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 Transformative Business Services (0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail [e-mail]);
• To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team ([e-mail]);
• 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.