Senior Policy Advisor for Recall Policy

Ministry of Justice; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 43,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Pension scheme

Training and development

Family friendly policies

Hybrid working

Job summary

The Ministry of Justice in the United Kingdom is seeking a motivated policy professional to join a welcoming and supportive team to address the challenge of the growing recall population. The role is fast paced, intellectually challenging and exciting, offering the opportunity to influence how offenders are dealt with by the criminal justice system for years to come.

You will work flexibly to respond to ministerial priorities, initially providing policy support to monitor impacts of recall

Qualifications

• Experience in policy work is desirable.
• Ability to analyse data and develop policy options.
• Strong communication and briefing skills.

Responsibilities

• Policy development and innovative approaches to policy challenges.
• Provide clear advice to Ministers and stakeholders.
• Oversee projects using planning and risk management techniques.
• Maintain stakeholder relations within MoJ/HMPPS and other departments.

Job description

General Information

The national salary range is £42,914 - £46,182, London salary range is £49,325 - £53,081. Your salary will be dependent on your base location

Working Pattern

Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working

Vacancy Approach

Cross Government

Location

Leeds, London

Region

London, Yorkshire and the Humber

Closing Date

10-Sep-2026

Post Type

Permanent

Descriptions & requirements

We are looking for a motivated policy professional to join a welcoming and supportive team to help address the challenge of the growing recall population. The role is fast paced, intellectually challenging and exciting, and will give the successful candidate the opportunity to work on an area which will make a real difference to how offenders are dealt with by the criminal justice system for years to come.

This is a busy team that receives a lot of interest from senior officials and ministers and is a fantastic opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the prison capacity challenge.

T he job holder will be required to work flexibly to respond to ministerial priorities. Although the focus of the role will evolve, you will initially work to provide critical policy support to help monitor the impacts of our recall reforms within the Sentencing Act, as well as undertaking work to identify and develop non-legislative policy options for further reforms to the recall process.

This will involve significant collaboration with policy teams across the MoJ, operational partners in HMPPS and external stakeholders as well as providing clear advice to Ministers.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Policy development:Developing innovative approaches to complex policy challenges. You will draw on different sources of evidence and data to inform your work and demonstrate effective problem-solving approaches.
• Advice, briefing and correspondence:Ensuring Ministers, senior leaders, Parliamentarians and stakeholders are given clear, well-researched and timely advice on live issues and areas of concern. This work is likely to include oral and written briefings, parliamentary questions and correspondence and feeding a prison demand and release perspective into wider work across MoJ and other government departments.
• Project oversight – Scoping, planning and managing your work through project management techniques: managing risks, issues and dependencies and monitoring and progress. This can include reviews and research-led projects
• Stakeholder relations:Maintaining and owning close relationships with a wide range of key stakeholders within the MoJ/HMPPS, across government and within the third sector.

Additional Information

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 roles: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.

Staff on fixed term appointments must have been recruited through fair and open competition.

Vacancies advertised “cross-government” are only open to all Civil Service employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) who were appointed on merit following a fair and open competition; or were appointed to a permanent post through an exception in the Civil Service Commissioners' rules.

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. 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.

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.

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

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:

• 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

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

Recall SEO JD Final Aug 26.docx(Job Description Attachment)

A sift based on the lead behaviour, Communicating and Influencing, may be held if a large number of applications are received. If a large number of applications remain after the initial sift, your application will be progressed to a full sift, where all behaviours will then be considered.

250

Communicating and Influencing

Experience

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

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Statement of Suitability

Guidance for the Statement of Suitability

Your Statement of Suitability should demonstrate your suitability for the role in line with the role description and suggested skills.

Evidence of Experience

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates

Expected October 2026

Behaviours

Communicating and Influencing

Seeing the Big Picture

Delivering at Pace

Making Effective Decisions

Level of security checks required

Baseline Personnal Security Standard (BPSS)

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.Please see ourcandidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.