Correspondence Drafter

PBST sits at the heart of the Policy Group and is responsible for a broad range of corporate functions. This includes supporting our Director General and running her Private Office, alongside the drafting of correspondence. In addition, the team manages our budgets and spend, workforce data and estates. PBST also has a governance function which includes supporting our Group's Senior Management Team, overseeing information assurance and communications, not to mention developing a first-class learning and development offer. Correspondence Drafter - the role The MoJ Policy Correspondence Team is responsible for drafting replies to the majority of letters the department receives from MPs, external organisations and members of the public. It is key to the department's success in communicating with the outside world. Members of the team work closely with MoJ policy teams to make sure the policy position is reflected accurately in correspondence, and with ministers' private offices to make sure responses are drafted in line with ministerial preferences., Roles in the Policy Correspondence Team are challenging and fast-paced. Post-holders will need to be adaptable and resilient, ready to undertake a diverse range of tasks including all of the following:

• Quickly grasp the essentials of various policy areas in order to draft challenging letters.
• Maintain close and effective working relationships with policy teams, Executive Agencies, Ministerial private offices and other colleagues to ensure policy briefing is suitable for correspondence purposes.
• Work collaboratively with other team members to meet relevant targets while working to challenging deadlines. At all times support team members to develop and improve practice, including encouraging creativity in drafting where possible.
• Provide support to policy teams to produce new lines for correspondence purposes, ensuring that the message is compelling, persuasive, relevant and accurate.
• Take part in joint work to continually improve processes in the team
• At all times seek to deliver clear, empathetic, respectful and timely responses to queries which address correspondent concerns, clarify policy and contribute to the overall smooth handling of Departmental public communications.
• Leading by example; visibly engaging people in owning business priorities and delivering the right results for our customers and the taxpayer. Deliver excellent customer service, aiming for once and done in all customer contact.
• Undertake a corporate contribution.
• Any further duties as judged by managers to be appropriate.
Candidates applying from HMPPS should note that the Ministry of Justice does not have the same conditions of employment as HMPPS. It is the candidate's responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful. The MoJ is proud to be Level 3 Disability Confident. Disability Confident is the approach through which we offer guaranteed interviews for all people with disabilities meeting the minimum criteria for the advertised role as set out in the job description., You will be assessed against the following behaviours at the interview stage where you will be asked to provide examples of how you have demonstrated them. In addition, you will also be asked strength-based questions. Behaviours:
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together
During the panel interview, you will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of, and strengths-based questions to also explore what you enjoy, and your motivations relevant to the job role. It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in and use the WHO or STAR model to explain:
• WHO - What it was? How you approached the work/situation? What the Outcomes were, what did you achieve? Or
• STAR - What was the Situation? What were the Tasks? What Action did you take? What were the Results of your actions?
Strengths: It is difficult to prepare for strength type questions. However, you can think through your answers, focus on your achievements and aspects you enjoy and decide how these can be applied in the organisation and role. While strengths questions are shorter and we do not expect a full STAR response, the panel is interested in your first reaction to the question and information or reasoning to support this. Further information on Civil Service Strengths can be found via this link Success Profiles: Strengths - GOV.UK A written exercise will be required as part of the interview process, the details of which will be sent to candidates who are successful at the sift stage., Using the STAR method can help you give examples of relevant experience that you have. It allows you to set the scene, show what you did, and how you did it, and explain the overall outcome. Situation - Describe the situation you found yourself in. You must describe a specific event or situation. Be sure to give enough detail for the job holder to understand.
• Where are you?
• Who was there with you?
• What had happened?
Task - The job holder will want to understand what you tried to achieve from the situation you found yourself in.
• What was the task that you had to complete and why?
• What did you have to achieve?
Actions - What did you do? The job holder will be looking for information on what you did, how you did it and why. Keep the focus on you. What specific steps did you take and what was your contribution? Remember to include how you did it, and the behaviours you used. Try to use "I" rather than "we" to explain your actions that lead to the result. Be careful not to take credit for something that you did not do. Results - Don't be shy about taking credit for your behaviour. Quote specific facts and figures. Explain how the outcome benefitted the organisation or your area. Make the outcomes easily understandable.
• What results did the actions produce?
• What did you achieve through your actions and did you meet your goals?
• Was it a successful outcome? If not, what did you learn from the experience?
Keep the situation and task parts brief. Concentrate on the action and the result. If the result was not entirely successful describe what you learned from this and what you would do differently next time. Make sure you focus on your strengths. 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. 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., 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. 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. 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., Delivering at Pace 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 Statement of Suitability (maximum 750 words) outlining what you would bring to the role. Demonstrate how your skills, experience and achievements meet the requirements set out in the Skills and Experience section above. Your examples should also provide evidence of the following behaviours:
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together
Structure your examples using the Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR) format, clearly highlighting your personal contribution, the outcome achieved, and the behaviours demonstrated. Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles/success-profiles-civil-service-behaviours Evidence of Experience CV or Work History, Statement of SuitabilityInterview stage assessments Interview Dates Interviews are expected to take place in late July or August. Behaviours Delivering at Pace Managing a Quality Service Making Effective Decisions Working Together

We are recruiting for a drafter to work across ministerial portfolios within the MoJ. This is a high-accountability, fast-paced post. The successful candidate will be responsible for drafting high-quality responses to both Ministerial and Treat Official correspondence. The successful candidate will manage their own caseloads, ensuring they meet deadlines in a timely manner, be organised and have a high standard of written and oral communication skills. Additionally, there will be opportunities for further leadership development., Essential:
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent planning and organisational skills
• The ability to manage a varied workload, and to identify priorities proactively
• The ability to form and maintain productive relationships with stakeholders and colleagues
• The ability to work to deadlines
• The ability to work to deadlines
• Excellent IT skills, including using Microsoft applications
• The ability to be able to manage competing demands and prioritise appropriately
• A high standard of written English, including grammar, spelling and punctuation
• Excellent attention to detail, You will be asked to provide a CV during the application process in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role.
Please also provide a Statement of Suitability (maximum 750 words) outlining what you would bring to the role. Demonstrate how your skills, experience and achievements meet the requirements set out in the Skills and Experience section above. Your examples should also provide evidence of the following behaviours:
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together
Structure your examples using the Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR) format, clearly highlighting your personal contribution, the outcome achieved, and the behaviours demonstrated., Written Exercise Level of security checks required Baseline Personnal Security Standard (BPSS)

MoJ is the largest government department, employing over 90,000 people with a budget of approximately £10 billion. Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK - including at 500 courts and tribunals, and 133 prisons in England and Wales.

Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department's pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules., The MoJ offers a range of 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. Eligibility 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.
Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.