• General Information

Salary

£38,661 - £42,019

Working Pattern

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

Vacancy Approach

Cross Government

Location

London

Region

London

Closing Date

07-Apr-2025

Post Type

Permanent

Civil Service Grade

HEO

Number of jobs available

1

Job ID

3868

Descriptions & requirements

Office of the Victims ’ Commissioner
Correspondence Manager - Job Description

Background

The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales is a powerful and independent voice for victims. Their office is dedicated to improving how the criminal justice system works for all victims and witnesses.

The role of the Victims’ Commissioner is to:

• Raise awareness of the common issues faced by victims and witnesses
• Monitor how criminal justice agencies and victim support agencies comply with the Victims’ Code and Witness Charter
• Use their independent voice to influence national policymaking and hold partner agencies to account
• Speak up about what works best for victims and witnesses, and especially the most vulnerable.

The key purpose of this role will be to support the Victims’ Commissioner in fulfilling their statutory duties to understand and advocate for the interests of victims and witnesses, with a view to improving the victim experience of the criminal justice system.

Introduction and job summary

The Office of the Victims’ Commissioner is seeking a conscientious and compassionate individual with excellent communication and organisational skills to fill a key existing role within a small and busy team.

The Correspondence Manager assists the Victims Commissioner in all correspondence and communications from victims and witnesses of crime who write in to share their experience of the criminal justice system. As Correspondence Manager, you will engage with victims of crime on behalf of the Victims’ Commissioner. Your duties will include: managing victim correspondence to the Commissioner; briefing the Victims’ Commissioner on issues raised by victims; drafting responses with input and advice from relevant team members; and using insights from victims’ lived experiences to support policy colleagues in developing effective policy.

The successful candidate will be an effective communicator, able to write plainly and clearly and be understood by all. Your main task will be to provide clear and constructive guidance and information to victims. You will be required to demonstrate an understanding for their situation, convey compassion for their predicament, offer guidance w appropriate and signpost further resources for them to access. You will analyse the issues presented to you, explore from a limited range of available options and solutions, and suggest and propose an appropriate course of action to be agreed with your line manager.

The Correspondence Manager will also provide briefings to the Victims’ Commissioner and Senior Leadership Team on victim issues raised in correspondence and provide support to the Commissioner in any meetings that may take place with victims (either in person or remotely). This includes accompanying the Commissioner in face-to-face meetings with victims when appropriate.

You will work independently and with limited supervision, assessing and prioritising your own workloads and making adjustments as appropriate to accommodate urgent work items. You will be supported by your line manager in handling the more complex cases and will need to demonstrate resilience in the face of sometimes distressing subject material and work to established timelines.

You will contribute to the overall effectiveness of the organisation by making sure correspondence is appropriately logged and drafting responses in a timely manner, flagging and escalating emerging issues to your line manager as appropriate. You will also be encouraged to make suggestions about ways of improving working methods.

This is a challenging and rewarding role. Your work will contribute to real change on the ground for victims, and you will help build up a portfolio of compelling case studies to underpin key policy and communications work. In return, you can expect a supportive and engaging work environment, working with a small and friendly team and a strong focus on wellbeing and personal development.

Responsibilities / duties

• Manage all victim and victim-related correspondence sent to the Victims’ Commissioner’s office, ensuring responses are sent as required.
• Compose draft responses to victims, consulting with relevant policy and communications leads as appropriate, and adapting style and content to suit the style and voice of the Commissioner.
• Provide advice and information to victims, analysing the issues raised in their correspondence, exploring available options and suggesting a course of action and signposting resources.
• Take responsibility for organising the Victims’ Commissioner’s meetings (in person or remotely) with victims of crime, including diarising, commissioning and providing appropriate briefings, accompanying and supporting the Victims’ Commissioner, and managing any follow-ups from that meeting.
• Manage the victims’ correspondence log, maintaining accurate and detailed records, and ensuring all correspondence is responded to in a timely manner.
• Manage MPs’ letters on behalf of their constituents and prepare drafts for the Victims’ Commissioner’s signature within an 8-day timeline.
  On behalf of the CEO, manage the FOI log for freedom of information requests, ensuring reminders are sent for timely completion and offer advice w
• necessary on a response.
• Provide regular analysis reports of victim correspondence themes and volumes to feed into research and policy priorities and present to the team when required.
• Work with the Senior Leadership Team to develop a log of potential case studies for use in media and external communications and policy and research.
• Working in partnership with the Diary Manager, oversee correspondence to the functional mailbox and direct incoming communications to other team members as appropriate.
• Any other responsibilities that are reasonably necessary for the effective running of the office.

Required skills, knowledge and abilities
Essential criteria

• Excellent communication skills, able to communicate clearly and effectively verbally and in writing to diverse audiences.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to build relationships with many different people.
• Well-organised and able to prioritise competing demands to ensure tasks are completed on time and to the highest quality.
• A keen eye for detail, able to work autonomously and deliver results under pressure.
• Computer literacy, particularly in Microsoft Office.

Desirable criteria

• A background in the criminal justice system.
• Experience or an interest in working on victims’ issues.
• A background in handling data and maintaining databases.
• Experience of analysing datasets and identifying and reporting on themes and issues.
• Experience of presenting ideas and demonstrating thinking to senior managers.

Additional Information

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements w 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, w 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.

Benefits

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.

T 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. T 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.

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 moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk);
• To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team (resourcing-management-office@justice.gov.uk);
  To the Civil Service Commission (details available
• )

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.

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.

Civil Service Nationality Rules

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) 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
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

Reserve list

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

Contact Information

MoJ:

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Please quote the job reference 3868
Attachment

• 250127 Correspondence Manager OVC Job Description.docx (Job Description Attachment)

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Application form stage assessments

Behaviours

A sift based on the lead behaviour, Making Effective Decisions, 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, w all behaviours will then be considered.

Behaviours Application Form Question Word Limit

250

Communicating and Influencing

Making Effective Decisions

Managing a Quality Service

Experience

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

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Evidence of Experience

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates

Expected W/c 14th April

Behaviours

Communicating and Influencing

Making Effective Decisions

Managing a Quality Service

Strengths

Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed .

Other Assessments

Which assessment methods will be used?

Written Exercise

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

Level of security checks required

Baseline Personnal Security Standard (BPSS)