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21246 Deputy Head of Function


Job Location:

Durham, NC - USA

Monthly Salary: £ 51203 - 56111
Posted: 21 August 2026 (30+ days ago)
Application Deadline: 18 November 2026
Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

General Information
Salary
51203 - 56111
Working Pattern
Full Time
Vacancy Approach
External
Location
Darlington Durham Newton Aycliffe Peterlee
Region
North East
Closing Date
17-Sep-2026
Business Unit
PDU County Durham and Darlington (2021)
Post Type
Permanent
Civil Service Grade
Other
Number of jobs available
1
Reserve List
12 Months
Job ID
21246
Descriptions & requirements
Job description

Overview of the job

Working at the direction of the Head of Operational Function the post holder will be deployed to a variety of roles in order to provide strategic support.

Summary

To support the Head of LDU Cluster providing management and leadership within the National Probation Service (NPS) Local Delivery Unit (LDU).

To represent the Head of LDU Cluster with external agencies/stakeholders and staff as appropriate.

The post holder must adhere to all policies in respect of the sensitive/confidential nature of the information handled whilst working in this position. May be required to participate in out of hours on call rota.

Responsibilities Activities & Duties

Senior Operational Support Manager may be required to undertake any combination or all of the duties and responsibilities as directed by the Head of Operational Function as set out below.

  • Cluster operational lead on caseload segmentation issues such as Child Sexual Exploitation Guns and Gangs Integrated Offender Management etc.
  • Operational support to the Head of Cluster within relevant Probation Instruction criteria and rules such as Recall High Risk of Serious Harm Case Transfers etc.
  • Providing support to the Head of Cluster within the relevant Probation Instruction criteria and rules such as grievance discipline capability complaints etc.
  • Responsible for the professional development of cluster staff
  • Responsible for developing and deploying the Cluster Training Needs Analysis
  • Ensure effective cluster employee recruitment and induction
  • Act as cluster lead for performance & quality
  • Act as cluster lead for audits and inspections
  • Operational support to the Head of Cluster in completing reviews and delivery of action plans such as Domestic Homicides Serious Further Reviews Serious Case Reviews etc.
  • Responsible for the management of the Business Manager and the administrative support functions within the cluster
  • Under the guidance of the Head of LDU Cluster; represent the NPS in local strategic partnerships and ensure appropriate representation within wider partnership frameworks in line with statutory responsibilities and operational policy
  • Participate in the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) locally in conjunction with other responsible authorities including the chairing of MAPPA level 3 meetings
  • In the absence of the Head of LDU Cluster to make decisions and provide advice on the management of offenders where senior management authorisation or involvement is necessary e.g. authorising the recall of offenders to prison
  • Operational support to the Head of cluster in the management of complaints within the cluster and direct involvement in complaint resolution where necessary
  • Under the guidance of the Head of LDU Cluster to take the lead on specific divisional or cluster projects/portfolios including Equality and Diversity Reward and Recognition etc.
  • Operational support to the Head of cluster in cluster compliance with Health and Safety legislation.
  • Senior Management responsibility for estates buildings and maintenance activities within the cluster
  • Demonstrate pro-social modelling skills by consistently reinforcing pro-social behaviour and attitudes and challenging anti-social behaviour and attitudes
  • Carry out safeguarding children and safeguarding adult duties in accordance with the NPS statutory responsibilities and agency policies
  • Work within the aims and values of NPS and HMPPS

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post at present and are not exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alteration sand additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under job evaluation and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

Behaviours

  • Leadership
  • Making Effective Decisions
  • Working Together
  • Delivering at Pace
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Managing a Quality Service
  • Changing and Improving

Essential Experience

  • Significant experience at middle manager level including the management of staff
  • Experience of monitoring performance in area of responsibility against predetermined targets setting local targets and effecting necessary improvements
  • Experience of budgetary control incl. procurement
  • Experience of managing relationships incl. working with key local agencies and stakeholders
  • Evidence of preparing high level written reports to a good standard

Technical requirements

A qualification in one of the following areas:

Probation Qualification Framework Graduate Diploma/Honours Degree in Community Justice integrated with Level 5 Diploma in Probation Practice.

Or a qualification which was recognised at the time of qualification by the Secretary of State for Justice as per Section 10 of the Offender Management Act 2007. The following qualifications gained in England and Wales were previously recognised as providing such eligibility:

  • Diploma in Probation Studies
  • Diploma in Social Work (with Probation Option)
  • CQSW (with Probation Option)

Knowledge of the wider criminal justice system

Hours of Work

37 hours a week

Additional Information

New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join at the entry point salary for the advertised band


Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Departments pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules.

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). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Hybrid Working will not suit everyones circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to aMoJoffice location which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks.

Some of MoJs 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.

Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid. HMPPS 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 withthe HMPPS 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 plus public for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis

Pension

The National Probation Service is covered by the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) run through the Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF).Please visit for further information.

Please note: Any current Civil Servant who is a member of the PCSPS by accepting an offer of employment to the National Probation Services will be opted out of the PCSPS and auto enrolled into the Local Government Pension Scheme.

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.

Eligibility

All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post

Support

Working for the Civil Service

TheCivil Service Codesets 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 Commissionsrecruitment 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 (0(Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail);
  • To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team();
  • To the Civil Service Commission (details availablehere)

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 theCivil Service People Planand theCivil 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:

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:

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

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 0 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail

Please quote the job reference

HMPPS

If you require any assistance please call 0 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail

Please quote the job reference - 21246

Job Description Attachment
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Application form stage assessments
Experience
We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods
Statement of Suitability
Statement of Suitability
Guidance for the Statement of Suitability
Please provide a Statement of Suitability based on the essential criteria of the Job Description.
Evidence of Experience
Statement of Suitability
Technical
Technical Questions Application Form Question Word Limit
250
Please explain how you meet the criteria for a qualified Probation Officer.
Specific qualification requirements
Must be a qualified Probation Officer.
Interview stage assessments
Interview Dates
Expected week commencing 5th October 2026
Behaviours
Leadership
Making Effective Decisions
Working Together
Delivering at Pace
Communicating and Influencing
Managing a Quality Service
Changing and Improving
Strengths
Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here.
Other Assessments
Which assessment methods will be used
Presentation
Level of security checks required
DBS Standard

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 see ourcandidate guidancefor more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.


Required Experience:

Director


About Company

The Ministry of Justice’s Office of the Deputy Attorney General (International Law) handles a broad range of issues in the field of international law, including public international law, economic law and international humanitarian law. The Office is also at the forefront of advocating ... View more

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