Head of Board Secretariat and Deputy Head of Corporate Governance

This is an opportunity to lead Board governance at the heart of HMCTS, one of the largest and most complex operational organisations in government.

As Head of Board Secretariat and Deputy Head of Corporate Governance, you will serve as Secretary to the HMCTS Board, lead support to the Board, its committees, the Chair and Non-Executive Directors, and act as a trusted governance adviser to senior leaders.

You will shape strategic agendas, strengthen the quality of decision-making and ensure that governance arrangements support accountability, organisational performance and delivery. You will also act as the principal deputy to the Head of Corporate Governance on governance matters, leading significant improvement and reform work under delegated authority.

The role sits within an evolving function and will require flexibility, sound judgement and confidence operating with senior stakeholders. You will lead a multi-grade team and may oversee separate Board Secretariat and corporate governance portfolios as the future structure and priorities of HMCTS develop.

1. Leadership of HMCTS Board secretariat

The postholder will:

• Serve as Secretary to the HMCTS Board, providing authoritative advice on Board procedure, responsibilities, decision routes and escalation. Lead the effective operation and continuing improvement of the Board, its committees and senior executive governance.
• Focus the Board, its committees and senior executive governance on HMCTS’s key priorities by shaping strategic agendas and an integrated forward programme that anticipates dependencies, risks and capacity pressures.
• Ensure Board and committee papers meet the required standard and provide clear advice or challenge where submissions are not decision ready.
• Work with sponsors and senior leaders to assure clear, decision-ready governance proposals and eliminate duplication.

1. Strategic support for the Chair and Non-Executive Directors, and senior stakeholder influence

The postholder will:

• Provide dedicated support and governance advice to the HMCTS Chair and Non-Executive Directors, enabling their effective contribution to Board business and overseeing their appointment, induction, development and engagement.
• Build trusted relationships with Board and committee members, judicial office holders, Ministry of Justice colleagues and partners, providing impartial advice and influence to improve governance, manage sensitive issues and translate recommendations into practical improvements.

1. Deputy Leadership of Corporate Governance

The postholder will:

• Act as principal deputy to the Head of Corporate Governance and Board Secretariat, advising senior leaders and translating strategic direction into effective governance, accountability and decision-making arrangements.
• Lead governance improvement and effectiveness reviews arising from organisational or leadership change, using evidence, stakeholder feedback and good practice to strengthen decision-making and forum effectiveness.

1. Leadership and Management

The postholder will:

• Lead, develop and line manage a high-performing, inclusive and resilient multi-grade team, setting clear objectives, priorities, standards and accountabilities across strategic, delegated governance and operational secretariat delivery.

The accompanying Key Accountabilities document provides further detail on the responsibilities and expectations of the role. The postholder will be expected to work flexibly across the Corporate Governance and Board Secretariat portfolio, and the scope and responsibilities of the role may evolve in response to changing organisational priorities and governance arrangements. Essential skills

• A strong understanding of corporate governance, accountability and effective decision-making.
• Experience supporting senior decision-making bodies, shaping agendas and forward programmes, and producing high-quality governance products.
• Ability to provide authoritative, impartial advice and build trusted, influential senior relationships.
• Strategic judgement to identify priorities, risks, dependencies and governance routes, with discretion in handling sensitive or high-profile matters.
• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to analyse complex material and produce clear, concise and accurate advice.
• Experience of leading teams, setting standards and developing capability.
• The ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes in a fast-moving and ambiguous environment.
• Evidence of leading continuous improvement, organisational change or governance reform.

The following criteria are desirable. They will not be assessed as part of the main selection process but may be used as a deciding factor where candidates achieve equal scores.

Job description

HM Courts and Tribunals ServiceJob Title: Head of Board Secretariat and Deputy Head of Corporate GovernanceGrade:G7Directorate: Strategy Analysis and Change (SAC)Location: NationalContract Type: PermanentWorking Pattern: Full-time. Flexible working arrangements may be considered, subject to business needsSuccessful applicants will normally be expected to work from an HMCTS office for atleast 60% of their working time, subject to business needs, with monthlytravel to London. Level of Clearance: To apply for this role, you will be required to successfully complete Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) as a condition of appointment.

• Experience of working directly with a Chair, Non-Executive Directors, judicial office holders, Ministers or senior public servants.
• Knowledge of public body governance, departmental sponsorship or government accountability arrangements.
• Experience of Board or committee effectiveness reviews, developing governance frameworks, delegations and/or terms of reference.
• Knowledge of HMCTS, the Ministry of Justice or the wider justice system.
• Experience of using technology or artificial intelligence to improve governance or corporate services.

• The role will require monthly travel to London and travel to other HMCTS sites in line with business needs.
• We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods
• CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability
• Evidence of Experience

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Salary

The national salary range is £58,511 - £65,329, London salary range is £63,343 - £70,725 Your salary will be dependent on your base location

Working Pattern

Full Time, Flexible Working

Vacancy Approach

External

Location

National

Region

National

Closing Date

27-Oct-2026

Post Type

Permanent

Civil Service Grade

Grade 7

Number of jobs available

1

Reserve List

12 Months

Job ID

23090

HM Courts & Tribunals Service is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales. Our work supports the judiciary and helps people and businesses to access justice, often at significant moments in their lives. We are looking for individuals who are committed to public service and want to make a difference through the delivery of justice.

To apply for this position, you must submit the following as part of your application:

• An anonymisedCV, setting out your career history, key responsibilities and achievements. Your CV will be assessed against the essential criteria outlined within the Essential Skills section of this advert.

• A Statement of Suitability which should give us real life examples of how your skills and experience match those needed for this role. We recommend following the STAR

Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift may be conducted on the Statement of Suitability Candidates who pass the pre-sift will be fully assessed on all the sift criteria.

Successful candidates who pass the sift will be invited to an in-person interview at, 102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ (details to be shared along with your invite). At interview stage, you will be assessed against Strengths and Behaviours. Details can be found under the interview stage assessment section on the advert.

To apply for this role, you will be required to successfully complete Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) as a condition of appointment. To meet these requirements, you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years

New recruits to the Civil Service joining MoJ are expected to join at the band minimum.

Existing Civil Servants applying on promotion, will usually be appointed on the salary minimum of the new pay band, or receive an increase of 10% on the current base salary, whichever is higher (This is restricted to the pay maximum of the new band).

Additional 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 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.

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.

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.

The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

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.

• 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. You can determine your eligibility at .

• Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
• Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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) (opens in a new window)
• 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 (opens in a new window)

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

Please quote the job reference 23090

• G7 - Head of Board Secretariat.docx (Job Description Attachment)

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Interview Dates

Earliest to interview: Expected week commencing 23rd November (subject to change)

Seeing the Big Picture

Communicating and Influencing

Leadership

Managing a Quality Service

Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance.

DBS Basic

Counter Terrorism Check (CTC)

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 our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.