National Lived Experience Lead

• Lead the national oversight, development and implementation of Engaging People on Probation (EPOP), ensuring consistent, high-quality lived experience practice across probation.
• Support the implementation and ongoing development of the HMPPS Lived Experience Charter and associated standards, guidance and governance arrangements.
• Lead or contribute to national programmes, projects and policy initiatives to ensure lived experience is embedded from development through to delivery and evaluation.
• Provide strategic oversight, support and advice on peer mentoring and lived experience-led approaches across HMPPS.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with senior leaders, regional teams, partner organisations and people with lived experience to support collaborative working and system improvement.
• Support national assurance activity, including oversight of engagement standards and the Engagement Maturity Model, to monitor progress and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Promote the use of lived experience as a source of evidence, ensuring insight is captured, analysed and used to inform decision-making and service improvement.
• Support workforce development by embedding lived experience within.

Additional Information

• Job description
• -All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post
• -All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS
• -All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which the HMPPS considers to be racist
• We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods
• CV or Work History, Experience Questions, Statement of Suitability
• Experience Questions Application Form Question Word Limit
• 500
• Evidence of Experience

-The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non standard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment. If you were appointed internally and your leave was previously calculated in days, this will continue to be the case.

Salary

The national salary range is £54,148, London salary range is £57,580 - £59,366. Your salary will be dependent on your base location

Working Pattern

Full Time

Vacancy Approach

External

Location

National

Region

National

Closing Date

19-Nov-2026

Business Unit

AGY - NOMS Agency

Post Type

Permanent

Civil Service Grade

SEO

Number of jobs available

1

Reserve List

12 Months

Job ID

23787

The National Lived Experience Lead provides national leadership for lived experience across HMPPS, ensuring the voices, experiences and expertise of people with lived experience influence policy, strategy, service design and operational delivery.

The role leads the national oversight of Engaging People on Probation (EPOP), supports the implementation of the HMPPS Lived Experience Charter, and works with senior leaders to embed meaningful engagement and co-production across the organisation. The postholder provides strategic advice on lived experience, supports the development of peer mentoring and lived experience approaches, and helps build the evidence base demonstrating the impact of lived experience on services, staff practice and organisational outcomes.

This role sits at the centre of HMPPS' ambition to ensure lived experience is not an add-on, but a valued and influential part of policy development, decision-making, service improvement and organisational culture.

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 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, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office 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 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.

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 with the HMPPS’ Flexible Working policy.

If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff.

The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

-You are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays.

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

HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) is keen to encourage alternative working arrangements. Work life balance provides greater opportunities for staff to work more flexibly wherever managers and establishments can accommodate requests to do so. HMPPS offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period and NVQ

-After two months’ service, you’ll be eligible to apply for a season ticket advance to purchase a quarterly or longer-period season ticket for travel between home and your place of work

For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers

HMPPS is committed to staff development and offers a range of training and development opportunities, including areas such as Equality and Diversity, Dealing with Challenging Behaviour, Suicide Prevention and Anti Bullying Programmes

-There are opportunities to access promotion programmes and HMPPS provides a variety of training appropriate to individual posts

-All staff receive security and diversity training and an individual induction programme into their new roles

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.

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.

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: 23787

• 2772 JD Lived Experience Lead V.2.0 .pdf (Job Description Attachment)

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Behaviours Application Form Question Word Limit

250

Changing and Improving

Communicating and Influencing

Managing a Quality Service

Seeing the Big Picture

Interview Dates

TBC

Changing and Improving

Seeing the Big Picture

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

Which assessment methods will be used?

Presentation

DBS Standard

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.

The Rehabilitation Strategy Team sits within HMPPS and leads strategic work to improve rehabilitation outcomes and reduce reoffending across prisons and probation. The team works across policy, operational delivery and partnership development to shape national approaches that support people to build positive, crime-free lives.

Working with colleagues across HMPPS, MOJ, sector organisations and people with lived experience, the team develops and delivers programmes, policies and guidance that strengthen rehabilitation, improve services and promote effective resettlement. The team plays a key role in ensuring that evidence, insight and lived experience inform strategic decision-making and service improvement.