Principal Strategy Advisor

The Judicial Office (JO) reports to, and is accountable, to the Lady Chief Justice (LCJ). It was established in 2006 to provide support to the LCJ and to the wider judiciary in upholding the rule of law and in delivering justice impartially, speedily and efficiently, following the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. In addition, we support, and are accountable to, the Senior President of Tribunals, whose responsibilities extend to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The JO is an interesting and unique place to work. Everything we do is in support of upholding the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. We work closely with HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and others across Government as well as with the legal professions. We are an Arm's Length Body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice.

This creates an interesting and complex environment in which to work where we agree our priorities with the senior judiciary and receive our funding to deliver them from the Ministry of Justice. The Judicial Office has been through a period of significant growth resulting from an expansion of our remit and responsibilities., This is an exciting and challenging opportunity to provide direct support to the senior judiciary in delivering their vision for cross-jurisdictional reform.

The Strategy and Modernisation Team ('Strat Mod') includes sub-teams focused on modernisation in the civil, family, tribunals and criminal jurisdictions. This particular role leads on cross-jurisdictional projects, including One Judiciary: a long-standing ambition of the Lady Chief Justice, the Senior President of Tribunals and the senior judiciary to bring courts and tribunals closer together. Historically, the courts and tribunals judiciaries have sometimes operated differently in relation to procedure, policy and working practices.

One Judiciary aims to create a more flexible and efficient system by breaking down barriers, encouraging greater collaboration, and fostering a single judicial family with a shared purpose and values, while respecting the strengths of each jurisdiction. The previous role holder led major constitutional changes under the One Judiciary banner, including reform of the role of the Senior President of Tribunals to strengthen unified leadership under the Lady Chief Justice and create a clearer structure for the courts and tribunals judiciary in England and Wales.

These measures are included in the Courts and Tribunals Bill, introduced to Parliament in February 2026. This has been a large and technically complex project. The previous post holder has also been delivering a major modernisation of the High Court structure through the establishment of a new Business and Property Division. The relevant caseload is currently spread across both the King's Bench and Chancery Divisions.

Under the reform, the new Division will bring high-value, complex disputes together in one place, covering commercial, business, property, technology, construction and intellectual property cases. This work is complex, fast-paced and dependent on strong working relationships with senior judges and officials. The cross-jurisdictional team also includes an SEO and an HEO, who lead on aspects of One Judiciary and parliamentary monitoring and engagement.

A strong candidate will be able to support judicial commissions in designing and delivering a range of policies and strategies, working with stakeholders to ensure that the work is practical, deliverable and implemented effectively. The postholder will need the confidence and judgement to maintain momentum and influence colleagues internally and across Government to deliver change. This will include providing regular oral and written briefings…