CJS Strategic Insights and Cross-Cutting Priorities Team Leader

This vacancy is only available to existing Civil Servant employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). Please review the "Eligibility" section before you apply.

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

Vacancy Approach

Cross Government

Location

Leeds, London

Region

London, Yorkshire and the Humber

Closing Date

11-Sep-2026

Post Type

Permanent

Grade 7

Number of jobs available

1

Reserve List

12 Months

Job

21597

This is an exciting opportunity to take up a fast-paced, varied and cross-system role with responsibility for driving change across the Criminal Justice System, shaping how evidence is brought together to inform decisions at the highest levels of government.

As part of the newly established CJS Strategy & Reform Directorate, the Strategic Insight and Cross Cutting Priorities Team Leader will operate at the heart of the Criminal Justice System, bringing together operational insight, analytical evidence, research, policy understanding and stakeholder intelligence to develop compelling, evidence-based narratives about system performance, demand, risks and emerging trends.

The directorate is in its early stages and both the team, and its remit will continue to evolve as the function matures. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in ambiguity, enjoys building new ways of working and is comfortable adapting to changing priorities and senior direction. The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping not only the work of the team, but how the function develops over the longer term.

As the Strategic Insight and Cross-Cutting Priorities Team Leader, you will work closely with stakeholders in MoJ and across policy and operational partners, developing an understanding of challenges across the system and working together to find solutions. The role will be fast paced, stretching and varied, offering interaction across government and operational partners at all levels, including ministers and senior officials.

In addition to coordinating inputs from teams across the CJS, the Cross-Cutting Team plays a crucial role in providing strategic oversight of cross-system issues, both internally and externally, for example drawing out the in dependencies and trade-offs between options for CJS reform. The team is also responsible for responding to urgent and reactive cross-system crises. Recent examples include helping to coordinate the cross-system response to the prison crisis, antisemitism and responding to the Southport riots.

Acting as the strategic integrator for the Criminal Justice System, the postholder will synthesise evidence from across analytical, operational and policy communities to develop a trusted whole-system understanding of the Criminal Justice System. They will act as the central point for developing the whole-system view of emerging issues, policy developments and operational challenges, translating complex evidence into clear strategic insight and advice that supports better whole-system decision-making.

This is not a specialist policy or analytical role. The successful candidate will operate as a strategic generalist, rapidly developing an understanding of new issues, bringing together expertise from across government and providing strategic advice on the highest priority challenges facing the Criminal Justice System. The postholder will however also be responsible for a small number of cross-cutting policy issues.

CJS Strategy & Insights is a small, integrated team of strategic generalists. All members of the team are…