Justice ID Policy Lead

National salary range: £58,511 - £65,329; London salary range: £63,343 - £70,725. Salary depends on base location.

Working Pattern: Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working.

Location: Leeds, London.

Grade: 7.

Vacancy Approach: Cross Government.

Closing Date: 13 Jul 2026.

Post Type: Detached Duty, Loan.

You will be the first dedicated policy lead for Justice ID, bridging policy, digital, data and operations.

You will sit in Policy Group within the CJS Reform and Implementation Division, embedded in Justice Data, part of Service Transformation Group.

No team or line management responsibility initially.

• Lead policy development for Justice ID, including use of fingerprint biometrics across courts, prisons and probation, and develop practical policy positions on powers, legislation, guidance and operational change.
• Identify and resolve key policy issues that could affect delivery, including data protection, privacy, equalities, ethics, proportionality, public confidence and impact on existing operating models.
• Work across MoJ and wider CJS, including Home Office, CPS, policing and NPCC colleagues, to align policy perspectives.
• Build strong links across relevant MoJ policy areas, including courts, prisons, probation and victims' policy, as well as data protection and legal.
• Provide clear advice to senior officials, ministers and the team, grounded in frontline reality, user needs, evidence from pilots and the trade offs involved.
• Establish how policy development and delivery should work within Justice ID, including identifying the wider policy capability needed as the programme scales.

• Excellent strategic thinking skills, ability to set direction in a high profile, complex and uncertain policy area.
• Experience engaging with stakeholders, with strong collaboration skills to bring together disparate views to reach a common consensus.
• Confidence in advising Ministers, senior officials and other departments; politically astute; awareness of issues within the criminal justice system.
• Strong organisational and planning skills, ability to drive forward a broad portfolio of work and balance multiple workstreams.
• Demonstrated ability to work flexibly, meet deadlines, manage competing demands and prioritise where appropriate.

• Understanding of the criminal justice system and its challenges.
• Experience in policy or strategy related to digital, technology, data, identity, biometrics, privacy, data protection or information sharing.
• Experience working in or alongside a delivery or transformation programme or multidisciplinary team.

Applicants will be assessed against the Civil Service Success Profiles framework. You must provide a CV and a Statement of Suitability (up to 500 words) referencing the skills and experience listed above. The Statement of Suitability should be truthful and factually accurate.

Behavioural evidence will be required: Working Together is the lead behaviour; you may also need to provide examples of Making Effective Decisions and Seeing The Big Picture.

Interviews will be conducted remotely at the end of July 2026 or beginning of August 2026.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently under represented in our workforce.