Role details

HM Chief Inspector, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate

Application deadline 14 June 2024

Summary

• Organisation: HIs Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate
• Sponsor department: Attorney General's Office
• Location: Various
• Sectors: Judicial, Prisons & Policing
• Skills: Legal, Judicial, Regulation
• Number of vacancies: 1
• Time commitment: Adhoc
• Remuneration: £125000 per annum
• Length of term: 5 years
• Application deadline: 5pm on 14 June 2024

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   3 May 2024

2. Application deadline

   5pm on 14 June 2024

3. Sifting date

   24 June 2024

4. Interviews expected to end on

   15 July 2024

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the role

Introduction from the Secretary of State

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your interest in becoming His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service. I welcome applicants from the widest possible field. Above all I am seeking applicants whose strategic vision and integrity is matched by their high levels of competence, management and capability in leading and running a high-profile organisation.

You may already have some idea about the important work of the inspectorate and the following pages will tell you more about the inspectorate’s purpose and the nature of the Chief Inspector’s role.

The Government is committed to improving the criminal justice system and the Chief Inspector plays a central role in delivering this agenda through inspections of the public prosecutors, and of other prosecuting authorities as required. The inspectorate’s work in identifying best practice and areas for improvement, and offering an independent level of assurance is crucial role in challenging poor performance and enhancing the quality of justice. The Chief Inspector is responsible for leading an independent inspectorate, holding responsibility for the production of all inspection reports including findings and recommendations, and providing independent assurance to the public and the Government on the effectiveness of public prosecutions. The Chief Inspector is the organisation’s voice and spokesperson and is responsible for providing clear and visible leadership to staff.

I look to the Chief Inspector to provide objective and comprehensive findings and recommendations that we can use to improve the operation, efficiency, and effectiveness of the public prosecutors.

I am looking for an exceptional candidate to fill this vital public appointment. The next Chief Inspector will be expected to use their skills and experience to continue to build upon improvements made to the inspection approach in recent years and continue to strengthen the inspectorate. They will work to ensure that the inspectorate produces high-quality, evidence-based inspection reports, which can be used by the public prosecutors and the Attorney General’s Office to improve performance. This is a highly demanding and extremely rewarding role. It provides an excellent opportunity for the right candidate to contribute significantly to improvements in the delivery of essential public services. 

If you believe you have the experience and qualities we are seeking, I do hope you will consider applying for this unique position.

Rt Hon Victoria Prentis KC MP

Attorney General

Organisation description

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service is a public appointment made by the Attorney General. The Chief Inspector is a statutory office holder and is supported by an inspectorate: His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI). The inspectorate provides independently assessed evidence about the operation, efficiency, and effectiveness of the public prosecutors (the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO)). This

work assists the Law Officers in the exercise of their superintendence and sponsorship functions in relation to the public prosecutors; assists the Directors of the CPS and the SFO in the exercise of their functions; and provides assurance to Parliament and the public about the operation of the public prosecutors.

The Chief Inspector and the inspectorate may inspect other public sector prosecuting authorities by invitation, such as the Service Prosecuting Authority and the Public Prosecution Service of Northern Ireland.

The Chief Inspector is accountable to the Attorney General. However the independence of the Chief Inspector and the inspectorate from the public prosecutors and the Government is of fundamental importance.

The inspectorate is a member of the Criminal Justice Joint Inspectorate (CJJI). The CJJI is a non- statutory mechanism which exists to support all four criminal justice inspectorates (of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services; the Crown Prosecution Service; Prisons; and Probation) in the exercise of their co-operation functions to prepare and deliver an annual joint inspection programme. This joint inspection programme allows the inspectorates to produce a rounded examination of issues that cut across the criminal justice system.

The inspectorate currently has 27 staff (4 Senior Management, 18 inspectors and 5

corporate/support staff with offices in London and York and operates on a £3.1 million budget. 

For more information about the organisation and its programme of inspections please see:

Annual Report 2022–23

Business Plan 2024-25

Protocol between the Law Officers and HM Chief Inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service

Regulation of appointment

This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the Commissioner’s website 

Person specification

Essential criteria

Candidates will be able to demonstrate:

• Exceptional organisational leadership and ability to develop a strategic vision for an organisation;
• Robust financial management and experience of successfully balancing resource against competing priorities;
• Outstanding communication skills and an ability to handle the media, deliver difficult and challenging messages, and secure public confidence by demonstrating fairness, objectivity and transparency;
• An ability to be at ease with a variety of stakeholders including politicians, the staff of the public prosecutors and third sector organisations, to command the confidence of Ministers, and to build and maintain successful working relationships and partnerships with inspectorate partners to drive up the performance of the public prosecutors;
• An ability to process and interpret complex information and to offer well developed analytical reasoning to inform judgements based on evidence;
• An understanding or experience of the criminal justice system in the UK or comparable jurisdictions.

Desirable criteria

The following criteria although not essential will also be taken into account by the selection panel:

• An understanding or experience of working in an inspectorate or regulator;
• An understanding or experience of the policy, political and media landscape in which the inspectorate works;
• Evidence of valuing and promoting diversity.

Application and selection process

How to apply

To make an application, please send:

• A CV (maximum two sides of A4) detailing your qualifications, employment history and any appointments or offices you hold. Please also provide your preferred contact number and email address.
• A personal statement (maximum two sides of A4) providing evidence against the selection criteria and your suitability for the post, including evidence of leadership qualities. Please state whether you are applying on a full-time or part-time basis. Please consider the role and criteria carefully in preparing your statements. Information from Advisory Assessment Panels indicates that applications which offer specific and tailored examples against the criteria, making clear the candidate’s role in achieving an outcome are often the strongest. Structuring the statement around the criteria using relevant headings also aids clarity.

Supporting Documents

Please also complete and return the following supporting documents:

• Potential conflicts of interest: if you have any interests that might be relevant to the work of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of the Crown Prosecution Service which could lead to a real or perceived conflict of interest if you were to be appointed, please provide details in your supporting documents.
• Given the nature of public appointments, it is important that those appointed as members of public bodies maintain the confidence of Parliament and the public. If there are any issues in your personal or professional history that could, if you were appointed, be misconstrued, cause embarrassment, or cause public confidence in the appointment to be jeopardised, it is important that you bring them to the attention of the Advisory Assessment Panel and provide details of the issue/s in you supporting letter on the relevant form. In considering whether you wish to declare any issues, you should also reflect on any public statements you have made, including through social media. The Advisory Assessment Panel may explore any issues with you before they make a recommendation on the appointment. Failure to disclose such information could result in an appointment either not being made or being terminated.
• Conflicts might arise from a variety of sources such as financial interests or share ownership, membership of, or association with, particular bodies or the activities of relatives or partners. If you need further advice, please contact devon.coates@gatenbysanderson.com
• Note of public appointments: please list any appointments currently held.
• Referee details: please give names/contact details of two referees (who will be contacted if you are shortlisted for interview).
• The political activity declaration form: in line with the Governance Code for Public Appointments, please detail any declared activity will be made public if you are appointed.
• The equal opportunities monitoring form: information is requested for monitoring purposes only and plays no part in the selection process. It will be kept confidential and will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel.

Please upload your CV and supporting documents (completing the online diversity monitoring and conflict of interest proformas) at the following online link:

https://www.gatenbysanderson.com/job/GSe111775

Overview of the application process

Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process which is conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages. We aim to conclude the appointment process within three months of the deadline for applications – this is in accordance with the Governance Code.

The assessment process

1. Ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the public appointments made within their department. As a result, they must be consulted at every stage of the appointments process.

2. An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.

3. At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.

4. Once the shortlist has been agreed by Ministers, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.

5. The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The Panel may invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.

6. Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.

7. Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before deciding the outcome. Candidates should therefore be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.

8. Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.

Further information about appointments, including tips on applying, can be found on our guidance pages on gov.uk.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

The Panel will be:

• Kelby Harmes, Director, Attorney General’s Office (Panel Chair);
• Monica Burch, Lead Non-Executive Board Member and Chair of the Board of the Crown Prosecution Service
• Samantha Pullin, Director of Litigation HMRC
• Nick Vineall KC, former Chair of the Bar of England and Wales 

The Advisory Assessment Panel Chair will report to the Attorney General on the outcome of the interviews. This is a Ministerial appointment.

Advisory Assessment Panels (AAP) are chosen by ministers to assist them in their decision-making. These include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive members of a board (apart from the Chair), the panel will usually include a representative from the public body concerned.

AAP’s perform a number of functions, including agreeing an assessment strategy with ministers, undertaking sifting, carrying out interviews in line with the advertised criteria and deciding objectively who meets the published selection criteria for the role before recommending to ministers which candidates they find appointable. It is then for the minister to decide who to appoint to the role.

Pre-appointment scrutiny

Pre-appointment scrutiny by select committees is an important part of the process for some of the most significant public appointments made by Ministers. It is designed to provide an added level of scrutiny to verify that the recruitment meets the principles set out in the Governance Code on Public Appointments. This scrutiny may involve the relevant select committee requesting and reviewing information from the Department and the Minister’s preferred candidate. The select committee may also choose to hold a pre-appointment hearing.

If you are confirmed as the government’s preferred candidate for this role, the department will be in touch to confirm next steps. In most cases your name and CV will be provided to the relevant select committee in advance of the hearing.  Following a date being agreed for a pre-appointment hearing with the committee you will be asked to complete a questionnaire in advance of that. Following the hearing, the government will review and respond to the Committee’s report before confirming the appointment. 

Full information can be found in the Cabinet Office’s guidance here. 

Eligibility criteria

In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.

There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. 

You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:

• you are disqualified from acting as a company director  (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);

• have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;

• your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.

When you apply, you should declare if:

• you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this. 

• you are subject to a current police investigation.

You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points. 

When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)

If you need further advice, please contact sponsorship@attorneygeneral.gov.uk

Security clearance

The successful candidate will be required to undertake Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks in line with the Civil Service guidelines. Additional Security Clearance may also be required for certain roles. However, where this applies, candidates will be notified during the appointment process. Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

Additional information for candidates

Equality and diversity

We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards of public bodies are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve and this is an important part of the Government’s levelling up agenda.

We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.

When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.

Disability confident

We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people. 

As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘minimum criteria,’ we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job-advert.

When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.

Some examples of common changes are:

• ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats;
• making adaptations to interview locations;
• allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way;
• giving additional detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves;
• allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters;
• making provision for support animals to attend.

When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.

Principles of public life

Holders of public office are expected to adhere to and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life. These are:

1. Selflessness - Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.
2. Integrity - Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.
3. Objectivity - Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.
4. Accountability - Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.
5. Openness - Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.
6. Honesty - Holders of public office should be truthful.
7. Leadership - Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Code of conduct for board members

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. In support of this, all non-executive board members of UK public bodies must abide by the principles set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. The Code sets out the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK public bodies and will form part of your terms and conditions of appointment.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

Holders of public office are expected to adhere and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. Before you apply you should consider carefully: 

• any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government; 
• any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or public statements that you have made; 
• and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported; 

which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.

You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies. 

Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (political activity is not a bar to appointment, but must be declared).

Status of appointment

As this is an office holder appointment, you will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.

Appointment and tenure of office

Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers.  Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. There is no automatic presumption of reappointment; each case should be considered on its own merits, taking into account a number of factors including, but not restricted to, the diversity of the current board and its balance of skills and experience. In most cases, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or serve in any one post for more than ten years

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

The salary for this post is £125,000 per annum based on a working week of 37 hours, or appropriate pro-rata salary for part-time hours. Remuneration is taxable and subject to National Insurance contributions. The post is pensionable under the Civil Service Pension arrangements. Details of the pensions available can be found on the following website http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/.

Please note that we do not pay travel expenses to attend interviews.

Pension and redundancy

This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon the end of your term of appointment because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.

Application feedback

We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.

How to complain

We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy.

Please contact the Policy and Sponsorship in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at sponsorship@attorneygeneral.gov.uk. They will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 working days.

How to complain to Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA)

If you are not content with the appointing department’s response you may wish to further complain to the Commissioner at publicappointments@csc.gov.uk.Further information on how the Commissioner handles complaints can be found on the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ website https://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/regulating-appointments/investigating-complaints/

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

Attorney General Privacy Notice

Contact details

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Gatenby Sanderson:

Khadeeja Khalid, Researcher - Khadeeja.khalid@GatenbySanderson.com

Julie Myers, Partner - Julie.myers@gatenbysanderson.com

James Payne, Partner - James.payne@gatenbysanderson.com

Attachments

• Candidate Pack