Job Description
Capability Manager
Location: National*
Closing Date: 17 August 2026
Interviews: From 27 August 2026
Grade: SEO
(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)
Salary**: London: £49,325 - £53,081; National: £42,914 - £46,182
Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working, Job share
Contract Type: Permanent
Number of vacancies: 2
Vacancy number: 20489
*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP
Please note that unless you are an existing member of staff at Justice Digital, Data and Science, the only London location being recruited to is 10 South Colonnade, E14 4PU. We are no longer recruiting to 102 Petty France, SW1H 9AJ.
The Role
We’re recruiting for a Capability Manager here at Justice Digital, Data and Science to be part of our warm and collaborative Capability team.
The Capability Team sits within the Enabling Services directorate in Justice Digital, Data & Science (JDDS). The Capability Manager plays a key role in ensuring JDDS has the right skills, knowledge, and professional development structures to deliver its priorities. At SEO level, the role combines both strategy and delivery: shaping long-term capability plans while also implementing initiatives that directly support people and teams. The Capability Manager works across teams to identify capability needs and fosters a culture of continuous learning. The postholder will partner with colleagues across JDDS.
This role is central to talent development, capability uplift and skills growth across Justice Digital, Data & Science. For example, our Capability Managers have been responsible for building the Assessment and Allowance process, Capability Hub, embedding a strong Continuous Professional Development culture; and implementing vocation programmes to support emerging talent and early career professionals. This role uses a range of tools for example Excel, SharePoint, PowerPoint. In this role, success will be measured not just by delivery, but by the impact you create through improved capability, stronger engagement and tangible shifts in performance and culture. We’ll define a specific meaningful metric at the start of a project.
You’ll receive a range of excellent benefits when you join our department, including:
- A generous employer pension contribution of 28.97% through the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
- 25 days of annual leave, (increasing to 30 days once you have reached 5 years of service), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday.
- Flexible working arrangements including hybrid working, working part time or compressed hours. Designed to support a positive work–life balance.
- Employees are allocated 10% of their working time for personal and professional development.
- A £1k per person learning budget is in place to support all our people, with access to best-in-class conferences and seminars, accreditation with professional bodies, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms.
- Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!
You can find more details of the Benefits we offer here. To help picture your life at Justice Digital, Data and Science please take a look at our blog.
Key Responsibilities:
- Shape and deliver capability and talent programmes that align with the MoJ Talent Strategy and Justice Digital, Data & Science Talent Plan (2024–27) and annual business plans.
- Build and maintain key products such as the Job Role Catalogue (JRC) and Justice Digital, Data & Science Capability Framework, ensuring they are accurate, governed, and widely used.
- Partner with Heads of Profession, leaders, and teams to co-design capability tools, professional communities and role pathways that meet business and professional needs.
- Foster a culture of continuous learning through initiatives like the Capability Hub, Continuous Professional Development and Talent Academies for apprentices and emerging talent.
- Monitor, analyse and report on programme outcomes using data, metrics and feedback to justify investment and support continuous improvement i.e. post Government Digital & Data assessment rounds.
- Collaborate with People Group, commercial colleagues, senior leaders, technical specialists and external suppliers to ensure development activity is high quality and business relevant.
- Engage with other government departments (including CDDO) to share best practice, link communities of practice, and align capability approaches across government.
- Act as a collaborative leader within the Capability Team, supporting wider workstreams and embedding inclusive, effective ways of working.
- Communicate effectively across diverse audiences, adapting style and tools (written, presentation, facilitation) to maximise engagement and impact.
- A commitment to displaying and promoting a culture of inclusivity.
If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!
Person Specification
Essential
- Experience in capability-building contexts: (Learning & Development, Recruitment, HR, Pay or digital and data talent programme design/delivery in large complex organisations).
- Project / Programme Management experience: Planning, governance, compliance (e.g. GDPR), data analysis, performance tracking, and delivery to time/budget as needed.
- Data and Insight: Experience of acquiring, managing, analysing and using data to inform decisions, monitor outcomes and guide future approaches.
- Communicating & Influencing
- Leadership
- Working Together
Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for BPSS clearance
We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring and do not discriminate based on culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor.
Our values are Purpose, Humanity Openness and Together. Find out more here about how we celebrate diversity and an inclusive culture in our workplace.
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 D&I Strategy.
Salary Information**
Base salary for this role is from London: £49,325 - £53,081; National: £42,914 - £46,182
- New entrants to the Civil Service joining the MoJ are expected to start at the minimum of the pay band.
- Existing Civil Servants moving on a level transfer will retain their current base salary or move to the minimum of the pay band for the role, whichever is higher.
- Existing Civil Servants who are promoted will either move to the bottom of the new grade’s pay band or receive a 10% uplift, whichever provides the greater increase.
How to Apply
In Justice Digital, Data and Science, we recruit using the Success Profiles Framework. We shall assess a combination of your Experience and the following Behaviours during the assessment process:
- Communicating & Influencing
- Leadership
- Working Together
Stage 1 - Application and sift:
To apply for this position, you must submit the following as part of your application:
- A CV detailing your career history (including any relevant qualifications). Your CV will be assessed against the essential criteria outlined within the Person Specification of this advert.
- A Personal Statement (no more than 750 words) which should outline your experience and skills, giving clear examples of work undertaken. It should specifically address the following three criteria listed below, using a separate paragraph for each.
- Experience in capability-building contexts: (Learning & Development, Recruitment, HR, Pay or digital and data talent programme design/delivery in large complex organisations).
- Project / Programme Management experience: Planning, governance, compliance (e.g. GDPR), data analysis, performance tracking, and delivery to time/budget as needed.
- Data and Insight: Experience of acquiring, managing, analysing and using data to inform decisions, monitor outcomes and guide future approaches.
A diverse sift panel will review the information in your CV and Personal Statement to assess the sift criteria specified above. We operate an anonymous shortlisting process. Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement do not include your name or any other identifying details.
Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based on the following criterion will be conducted before the sift:
- Experience in capability-building contexts: (Learning & Development, Recruitment, HR, Pay or digital and data talent programme design/delivery in large complex organisations)
Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply - Application Guidance
Stage 2 - Interviews:
Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a panel interview held via Microsoft Teams. At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
- Experience in capability-building contexts: (Learning & Development, Recruitment, HR, Pay or digital and data talent programme design/delivery in large complex organisations).
- Project / Programme Management: Planning, governance, compliance (e.g. GDPR), data analysis, performance tracking, and delivery to time/budget as needed.
- Data and Insight: Experience of acquiring, managing, analysing and using data to inform decisions, monitor outcomes and guide future approaches.
- Communicating & Influencing
- Leadership
- Working Together
Appointments are made strictly in merit order. In the event that two or more candidates receive identical interview scores, the following will be applied as the primary lead criterion to determine the final merit order:
- Experience in capability-building contexts: (Learning & Development, Recruitment, HR, Pay or digital and data talent programme design/delivery in large complex organisations)
Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrate the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and offer you the position without needing a further application.
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, from which further appointments may be made.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
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.
Terms & Conditions
Please review our Terms and Conditions which set out how we recruit and provide further information related to the role and salary arrangements.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact digitalanddatarecruitment@justice.gov.uk
