Job Description
Head of Science Advice
Location: National*
Closing Date: 16th March 2026
Interviews: Week commencing 30th March 2026
Grade 6
(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)
Salary:
National £71,381 - £80,419
London £75,674 - £85,257
Working pattern: Full Time, Part Time, Flexible Working
Contract Type: Permanent
Vacancy number: 15255
*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
The Role
We’re recruiting for a Head of Science Advice here at Ministry of Justice, to be part of our warm and collaborative Science Office.
Providing policy and operational colleagues with high-quality science advice is the core function of the Science Office. The Head of Science Advice plays a critical role in ensuring that ministers and senior leaders are supported by credible, authoritative and well-judged scientific advice, particularly in areas of high public, political and national security sensitivity.
This role sits at the heart of departmental decision-making, enabling the department to act with confidence across a wide range of STEM-related issues, including those that are complex, fast-moving or contested. The postholder will lead the department’s health, drugs and security science advice desks, ensuring the quality, coherence and impact of science advice provided across the organisation.
The MoJ Science Office sits within the Data Directorate, and is led by MoJ Chief Scientific Advisor, Hugh Stickland. We are the MoJ's centre of expertise for science, R&D strategy, foresight and emerging technology, ensuring that decision making across the justice system is informed by robust evidence, scientific thinking, and forward-looking insight. Our work brings together futures and horizon scanning, deep-subject specialism in natural and behavioural sciences, and the responsible application of new and emerging technologies to address current challenges and support long term, strategic decision making.
As a team we are collaborative, outward facing, and impact driven. We operate as an open innovation unit working closely with other government departments, the Government Office for Science, regulators, academics and industry partners to bring fresh thinking and robust insight into the heart of MoJ.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead the department’s health, drugs and security science advice desks, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, timely and proportionate science advice.
- Provide direct line management and professional leadership to 3–4 Grade 7 science leads, setting clear expectations for scientific rigour, integrity and communication.
- Provide senior oversight and advice across a broad range of STEM subjects, drawing on specialist expertise where required.
- Advise ministers, senior officials and operational leaders on complex scientific issues, often in high-profile or sensitive contexts.
- Ensure science advice appropriately reflects uncertainty, risk and limitations of evidence, supporting effective decision-making.
- Provide senior leadership and expert oversight of science advice relating to health, drugs and national security, with deep expertise in at least one of these domains.
- Play a key role in the leadership of the Science Office, contributing to strategic direction, priorities and ways of working.
- Promote high professional standards and build capability across the department in the effective use of science advice.
If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!
Benefits
- 37 hours per week and flexible working options including working from hybrid, working part-time, job sharing, or working compressed hours.
- 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
- Staff have 10% time to dedicate to develop & grow
- Generous civil service pension based on defined benefit scheme, with employer contributions of 28.97% from April 1st 2024 (Contribution Rates)
- 25 days leave (plus bank holidays) and 1 privilege day usually taken around the Kings’ birthday. 5 additional days of leave once you have reached 5 years of service.
- 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!
- Wellbeing support including access to the Calm app.
- Nurturing professional and interpersonal networks including those for Carers & Childcare, Gender Equality, PROUD and SPIRIT
- Bike loans up to £2500 and secure bike parking (subject to availability and location)
- Season ticket loans, childcare vouchers and eye-care vouchers.
- 5 days volunteering paid leave.
- Some offices may have a subsidised onsite Gym.
Person Specification
Essential
- Significant experience of providing or overseeing science advice at pace in complex policy, operational or sensitive environments, balancing competing evidence, and leading subject matter experts to deliver this advice.
- Experience of advising or influencing senior decision-makers, including ministers or equivalent, taking into account bigger picture factors and behavioural drivers.
- Strong science communicator, with the ability and scientific credibility to engage confidently and authoritatively with senior scientists, technical experts and professional specialists; and to assess, interpret and communicate complex scientific evidence clearly to non-specialist audiences.
Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for DV
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.
How to Apply
Candidates must submit a CV and 750-word cover letter which describes how you meet the requirements set out in the Person Specification above.
A cover letter is required as part of your application. If a cover letter is not provided, unfortunately, we will not be able to consider your application.
Application Guidance
Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement
In MOJ, we recruit using a combination of Success Profiles Frameworks. We will assess your Experience, Technical Skills and the following Behaviours during the assessment process:
- Making effective decisions
- Leadership
A diverse panel will review your application against the Person Specification above.
Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a 1-hour panel interview held over Microsoft Teams.
Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based on significant experience of providing or overseeing science advice at pace in complex policy, operational or sensitive environments, balancing competing evidence, and leading subject matter experts to deliver this advice will be conducted before the sift.
When sifting applications, we’ll be assessing candidates based on the following criteria:
- Significant experience of providing or overseeing science advice at pace in complex policy, operational or sensitive environments, balancing competing evidence, and leading subject matter experts to deliver this advice.
- Experience of advising or influencing senior decision-makers, including ministers or equivalent, taking into account bigger picture factors and behavioural drivers.
- Strong science communicator, with the ability and scientific credibility to engage confidently and authoritatively with senior scientists, technical experts and professional specialists; and to assess, interpret and communicate complex scientific evidence clearly to non-specialist audiences.
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
