Overview

The Judicial College is one of the largest areas of the Judicial Office, with one third of our staff and a large portion of the budget. Its purpose is to strengthen the rule of law and improve the administration of justice through essential training for the judiciary in courts and tribunals, including a framework of training for volunteer magistrates.

The principal role is to support the Lady Chief Justice, the Senior President of Tribunals and the Chief Coroner in fulfilling their responsibilities for training judicial office holders in an evolving justice system. Through the College Board, Judicial College officials support these senior judiciary members in setting the direction for training. The team ensures the right support for the design, delivery and evaluation of training, develops innovative digital systems to support delivery, and runs training nationwide, whether digitally or face-to-face. This role is part of a broader reform of the courts arising from recent reviews and the government’s legislative programme, ensuring essential and timely training for judges.

The role holder will be a member of the Judicial Office Management Board (JOMB) led by the Chief Executive. The Board sets strategic direction and manages the organisation’s overall financial position, with four other DDs as members. The role holder will also be a member of the College Board, chaired by a Court of Appeal Judge and including senior judicial representatives from across jurisdictions.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the effective delivery of a large-scale training programme of around 2,000 courses per year to approximately 24,000 full- and part-time judicial office holders (across courts and tribunals judges, tribunal members, magistrates, legal advisers, coroners and coroners’ officers).
• Working in partnership with the College Judiciary, support the enhancement of existing training and the development of new training resources, employing innovative training delivery methods through working closely with education and digital experts (both within the College and externally) to ensure the continuing relevance, quality, fitness for purpose and accessibility of judicial training.
• Work closely with three Directors of Training (Judicial Office Holders), the Chair of the College Board and (as appropriate) the Judicial Executive Board to assist in setting the direction of training for all judicial office holders and fostering an inclusive training environment for all.
• Work collaboratively with the rest of the Judicial Office to ensure high quality financial management of a budget around £15m, with an ability to negotiate with MOJ as sponsor department and other departments for sufficient funding for the College.
• Lead around 150 staff across three main locations, as well as regionally based staff; direct line management of four Grade 6 staff.
• Support the effective governance of the Judicial College, through the Board, advising on the strategy for training the judiciary. This will include anticipating and timely planning for changes in the demand profile (through active collaboration with the JAC and wider departments and bodies to anticipate legislative, policy and/or societal changes having an impact on judicial training).
• Oversee College strategies and advise the lead international training judge on the Judicial College’s international activities to promote the rule of law, participate in and learn from the College’s international judicial training network, and support the aims of the LCJ’s International Strategy.
• Act as a collaborative and constructive member of JOMB, modelling trust and working in partnership across the organisation.