Head of Programme Management Office (Replacing CMS)

The Crown Prosecution Service is transforming how digital services support the delivery of justice. As part of the Replacing CMS (RCMS) Programme, we are recruiting a Head of Programme Management Office (PMO) to provide senior leadership of the PMO supporting one of the organisation’s most significant digital transformation programmes.

Sitting within the Digital and Information Directorate, you are a key member of the programme’s senior leadership team, working alongside the Programme Manager and Head of Delivery, with each role bringing distinct and complementary leadership responsibilities. As Head of PMO, you lead and develop the RCMS PMO and provide the governance, assurance, integrated planning, controls and high-quality management information needed to support effective programme leadership and decision-making. This reflects the job description’s accountability for leading the PMO, establishing programme controls and providing expert guidance, insight and second-line assurance.

RCMS operates in a complex digital delivery environment, requiring a PMO that combines strong programme management disciplines with an understanding of Agile and iterative delivery. You work collaboratively across the programme leadership team, providing independent insight, assurance and constructive challenge, while ensuring that proportionate standards, processes and controls provide transparency and confidence without creating unnecessary barriers to delivery.

This is an opportunity for an experienced senior PMO leader to shape and lead a high-performing function at the heart of a major digital transformation programme.

The Crown Prosecution Service is based in England and Wales. If you’re applying for this role and live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you must let us know when accepting this offer as you need permission to work from your home address if hybrid working is part of your role. There’s no guarantee that we will grant this approval.

You must be aged 16 or over at the point of starting in this role. The expected start date is approximately 8–12 weeks after the application closing date. You are expected to commence employment as soon as possible following the expiry of your notice period. Requests for significantly later start dates may not be accommodated.

As part of this role, you are expected to undertake direct line management responsibilities.

Your roles and responsibilities:

• You lead and develop the RCMS Programme Management Office, creating a high-performing function that provides effective governance, assurance, integrated planning, controls and insight across the programme.
• You work as a peer within the programme senior leadership team alongside the Programme Manager and Head of Delivery, bringing specialist PMO leadership and ensuring governance, assurance and programme controls effectively support strategic decision-making and successful delivery.
• You establish and maintain proportionate governance, assurance, programme controls and reporting arrangements, ensuring the SRO and programme leadership have reliable, evidence-based information on programme performance, risks, issues and dependencies.
• You provide independent insight and constructive challenge to the SRO, programme leadership and governance forums, using management information, assurance findings and professional judgement to strengthen programme control and delivery confidence.
• You lead PMO capability, standards and continuous improvement, developing the PMO team and ensuring its approaches are effective for a complex digital programme operating across Agile and programme management disciplines and aligned with government project delivery standards.

A copy of the full job description is attached.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Recruitment process

The recruitment process consists of an online application, assessment and interview.

Personal statement

We ask you to complete a personal statement of no more than 750 words. You need to demonstrate the following experience required for this role:

• leading a PMO function within a complex programme, portfolio or transformation environment, providing governance, assurance, planning, reporting, risk and dependency oversight to senior leaders and decision-making forums.
• operating PMO functions within large-scale digital, data or technology programmes, with a strong understanding of Agile and hybrid delivery approaches and how governance and controls must adapt to support iterative delivery.
• designing, implementing or maturing PMO frameworks, standards, controls, reporting and assurance processes to improve transparency, consistency and delivery confidence.
• proven ability to provide independent insight, assurance and constructive challenge to SROs, programme boards and senior stakeholders, using data and evidence to support decision-making and effective programme control.
• strong leadership, including building high-performing teams, developing professional capability and influencing senior stakeholders across complex organisational environments.

Candidates who provide clear evidence against each criterion are more likely to demonstrate their suitability for the role.

In addition, you need to demonstrate the Crown Prosecution Service or Civil Service values.

Behaviours

You are asked to complete a statement of no more than 250 words for the behaviour Seeing the Big Picture, setting out how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience match the specified behaviours and requirements.

CV

You’re not required to upload your CV. However, when submitting your application there is a ‘CV section’. You are required to provide information about your employment and/or academic history for the past three years, skills, and qualification details. The CV section will be assessed. Your CV will be used as supporting evidence to assess the breadth and scale of your experience, including leadership responsibilities, programme complexity, organisational context and professional qualifications.

It’s your responsibility to provide the specified information in the requested format to ensure that you're considered for the post.

If you're unable to cover three years through employment or academic history, you must provide a character reference for clearance purposes.

Interview and Assessment

The interviews and assessments are expected to take place on w/c 14 December 2026.

Your interview takes place online through Microsoft Teams. A member of our recruitment team will be in touch with guidance. If you have any queries about this, contact benjamin.ross-russell@cps.gov.uk

You should keep this week free or notify us if you're not available. We'll make every effort to accommodate your date preferences but we can't guarantee it.

We ask you to complete an assessment as part of the recruitment process for this role. We will provide details immediately before your interview.

We use behaviours to help us understand your experience, to see if you're a good fit for the role. You are assessed against G6 in the Civil Service success profiles behaviours framework. We are assessing 4 behaviours at interview and assessment stage:

• Communicating and Influencing – assessment
• Leadership – interview
• Working Together – interview
• Making Effective Decisions – interview

Essential Experience - assessed at assessment

Strengths

Strengths are tested at interview stage - the strengths tested are not shared before the interview.

Other

This is a full-time post. We do consider requests for flexible, part-time working and job share, always considering the operational needs of the department.

Please note that the CPS is unable to offer visa sponsorship. If you require visa sponsorship to work in the UK, you will not meet the eligibility criteria for this role.

Clearance

If successful, you are required to secure a Disclosure and Barring Service check, for which you must have a current valid UK address.

If successfully appointed, we ask you to complete a character enquiry form, and nationality and immigration questionnaire.

If you're a Crown Prosecution Service member of staff, you won’t need to do a Disclosure and Barring Service check as you already hold this clearance.

The job you’re applying for is covered by Article 3(a) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, consequently Section 4(2) of that Act doesn’t apply. You’re required to disclose all previous convictions and cautions including spent convictions. Failing to make a full declaration will result in withdrawing your offer of employment if our checks reveal convictions that haven’t been disclosed.

Reserve list

If you're recommended by the selection panel but not appointed to the current vacancy, you’re put on a reserve list for 12 months. You may be offered another Head of PMO post in the CPS if a vacancy comes up during this period. We may also approach candidates on the waiting list to fill other roles that require similar knowledge and experience.

Civil Service Commission

If you’re dissatisfied with the recruitment process and wish to make a complaint, please contact Strategic.Resourcing@cps.gov.uk with your concerns.

If you remain dissatisfied and wish to make a further complaint, please click on the following link to the Civil Service Commission complaints page Recruitment Complaints - Civil Service Commission

Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles can be found at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/

Details of the Civil Service Nationality Rules are located at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

Candidates are subject to UK immigration requirements. For the most up-to-date information on the requirements of working in the UK, please go to the UK Visas and Immigration website at https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.