19435 - Design and Delivery Manager


Company:	Ministry of Justice
Salary:	£54,148 - £59,366
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	National, NP10 8FZ
Working pattern:	Hybrid - 3 days remote
Job type:	Contract
Posting date:	3 Aug 2026
Closing date:	21 Aug 2026

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Summary

Introduction to the role:

Overview:

This HMPPS role supports the Senior Design & Delivery Manager and Senior Competitions Manager in the preparation and delivery of prison operator competitions. It is a varied and fast-paced position that is critical to the delivery of a complex procurement process, including transferring services from expiring prison operator contracts to new ones. The post holder will lead and support core activities within the competition process and engage extensively with stakeholders across various business functions. The role requires a passionate, proactive, and adaptable individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and can navigate ambiguity effectively.

Summary:

HMPPS is committed to expanding the number of UK prison places to meet expected increases in demand over the coming five years. This incorporates several projects and programmes that aim to maintain and expand capacity by building brand new prisons, expand existing prisons, carry out major refurbishments, and deploy short-term and temporary accommodation. In addition to this we are managing the exit from and transfer of contracts for existing privately managed prisons. This work will keep available and improve thousands of existing prison places and deliver a vital component of the Criminal Justice System.

The role of the Private Prison Expiry & Transfer Project & New Prisons Programme within the Prison Supply Directorate (PSD) is to manage the successful delivery of three key areas:

• Leading the delivery of the additional prison places: including new prisons, house blocks, major refurbishments, small scale investments.

• Operator Competitions: in the event of a decision to compete new prisons, or existing privately managed prisons where their contracts are due to expire, this involves designing and running a competition in line with Government Procurement Regulations, working closely with Commercial and Project Management functional professionals.

• Expiry and Transfer of Private Finance Initiative (PFI)/existing Private Prisons: planning and delivering the safe, efficient and effective transfer of existing private prison services (PFI and Manage & Maintain arrangements) to a new provider (public or private).

The project is currently delivering its third tranche of competitions, which covers HMP Dovegate (Staffordshire), HMP & YOI Doncaster (South Yorkshire), HMP Oakwood (West Midlands). It is also developing a long-term strategy to inform future decisions on the balance of public and private sector provision across the prison estate.

The job holder will take on a wide range of responsibilities designed to support the successful delivery of prison operator competitions, mobilisation of new contracts, and other related activities. Working to the Band 9 Programme Manager (Senior Design and Delivery Manager), you will support one or more core workstreams, lead bespoke pieces of work as and when required, and collaborate with key internal and external stakeholders to meet organisational goals.

Below are some of the most common activities associated with the role. This section provides additional context on how the Key Responsibilities set out in the Job Description (and section below) translate into the team's day-to-day work and delivery priorities:

Taking ownership of and supporting core workstreams: You will be responsible for leading on pieces of work within the competition process and providing support throughout other areas of the process. You may be assigned to the delivery of operator competitions for an expiring private prison, new prison, or supporting cross-cutting activities outside of the competition process e.g., the team's Continuous Improvement workstream or wider strategy work. All areas of work include helping to identify opportunities to improve ways of working, analysing evidence, facilitating improvement activity, supporting innovation and digital solutions, and embedding sustainable changes across the programme.

Collaborating with stakeholders across teams and organisations: You will work closely with teams across the Ministry of Justice (MoJ); including Commercial, Legal, Property, and Contract Management teams, as well as engaging with suppliers and other external organisations. You will be expected to conduct extensive stakeholder engagement to support the delivery of day-to-day work and the successful running of competitions.

Engaging with subject matter experts (SMEs): Regularly consulting with SMEs to ensure their knowledge and expertise are incorporated into the competition process. This is critical to ensuring technical requirements and weighting criteria set during the competition are aligned with both organisational goals and the specific needs of individual prisons.

Shaping the competition process and requirements: A key part of the role involves supporting the Band 9 to design competition processes and refine requirements, which may include:

• Setting the minimum response criteria for the competition.

• Developing clear and concise bidder-facing documents for publication in the Data Room.

• Collaborating with stakeholders to agree on a vision for the regime, services, and outcomes for each prison.

• Designing content for market engagement events and bidder dialogue sessions.

• Supporting the Commercial team in reviewing and updating the baseline contract and supporting documents to ensure they meet the unique needs of each competition.

Managing requests for information: Supporting the Request for Information (RFI) process with incumbent suppliers, ensuring key data is gathered, validated, and published in the competition Data Room.

Contributing to governance processes: You will assist in drafting and presenting governance papers to project boards, ensuring transparency and alignment with governance requirements.

Communicating progress to senior stakeholders: Contributing to project progress reports, and providing regular updates to senior management and the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) will be critical for maintaining transparency, ensuring progress is tracked, and identifying any risks or issues early.

Evaluation and Moderation: You will assist in organising the evaluation and moderation of bids.

Additional responsibilities may include deputising for the Band 9 when required and maintaining an up-to-date awareness of policy developments to ensure alignment with priorities.

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