Summary

The Centre for Justice Innovation is looking to recruit a creative, pragmatic and committed individual to help the Centre promote criminal justice reform in the UK, including championing and supporting the implementation of evidence-based specialist and problem-solving courts in the justice system.

What will you be doing?

We are looking to recruit a committed individual to support the development and delivery of our criminal  justice practice work. The role will involve working across a number of practice projects to support our vision of building a justice system which everyone believes is fair and effective.

The Practice Officer will work directly with frontline practitioners, such as probation, police, court staff and specialist 3rd sector practitioners, to test new approaches and embed evidence-led interventions. This includes supporting the expansion of specialist and problem-solving approaches at court that seek to address the underlying issues that lead to offending. More details about the projects we deliver can be found on our website.

Among other responsibilities, the Practice Officer will undertake a range of tasks including (i) designing and delivering training and practice-sharing workshops; (ii) developing briefings and toolkits that support the spread of good practice; and (iii) identifying and convening practitioners and others who are interested in specialist and problem-solving approaches at court.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate their ability to solve problems, motivate others and make changes to frontline practice. Operational experience within the criminal justice system is essential.

The role will include:

• Contributing to the design and facilitation of practice sharing events, workshops and practitioner training;

• Engaging with practitioners, stakeholders and service users to shape delivery and represent the Centre;

• Supporting the delivery of our practice support across a number of practice projects, including court innovation;

• Developing practical tools to support practitioners;

• Presenting at external events;

• Working with the Centre’s teams to ensure practice work feeds into our research, policy and communication activities.

Skills, Experience and Knowledge

The role requires the following skills, knowledge and experience:

The Practice Officer will have experience of:

• Frontline/operational work within the criminal justice system OR experience of managing projects and working with others to change frontline practice (essential);

• Working with clients / service users, and the practitioners who work with them, in a safe, legal and supportive manner (essential);

• Delivering training / facilitating workshops (essential);

• Influencing and supporting internal and external partners to deliver on shared plans (desirable);

• Involving clients / service users in the design of projects (desirable).

The Practice Officer needs to be able to:

• Deliver training and presentations and facilitate workshops for a range of audiences;

• Manage projects;

• Deploy strong written and verbal communication skills;

• Balance multiple priorities and manage their own workload;

• Have good organisational and team work skills;

• Work at pace and to deadline;

• Show energy and enthusiasm;

• Communicate and engage a variety of audiences and stakeholders confidently and constructively;

• Have the ability to work with vulnerable people and sensitive information in a safe, legal and supportive manner;

• Have a creative approach to solving problems and identifying practical solutions.

The Practice Officer needs knowledge and understanding of:

• The challenges and opportunities available to practitioners working within a criminal justice environment;

• The complex issues impacting individuals in the justice system such as trauma, substance use, care experience, domestic abuse, neglect and mental health issues.

  Prior knowledge and experience of criminal problem-solving courts is not essential, but the Practice Officer will be required to develop a strong technical understanding of the model once in post.

The post holder needs to have:

• A willingness and ability to travel regularly within the UK and occasionally overseas;

• Eligibility to work in the UK legally.

The deadline for applications is 9am on Monday 17th November 2025.

Interviews will be held at our office in Kennington (SE11 5DP) in the week commencing 1st December 2025.

If you have any questions about the role, please email Suzanne at ssmith@justiceinnovation.org

Equal opportunities

It is the policy of The Centre for Justice Innovation to treat all employees and job applicants fairly and equally regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion, age, disability, offending history or trade union membership status.

We actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences, fostering a workplace where everyone feels valued and can thrive.

The Centre is committed to fair recruitment and the inclusion of applicants with criminal records. It is essential that people do not face unfair discrimination in any role within the charity, whether paid or voluntary. For that reason, we do not use criminal records to exclude people. We only ask about criminal records if they are relevant to the role.