About the job

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

Background: 

Good administrative staff with excellent customer service skills are vital to the effective operation of the Courts, Tribunals and other offices within HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). Most of the staff within HMCTS are employed in administrative roles. HMCTS embraces Lean principles and continuous improvement techniques to provide high standards of customer service 

Key Purpose: 

Administrative Officers are assigned to teams to carry out a variety of general administrative duties to progress cases through the court/tribunal system or provide support to other functions within HMCTS. Continuous improvement tools and techniques are used in HMCTS and so there will be opportunities to exercise discretion and initiative and continually seek to improve, within a framework of systems and processes (SOPS). Problem solving is carried out by reference to lean techniques (e.g. problem-solving hubs) and comprehensive guidelines and instructions - complex or difficult issues are normally referred to or will involve a team leader or supervisor. In some positions, role holders will have regular contact with court / tribunal users, including members of the Judiciary and the legal profession. Administrative Officers work within a team with regular management support and are responsible for their own time, although there may be some opportunity to provide advice and carry out limited supervision of others. 

Working as part of a flexible team, the postholder will be expected to undertake a range of the functions and responsibilities specified.  It is not intended that each post will be responsible for the full range of duties. 

Essential Skills & Criteria: 

• Strong customer focus and service skills
• Experience of working in an administrative role in a customer focussed environment
• Proficient with IT and Microsoft Software packages
• Excellent communication and organisational skills 

Key Responsibilities: 

Administration 

• Preparing papers and files for court, tribunals, hearings and meetings
• Producing court/tribunal documents
• General photocopying and filing
• Creating and updating records on in-house computer system and data input
• Post opening and dispatch
• Booking, preparing and organising meeting rooms, supporting training courses and other group activities
• Preparing meeting agenda, joining instructions, handouts etc 

Drafting 

• Standard letters and correspondence, minutes, notes, reports, submissions etc, according to guidelines and
• instructions 

Operations 

• Ensuring papers & materials are available / up to date
• Assisting court users, supporting listing and rota management, checking files
• Contacting relevant parties, scheduling, serving court documents, executing a range of warrants, collecting
• fines and fees etc, including the use of chip and pin
• Handling counter (face to face), written and telephone enquiries
• To work as a team to ensure TIB (Team Information Board) meetings are relevant, timely and productive
• To work as a team to problem solve, to assess the impact of new SOPS, to contribute to small projects
• To undertake ad hoc roles within the band such as Jury Bailiff Officer, L+D Co-ordinator, H+S roles 

Processing Casework 

• Including standard documentation and information, court orders, claims, fines and fees, legal aid
• Resulting courts accurately, interpreting accurately the information required on a court file
• To work to workload targets in terms of throughput and accuracy
• Checking and Verifying
• Documents, records, accounts, claims and returns for approval, results, statistics, plans etc. against criteria,
• regulations or procedures
• Ensuring compliance and administration documentation meet quality standards
• Role holders may be required to cross check and validate work completed by colleagues 

Collecting and Assembling Information 

• For returns, results, accounts, statements, warrants, statistical analysis, reports etc
• Work may require interpretation of source materials, preparation of bundles, chasing
• Modify and adjust information and make decisions to allow work to be completed
• Collect / assemble information to prepare for and run the daily TIB meeting, as required 

Undertaking Calculations 

• Produce basic statistical analysis reports and where required, process financial information
• Checking the work of others, updating records, assessing the value of goods and/or property, reconciling
• accounts, preparing invoices, information gathering and running straightforward reports
• Spending limited sums of money on behalf of an office or unit 

In-Court Duties 

• Ensuring you arrive to work in good time, to enable your court to be set up accordingly.
• Ensuring your orders are sealed and served and if not, chasing counsel/Judge’s. .
• Communicating with the Public, the Judiciary, other Court and Tribunal Users and Representatives of other Agencies and Organisations
• Set up and cover both remote and hybrid hearings via CVP.
• Process transcript requests received via the transcript inbox, and inform management of any urgent and high priority emails   

Communicating with the Public, the Judiciary, other Court and Tribunal Users and Representatives of other Agencies and Organisations 

• Communicate and work with the Judiciary, Magistracy, the Cluster Managers, Court staff, and other internal / external stakeholders, suppliers and customers to collect information, check facts, communicate or enforce judicial decisions. Give advice on the completion of forms or court procedures etc and provide

      excellent customer service

• To deliver a helpful, prompt, polite and “right first time” service to our internal and external customers 

Other Duties 

The post holder is required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post. 

Operational Delivery in HMCTS: 

This role is part of the Operational Delivery Profession. Operational delivery professionals are the outward face of government, providing essential services to the public in a variety of roles. They work in many different departments and agencies across the breadth of the UK, delivering service to customers in 

• Face-to-face roles in HMCTS for example a court usher
• Contact Centre roles in HMCTS for example call centre advisers
• Processing roles in HMCTS for example Staff at the County Courts Money-Claims Centre and Courts and Tribunal Administration 

Being part of the operational delivery profession means belonging to a cross-government community of people.  This will offer you access to information on professional standards, skills development and qualifications to help you continue to improve your development and performance and expand your career options. 

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,000, HM Courts and Tribunals Service contributes £7,317 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.