About the job

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Primarily this role is to support another Administrative Assistant with a neurodiverse condition, with specific emphasis on assisting the individual with the use of IT.  This suitable candidate will have good IT skills as well as excellent communication skills.

This role is part time, working 5 days a week for 4 hours each day.

Background

HMCTS provides administrative support for the legal system across England and Wales, they are also responsible for non-devolved tribunals in Scotland and Northern Ireland, ensuring justice works for everyone. 
Our justice system defends our fundamental rights and freedoms. It is a cornerstone of our modern society and it must serve all those who call on it, when they call on it. From some of the most vulnerable people in our society, to families in crisis, claimants and commercial businesses – HMCTS has a responsibility to administer a justice system that is accessible to everyone and operates efficiently. 

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. 

The key purpose of the role:

This is a role which encompasses a variety of clerical duties equally allowing you to work where needed to support the work of HMCTS.

Although many of the tasks are straightforward, regulated by well-established guidelines and/or detailed instructions, you will need to be prepared to react quickly and professionally to situations, some of which may be unexpected. You will be comfortable in dealing sensitively and professionally with people from all walks of life; many of whom may be vulnerable and under stress. Advice and support is readily available and there is little discretion to depart from standard procedures, which may well require you to take a firm stance when those procedures are not understood or welcomed by a court user.  You will work within a team with regular management support.

Whilst initially you will be allocated to a specific office base, there will be a need for flexibility to work on an ad hoc basis at other HMCTS offices.

Key responsibilities may include:

Administration

•    Collecting and delivering files and bundles to the judiciary and clerks ensuring they have the necessary papers 
•    Providing support to colleagues & judiciary outside of court / hearing times 
•    Operating recording equipment and maintaining records of recordings of hearings
•    Creating, updating, distributing and tracking files, bundles, documents, tapes;
•    Creating and/or maintaining databases, lists, manuals; completing documents including standard letters, forms, applications, orders, records, registers, statistics etc with clearly defined information using electronic and paper systems.
•    Maintaining the tribunal Library (including e-transcripts and books)
•    Sorting and delivering lists of hearings for internal and external notice boards
•    Sort and deliver lists of hearings for internal & external notice boards

Correspondence

•    Copy/audio typing, completing standard letters, forms, registers, etc where the information is clearly defined. 
•    Straightforward drafting such as acknowledgements and receipting, confirmations, etc.
•    Amending standard instructions, manuals and directories, circulating and distributing documents, journals etc.

Post Handling

•    Opening, sorting, distributing and dispatching post
•    Collecting and delivering post from appropriate offices

Monitoring Stock

•    Including stationery and other supplies against requirements and inventories, establishing requirements, completing order forms, stock distribution
•    Ensuring Court rooms are supplied against requirements for relevant forms and stationary
•    Collecting and delivering stationary around the offices

Data Entry and recording

•    Resulting, checking accuracy and completeness against guidelines or a proforma, 
•    Straightforward money handling e.g. issuing jury payments, spending petty cash under instruction.

Operating equipment

•    Office and court equipment e.g. computers, fax machines, scanners, photocopiers, switchboards, franking machines, messaging equipment, tape, and video recorders etc.

Handling telephone calls

•    Answering standard enquiries and passing messages to others.

Arranging meetings

•    Preparing rooms for hearings, tribunals, meetings and clearing the hearing room down at the end of the day etc.
•    Using electronic diaries, booking rooms and accommodation, making travel arrangements.

Reception of parties to tribunals

•    Including members of the public, judiciary, solicitors and barristers, the police, representatives of external Agencies etc. 
•    Providing information related to proceedings, escorting tribunal users into and from the building, swearing oaths etc.
•    Calling people into hearing rooms in priority order, discussing with Hearing Clerks and Legal Advisers 
•    Answering face to face enquiries
•    Keeping parties informed of changes eg, of hearing rooms and hearing times

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.

Desired Skills

Experience of working in a busy office environment.  Ability to use a computer at the level required for the work.

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 reception duties
•    Contact Centre roles in HMCTS for example call centre advisers
•    Processing roles in HMCTS 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 £21,149, HM Courts and Tribunals Service contributes £5,625 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. 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.