About the job

Job summary

We are currently seeking applications for professional administrative officers within the Business Division of the Scottish Government Legal Directorate (SGLD). The post-holder will be part of a team of six professional administrative officers (A3).

The team provide support to approximately 350 legal colleagues across the directorate. This is an interesting, varied and challenging position with the opportunity to develop new skills in a highly active legal area. SGLD offer a range of development opportunities including in-house training and attendance at other courses with corporate learning.

The Business Division in SGLD is working towards delivering a new and improved directorate wide modern and effective support function that ensures that all of the solicitors we work with receive the high-quality support they need. We are looking for staff to build a resilient, professional and modern support team that develops and enhances the support we currently offer as well as creating opportunities to develop the team and their skills. You will have a chance to contribute your views and ideas on what a modern support service could offer.

As well as providing support to our advisory divisions the team also provide professional support to our litigation divisions so there will be opportunities to observe the courts in action and to assist the four Litigation Clerks with court preparations, working closely with solicitors and counsel.

As this is a Modern Apprenticeship, throughout the first 12 months the successful candidate will be expected to gain a relevant SVQ qualification in Business Administration. Support will be provided by a qualified assessor who will work with the successful candidate on a monthly basis. Time will be given to work on your qualification, this includes delivering 2 presentations.

Job description

• Working within the teams shared mailbox carrying out tasks both independently and as a team. This involves providing support to around 350 colleagues across the directorate by answering general queries and signposting to relevant teams within a hybrid working model.

• Working closely with the Litigation division: providing admin support involving print and binding tasks for court preparation often to challenging deadlines, assisting with managing legal mail ensuring this is actioned within court mandated timeframes, dealing with large volume paper documents with an aim of working towards digitisation and providing general ad-hoc support when required.

• Carrying out directorate IMSO tasks on our records management system (eRDM and eRDM Connect). This involves creating new files, movement of documentation, ensuring document retention and security processes are being followed as well as managing membership of our ad-hoc groups to allow efficient sharing of documents electronically.

• Assist colleagues within our directorate with training. This can cover both internal system training and external package training such as Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, OneNote) This may include 1 on 1 training sessions through buddying and shadowing or assisting with wider divisional training days/events alongside our divisional learning and development manager.  

• Assisting other teams within the division and directorate with daily administrative tasks or on-going projects such as the new case management system (involvement with building of new parts of the system, amending group permissions, assisting with the role out of the system to other SGLD areas) and creation and distribution of legal bulletins.

• Management of office tasks– monitoring IT equipment (desk equipment as well as area printers/shredders) and fixing/replacing/reporting when needed, organising equipment to be purchased and sent to colleagues for home working purposes, carrying out inventory and ordering of stationery on a monthly basis.

• Managing and distributing legal mail received on behalf of the directorate. This involves both physical hard copy mail and mail received electronically which has to be identified and distributed to relevant teams.

• Regularly review processes and ways of working and contribute to ideas of how the services we provides can continue to be the most effective. This involves working on building up-to-date and informative desk instructions available to the directorate on how to complete tasks on our core systems as well as attending training sessions on any new processes or systems and passing this information on to our directorate colleagues.

Person specification

Essential Criteria
1. Good interpersonal skills with an ability to communicate effectively.
2. Good knowledge and understanding of Outlook and Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, Outlook.
3. Ability to work well as part of team working flexibly across a number of different tasks.
4. Proven organisational and time management skills, including the ability to balance competing demands and use initiative.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £23,735, Scottish Government contributes £6,408 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

Sift and Interview dates TBC. Please apply using the link provided.

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.