About the job

Job summary

The AGO is a ministerial department serving the Attorney General and the Solicitor General (the Law Officers).  The Law Officers are the Government’s chief legal advisers.

The Law Officers make important decisions that affect public life. Among other things, they decide whether to send criminal sentences that may be too low to the Court of Appeal; whether to open inquests into deaths (for example, the Attorney General made the decision to open new inquests into the deaths at Hillsborough); are the Government’s chief legal advisors, providing advice to both the Prime Minister and Secretaries of State on a range of pressing issues touching on every aspect of daily life in the UK; and they represent the Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office in Parliament.

 

The Office comprises around 63 multidisciplinary, engaged and high performing team members advising and supporting the Law Officers in all aspects of their work.  We pride ourselves on our problem-solving creativity, sophisticated political and handling awareness, and smart ways of working. 

The Law Officers also work alongside the Justice Secretary and Home Secretary to provide a more efficient, effective, and accountable criminal justice system for victims and the public.

The AGO comprises a high-performing, multi-disciplinary, engaged, and resilient team that prides itself on our:

• legal professional excellence and creativity;
• role and reputation;
• team spirit, ethos, and values; and
• individual development and wellbeing.

While the workload can be demanding and there may be times of pressure, the AGO is committed to staff wellbeing and ensuring colleagues have all the support and resources they need to succeed and ensuring our staff maintain a healthy work-life balance. AGO operates a hybrid working policy where there is a requirement of 60% office attendance.

AGO supports the Civil Service vision of being recognised as the UK’s most inclusive employer, by setting stretching diversity and equality objectives for our organisation.

AGO is an employer which promotes equality and aims to reflect the diversity of the society in which we live. It is committed to maximising the skills and potential of all its staff. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons irrespective of disability, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status or religion/belief.

Further information about the work of the Law Officers and the Office can be found at www.gov.uk/ago

Job description

The Corporate Services Team (CST) provides a wide range of corporate (including Finance, HR, Project Management, IT Security, Records Management, Business Planning and Management Information) and casework services to the AGO.

The team is the central hub of the department, working collaboratively across office, the Law Officer’s Departments (LODs) and wider Whitehall in delivery of its objectives.

CST is a multi-disciplinary, high functioning, enthusiastic team that delivers to the highest standards. Support colleagues in a wide range of corporate and administrative functions.

We are looking for applicants who are committed to delivering high quality work and can demonstrate attention to detail, excellent organisational skills and the ability to work across boundaries.

The job holder will be responsible for ensuring that they share and capture their personal knowledge/skills/expertise across the AGO, by adhering to the file storage and retention policy as well as completion of Know-How guides, training and mentoring. 

Person specification

Corporate 

To support colleagues in all administrative functions relating to corporate services professions, such as:

• Finance
• Recruitment
• HR
• Knowledge and Information Management
• Security

The job holder is expected to have basic skills on Microsoft products, including Word and Excel. And be able to communicate effectively both written and verbal.

The job holder will be responsible for ensuring that they share and capture their personal knowledge/skills/expertise across the AGO, by adhering to the file storage and retention policy as well as completion of Know-How guides, training and mentoring. 

Correspondence 

• To support the Correspondence Officers by undertaking administrative functions relating to correspondence actions including:
• Screening physical post and managing the correspondence email inbox- allocating matters as appropriate to the correspondence team.
• Assist in the drafting of letters to be sent out relating to ULS matters and Freedom of Information requests
• Answering Public Enquiry Line calls and directing callers to relevant organisations where appropriate.

Case Progression 

• Cradle to grave management of ULS casework under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme, via the digital application system.
• Regular attendance to ULS referral hearings.
• To monitor the accuracy of data received into the team, challenging appropriately that which does not meet CPS policy, seeking guidance where necessary.
• Working to ensure a high standard of AGO casework statistics.
• Direct Liaison with internal and external stakeholders.
• Managing administration of Nominations

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £26,000, Attorney General's Office contributes £7,020 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 and Strengths.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Strengths

Applicants must be able to demonstrate the following Success Profiles behaviours in your application and at the interview at AO level:

• Delivery at Pace – Application and interview - lead behaviour
• Managing a Quality Service – Application and interview
• Working Together – Application
• Making Effective Decisions – Application and interview

Your application will be sifted by an AGO panel. In the event that we receive a high number of applications, an initial sift will be carried out on the lead behaviour: Delivering at Pace

The sift will take place in the week commencing 12 August 2024 with results being released on 21 August 2024

Interviews will take place in the week commencing 26 August 2024 virtually.

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 security 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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission. 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. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.