About the job

Job summary

Do you offer excellent administrative and document management skills and the ability to line manage junior colleagues? Do you have the ambition to progress into a management role in a world leading organisation?

Join the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Cartels Enforcement Team and play a key role supporting our work to make a positive impact on the UK economy and society.

About the CMA

We help people, businesses, and the UK economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour. Our work is wide ranging, ambitious and often new and challenging.

The CMA Cartels Enforcement Team play a key role by uncovering and investigating hardcore cartel agreements and abuses of dominant positions. Our investigations vary greatly in subject and are generally high-profile and analytically challenging.

The role

As Casework Support Manager you will be responsible for supporting a variety of CMA cases and the day-to-day management, supervision and development of Casework Support Officers.

You will have direct responsibility for managing, training and supporting the development of Casework Support Officers, ensuring they are actively supported in developing their knowledge and experience and trained in accordance with casework guides.

You will also support the planning, preparation and execution of investigation steps. This will include preparing and participating in on-site inspections and ensuring that evidence handling procedures are properly observed and acting as a key point of contact for case teams.

What you will need

Previous legal experience is not essential for this role. What is important is experience of using organisational systems and procedures for case or document management as well as an understanding of handling confidential information.

You will need excellent organisation, planning and time management skills to deliver results with limited resources, within challenging deadlines, as well as the ability to line manage and support the development of more junior team members.

Experience of carrying out in-depth analysis of documents, with the ability to identify breaches of guidance and identify confidential information is equally important.

Job description

As our Casework Support Manager, you will be responsible for;

Day-to-Day management, supervision and development of Casework Support Officers, ensuring allocation of work is fair and consistent, work is quality assured, and individuals are actively supported in developing their knowledge and experience and trained in accordance with casework guides.

Support the planning, preparation and execution of investigation steps, including preparation and participating in on-site inspections and ensuring that evidence handling procedures are properly observed and acting as a key point of contact for case teams.

Overseeing document management (paper and electronic) throughout the life of a case, ensuring:

• Filing, indexing and scanning are completed in accordance with documented procedures or correct use of e-discovery platforms to code/tag documents,produce indexes and redact and disclose documents.
• The allocation of work to Casework Support Officers is fair and consistent and their work quality assured including work on the eDiscovery platform.
• Significant legal documents and Access to File files are created and managed in accordance with CMA rules.
• In cases requiring criminal disclosure documents are processed in accordance with underlying legal principles and using electronic redaction software.
• Risks are identified and escalated as appropriate.
• Leading and co-ordinating on the delivery of Access to File workstreams using project management skills to create, maintain and update task allocation spreadsheets and project trackers.

Act as primary point of contact for internal and external stakeholders, including witnesses, parties to investigations, police, other government departments and other third parties, ensuring:

• Responses to communications are monitored and filed in accordance with documented procedures.
• Issues or queries are dealt with promptly or escalated as appropriate.
• All stakeholders are treated fairly and courteously.

Carry out relevant and focused analysis of issues raised and quickly identifying breaches of guidance and legislation, for example assisting with evidence reviews or assessments of confidentiality to contribute to the case team’s understanding of the case.

Oversight and management of non-case specific tasks including those outsourced, for example transcription and logistics, as well as those complicated in-house, such as management of the Secure Store and drafting and editorial review of the casework support guidance material.

Support the Principal and Senior Casework Support managers and wider team in conducting its daily duties by:

• Contributing as a proactive member of the team.
• Building up experience and best practise in casework support and sharing knowledge and learning within the team and more widely.
• Identifying and implementing suggestions for improving and streamlining processes.
• Assisting the Directorate’s management team as required.

Take responsibility for own work, including delivery to time and budget.

Person specification

It is essential that you can provide evidence and examples for each of the following selection criteria in your application:

• Experience of using organisational systems and procedures for case or document management with an understanding of the importance of and risks associated with the improper use of, handling and disclosure of confidential information. (Lead Criteria)
• Excellent organisation. Planning and time management skills to deliver results with limited resources, within challenging deadlines. (Lead Criteria)
• Experience of supporting colleagues in delivery of work with the ability to line manage and support the development of more junior team members.
• Experience of carrying out in-depth analysis of documents, with the ability to identify breaches of guidance or legislation or to identify confidential information for redaction purposes.
• Experience of engaging and communicating effectively with internal and external stakeholders, both verbally and in writing.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,113, Competition & Markets Authority contributes £9,210 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 Experience.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement and an online application form. Further details about application requirements are listed on the application form.

The selection process will comprise of the sift (CV & application review) and an interview. Arrangements for the interview will be enclosed in the invitation. 

Interviews will be either conducted either virtually, by Microsoft Teams, or in-person at a CMA office. 

It is essential that you can provide evidence and examples for each of the following selection criteria in your application:

• Experience of using organisational systems and procedures for case or document management with an understanding of the importance of and risks associated with the improper use of, handling and disclosure of confidential information. (Lead Criteria)
• Excellent organisation. Planning and time management skills to deliver results with limited resources, within challenging deadlines. (Lead Criteria)
• Experience of supporting colleagues in delivery of work with the ability to line manage and support the development of more junior team members.
• Experience of carrying out in-depth analysis of documents, with the ability to identify breaches of guidance or legislation or to identify confidential information for redaction purposes.
• Experience of engaging and communicating effectively with internal and external stakeholders, both verbally and in writing.

An initial sift based on criteria 1 and 2 (Lead Criteria) may be held if a large number of applications are received.

If your application progresses to a full sift, all elements of the essential criteria listed under Person Specification (above and in the attached role profile) will then be considered. The sift will take place week commencing, 5th February 2024. 

If your application is successful you will be invited to attend an interview. You will be notified via email to log-in to your Civil Service Account and book your interview slot. You will be sent an email with full details of your arrangements for interview. Interviews will be held week commencing 19th February 2024. 

The first part of the interview will comprise of an in-tray written exercise for which no preparation is required. Details will be forwarded to you before the interview.

The second part of the interview will be a 45 minute to 1 hour panel interview, in which you will be asked questions based on the Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills outlined in the role profile.

Reasonable Adjustments

We want to make sure no one is at a disadvantage during our recruitment process because of a disability, condition or impairment.

To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process.

For example, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you are deaf, a Language Service Professional. You might also require additional time to complete a timed assessment or a sign language interpreter to support with the relaying of information.

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. 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.