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.

Travel to Southend Crown Court may be required. Successful candidate must be able to work a minimum 3 day week, 9:00am to 5:00pm.

Job Title: Crown Court Clerk

Grade: Executive Officer (EO)

Overview

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is an agency of the Ministry of Justice. We provide support for the legal system across England and Wales, along with 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. It protects some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, from families in crisis to claimants and commercial businesses. We have a responsibility to deliver a Justice system that is accessible to everyone and operates efficiently.  

The key purpose of the role is to

To manage the courtrooms to ensure that cases are dealt with promptly in liaison with judiciary, legal professionals and staff and to ensure that all results are accurately & promptly recorded in line with targets. Also, to ensure that all ancillary duties are carried out effectively.

Key responsibilities:

Administration

• To ensure that a comprehensive log is kept of representation orders and that a judge’s report is available at all sentence hearings.
• To accurately prepare case summaries for Resident Judge.
• To determine accurately witnesses’ expenses within target times and provide written reasons within guidelines when requested.
• Producing orders in line with Service Level Agreement targets.
• Process general correspondence within target and procedural deadlines for any resulting amendments.
• Ensure compliance with financial and operational risk management policies
• Undertake any given tasks as part of the role i.e., PA Role to Judiciary when needed; arranging marshalling and swearing in of Magistrates.

Operations

• To ensure efficient through put of listed work in the allocated court room daily, giving appropriate support to judiciary and keeping the List Office and other agencies fully appraised of developments when necessary.
• Confident public speaking and can adapt and change at short notice.
• You are the focal point of the court room, the ability to control and project your public speaking.
• To meet with the Judge before sitting and to be available in Court as needed.
• To maintain full recording of hearings using the right technology ensuring accurate audio allocation to correct cases.
• To sit in court daily and ensure that cases called on time, all parties are in court at appropriate time. Correct phraseology used for arraignment, empanelling, taking verdicts
• To maintain the court file including accurate recording of relevant matters and judicial decisions, accurate completion of forms, orders and results exported/shared onto the relevant Courts computer systems within Target.
• Carry out 100% HMCTS assurance programme compliance of all Resulting and ensure risks are identified and managed.
• Ensure that appropriate codes of conduct are applied to the Courtroom and other areas of the Court premises whilst sitting and during adjournments and to actively intervene and encourage compliance.
• To ensure that obligations under the Victim Code and the standards under the Witness Charter are complied with.
• Ensure all court users are treated fairly and with respect and understand how their own performance impacts on that of the court and the confidence of users.
• Systems being used include emails, Microsoft Teams, Video Hearing Systems, Xhibit and HMCTS Common Platform.
• Ensure that appropriate files are passed to administration teams within agreed target times.
• Take part in and deliver employee engagement activities to effect good working relationships with staff and to improve service delivery and staff morale / motivation.
• Follow HMCTS values, policies and procedures (including diversity, attendance and discipline).
• Maintain effective working relationships with the judiciary, supporting agencies, voluntary and user groups. Working with agencies to improve the level of service offered to users.
• Apply Continuous Improvement principles, tools and techniques to working practices to improve efficiency of operations.
• Perform any Incident Control Duties as needed in the ‘in court role’

Team leadership

• All Grade EO staff are expected to deal with other ad hoc management roles including line management of AA (Admin Assistant) / Ushers and AO (Admin Officer) staff as needed.

Processing and managing casework

• Work with staff to ensuring that casework is appropriately managed, providing information / advice where process deviations have occurred

Calculations and analysis

• Identify and implement solutions to local problems, referring more complex problems to their line manager

Communicating with the public, juries, the judiciary, other court and tribunal users and representatives of other agencies and organisations

• Ensure effective and prompt liaison with Judiciary, Counsel, List Officer, Jury Officer, Ushers and Court users to maintain high levels of court performance.
• Ensure Customer Standards are maintained and improved; complaints and dealt within target and in line with HMCTS Complaints Handling Policy and any feedback on lessons learnt is shared with staff.

Representation

• Represent the function you have been assigned to at an operational level.

Specialisms

• To have a working knowledge of functions undertaken within the Cluster, to support the development and review of policies and procedures.
• To provide specific functions as directed by line management in line with the procedure for providing that service.

Accountability

• Reporting to a Delivery Manager.

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.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,223, HM Courts and Tribunals Service contributes £7,377 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. 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.