About the job

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

Job Title: Usher

Grade: AA  

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:

The Court Usher acts as an essential first point of contact for all the court users involved in hearings. There will be regular contact with the judiciary, assisting the administrative staff with the smooth flow of court work. You will meet members of the public and their legal representatives; prepare court /hearing rooms, and complete documentation, as well as ensuring the court runs smoothly and efficiently.  You will also carry out some general clerical work as required to support the work of HMCTS.

Usher needs 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. 

Essential Skills & Criteria:

• Strong customer focus and service skills
• Experience of working with the public in a busy public service environment.
• Ability to use a computer at the level required for the work

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

Key responsibilities:

Reception of parties to court

• Including members of the public, judiciary, juries, solicitors and barristers, the police, representatives of external Agencies etc.
• Providing information related to proceedings, escorting court users into and from the building, swearing oaths etc.
• Calling people into court / hearing rooms in priority order, discussing with Court Clerks and Legal Advisers and liaising with the Witness Service as necessary
• Answering face to face enquiries
• Keeping parties informed of changes e.g., of courtrooms and hearing times

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.

Post Handling

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

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 
• General clerical work, including use of computers and Switchboard
• Filling out forms
• Operating recording equipment and maintaining records of recordings of hearings
• Sort and deliver lists of hearings for internal & external notice boards

Correspondence

• Completing standard forms, etc where the information is clearly defined.
• Straightforward drafting such as acknowledgements and receipting, confirmations, court orders, warrants etc.

Monitoring Stock

• Ensuring Court rooms are supplied against requirements for relevant forms and stationery
• Collecting and delivering stationary around the offices

Operating equipment

• Office and court equipment e.g., computers, 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, trials, meetings and clearing the court / hearing room down at the end of the day
• Using electronic diaries

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.

Application Process:

To apply for this position please complete the online application form, ensuring you provide the following:

• An up-to-date copy of your CV which details your experience and achievements (Level 1)

If selected for interview, you will be tested against the following Success Profile Behaviours (Level 1):

• Communicating & Influencing
• Managing a quality service

Interviews will also test two Strengths.

Interviews for this campaign will be conducted virtually via Microsoft Teams.

Further information on Success Profile Experience, Behaviours and Strengths, as well as the required standards for this post (Level 1), can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without a new competition.

The MoJ is proud to be Level 3 Disability Confident. Disability Confident is the approach through which we offer guaranteed interviews for all people with disabilities meeting the minimum criteria for the advertised role as set out in the job description.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £24,250, HM Courts and Tribunals Service contributes £6,571 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. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist 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

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.