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.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service 

Directorate: Operations

Job Title: Security Guard RCJ

Location: Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London, WC2A 2LL

Duration: Permanent (4 Posts)

Pay Span or equivalent: AA 

Salary: London (within M25): £24,250

These positions are available for external applicants as well as existing civil servants on level transfer or promotion. New recruits to the Civil Service joining MoJ are expected to join at the band minimum. For existing civil servants, where an employee accepts an FTC on promotion, this promotion will be temporary, and the employee will revert to their substantive grade upon return to their home business area. Secondments and loans will be considered on an individual basis.

Background:

HM Courts and Tribunals Service is responsible for the administration of criminal courts, civil courts, family courts and tribunals in England and Wales working with an independent judiciary to provide a fair, efficient and effective justice system. Currently, HM Courts and Tribunals Service is embarking on a period of significant change which will require strong leadership in this critical role, operating in a culture of openness and honest

Overview:

This role is part of the Operational Delivery Profession. Operational delivery professionals are the outward face of government, providing essential services to the public in a variety of roles. They work in many different departments and agencies across the breadth of the UK, delivering service to customers in

•    Face-to-face roles in HMCTS for example a court usher
•    Contact Centre roles in HMCTS for example call centre advisers
•    Processing roles in HMCTS for example Staff at the County Courts Money-Claims Centre and Courts and Tribunal Administration

Being part of the operational delivery profession means belonging to a cross-government community of people.  This will offer you access to information on professional standards, skills development and qualifications to help you continue to improve your development and performance and expand your career options.

These operational roles are customer facing, requiring successful applicants to be office and/or court based to provide HMCTS services to the public. HMCTS offers a flexible working system in many of its offices, subject to business needs being met.

The Key Purpose of the Role:

Security's role is to maintain a safe working environment at the Royal Courts of Justice (RCJ), which is a part of the High Court, comprising just over 100 courts, 79 located in the main Strand building and 31 in the Rolls Building close by. 

The cases heard at the RCJ are some of the most high-profile ones in England and Wales, reflected in the occupiers including our most senior Judiciary. There is a high degree of liaison with resident and visiting Judiciary.

In addition, there are close to 1,000 members of staff. Hundreds of members of the public and the legal professions use our facilities every day.

Teams of security personnel provide a presence 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. A security presence is also required at the ceremonial and private functions held here in the evenings and weekends. The core times for this role are 9:00am – 17:00pm. 

It must be noted that security work can be physically demanding. Security members will receive the appropriate training to support them in this role, including a 2-day external course for a Court Security Officer (CSO) The Courts Act 2003.  Additionally, local training will be provided including the assignment of a mentor as part of the induction process.

The current high standard of customer service must be maintained and improved upon if possible, all members of the Security team, as frontline staff, have a key role to play in this 

Key Responsibilities:

•    Monitoring premises and visitors via CCTV and x-ray machines, together with other security checks such as "wanding" court uses/bag searches on arrival.
•    Restraining someone attending court, ejecting someone from the court or excluding someone from the court.
•    Controlling access doors and gates, checking of vehicles. Searching members of the public entering the court building. Checking pass holders passes.
•    Patrol of buildings and satellite buildings, keeping in contact with the Control room with the use of handheld radios. Securing the building when it is closed to the public. Escorting contractors, Judiciary and VIP’S etc. Generally providing a secure environment.
•    Dealing with enquiries from Staff, Judiciary and public within the complex.
•    X-Ray trained to Aviation Standard and AMD’S.
•    Responding to panic alarm buttons (PAB’S) in Judges rooms, Courts and Office’s.
•    Responding to any security issues within the complex and recording and reporting details of those incidents
•    Issuing security passes

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. 

•    A 250-word suitability statement against the following 2 Success Profile Behaviour questions (Level 1):
•    Managing Quality Service question – “Describe a time where you have worked to de-escalate a situation”
•    Working Together question – “Please provide an example of a time when you have worked as a team to achieve an outcome”

Should you be successful at the application stage you will be invited for an interview. If selected for interview you will be tested against the following Success Profile Behaviours (Level 1) and three Strengths. 

•    Managing Quality Service
•    Working Together
•    Communicating and Influencing

Please note, face to face interviews will be required for candidates progressed from sift stage. 

Further information on Success Profile 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.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: 
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity 

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.

Please note applicants will be required to undertake enhanced vetting checks to CTC Level Clearance. Eligibility for CTC level vetting requires permanent residence in the UK for the last 3 years and applicants must not have lived / worked overseas during that same time period. 
 
If vetting checks are not successfully completed, provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.   

Location:

This post is based in the Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London, WC2A 2LL. 

Working Hours / Pattern: 

This operational role is customer facing, requiring the successful applicant to be office based to provide HMCTS services to the public. HMCTS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and are agreed prior to appointment. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be treated fairly and, on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working and Equality policies. 

Excess Fares and Relocation Allowances
This job is not eligible for relocation allowances, but excess fares may be considered in accordance with MoJ’s excess fares allowance policy.

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.