Ministry of Justice UK
Operational Support Officer (Ref: 22858)
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Job Summary
Please refer to Job Description
Job Description
Proud to serve. Proud to keep justice going.
Our Operational Support Officers play a critical role, providing excellent customer service and administrative support to court and tribunal users, judiciary and management.
About Us
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family Courts and Tribunals in England and Wales. Our roles support our court users and colleagues within HMCTS, where people and businesses access potentially life-changing justice. We’re looking for individuals who are committed to public service and making a difference in people’s lives to deliver justice. If you are interested in developing a career with a real purpose, please apply.
Your Role
The role is primarily based within the courtroom, supporting the smooth running of court proceedings. Administrative duties will also be incorporated into the post.
Working as part of a team, you will contribute to the overall operational, performance and service standard targets across your area of work. You will progress cases through the court/tribunal system and provide customer service and administrative support to functions within HMCTS. You will have regular contact with court / tribunal users, which could include members of the judiciary and the legal profession.
You Will Be Adaptable, Able To Multi-task And Effectively Carry Out a Variety Of Duties, Both Office-based And In a Court, Which Will Include:
- Preparing papers and files for court, tribunals, hearings and meetings including processing and handling sensitive information and accurately resulting outcomes.
- Creating and updating records digitally, interpreting information required on a court file accurately.
- Communicating with the public, the judiciary, other court and tribunal users and representatives of other agencies and organisations
- Supporting the smooth running of court proceedings, preparing court /hearing rooms and ensuring court runs efficiently.
- When required, you will be an essential first point of contact for all the court users; meeting members of the public, which may include vulnerable witnesses, and their legal representatives.
Your Knowledge, Skills And Experience
- Strong customer service skills with the ability to work in a service-led customer-facing environment.
- Good digital and administrative skills; with excellent attention to detail.
- Effective communication and organisational skills. Able to communicate confidently in person, over the telephone, digitally and in written communications.
- Resilient and empathetic to be able to deal with sensitive information and situations.
- A team player; able to work collaboratively and flexibly to deliver HMCTS objectives.
Court Specific Duties
Duties undertaken within the Court may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Speak publicly and manage courtroom proceedings.
- Court usher duties which include preparation and management of a courtroom by communication with court users (members of the public).
- Ensuring court video link technology is prepared and working correctly.
- Communication with stakeholders and professionals including Police, Probation Service and Solicitors.
- Administration work including pre and post court functions.
In addition, within these vacancies there may be opportunities to undertake additional duties as either a Listing Assistant or as a Digital Support Officer. If either of these areas is of interest to you, please make the interview panel aware during your interview.
Listing Assistant Roles And Responsibilities
- Provide administrative and operational support to ensure the efficient preparation and progression of court hearings.
- Manage court listings and hearing schedules, ensuring cases are accurately recorded and judicial time is used effectively. Prepare and check case documentation ahead of hearings, ensuring information is complete, accurate and available when required.
- Support judges by coordinating hearing information and managing booking and vacancies.
- Liaise with a range of stakeholders, including prisons, probation services, magistrates' courts, interpreters and legal professionals to support the smooth running of court business.
- Coordinate video hearings by arranging links ensuring all necessary documentation is in place.
- Process criminal casework, including breaches, appeals and applications
- Arrange interpreter and British Sign Language support
- Maintain accurate records and case information across digital platforms, ensuring compliance with information management requirements.
- Record statistics to support performance monitoring and resource planning.
- Effectively prioritise workloads, respond to changing business needs and deliver high-quality customer service while working to tight deadlines.
- Identify and resolve routine issues, escalating complex matters where appropriate and contributing to the effective delivery of justice
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Digital Support Officer Roles And Responsibilities
- Act as a first point of contact for digital and IT support, resolving or escalating issues as appropriate.
- Support the implementation of new digital tools and technologies across the business.
- Carry out routine checks of digital equipment, identifying and reporting faults to minimise disruption.
- Manage system access requests and support colleagues with digital service requirements.
- Maintain accurate records of IT incidents, requests and equipment issues.
- Liaise with support teams, suppliers and contractors to ensure effective resolution of technical issues.
- Provide guidance and basic training to colleagues and judicial office holders, improving digital confidence and capability.
- Support compliance activities and digital assurance checks in line with organisational requirements.
- Attend training, briefings and network meetings to maintain knowledge of emerging technologies and best practice.
- Share knowledge and collaborate with colleagues to identify solutions and improve digital service delivery.
- Maintain local communication channels and digital support information for users.
- Balance operational and digital support responsibilities
Please refer to the role profile attachment for more information.
Further Details
These operational roles are customer facing, requiring successful applicants to be court based to provide HMCTS services to the public.
We currently have two positions available in Salisbury and eight positions available in Winchester.
Of These Vacancies:
- Salisbury: 1 full-time only (37 Hours per week Monday – Friday) position available
- Winchester: 2 full-time only (37 Hours per week Monday – Friday) positions available
For The Remaining Vacancies:
HMCTS welcomes part-time, flexible, and job-sharing working patterns where these meet the requirements of the role and business needs and are agreed prior to appointment. All requests for part-time, flexible, and job-sharing working arrangements will be considered in line with the Ministry of Justice Flexible Working Policy. However, due to operational requirements, successful candidates must be able to work a minimum of three full days per week. These working days must include both Monday and Friday.
Please let the panel know your working pattern preference at interview.
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Occasional Travel To Other Courts
Whilst the post holder will be allocated to a specific office base, there may be a need for flexibility to work on an ad hoc or regular basis at other local HMCTS sites/courts, namely Winchester, Salisbury and Southampton. Where applicable, associated travel cost/time will be applied in line with organisational policies.
Technical 1
Using your CV as a reference, please provide a summary of the key responsibilities from your previous experience that is most relevant to the Operational Support Officer position. Begin with your most recent experience and work backwards. For each position, include the job title, duration of employment, and a concise overview of your main duties. (Maximum 250 words).
This section is intended to help us understand where and how you gained your experience.
Please avoid repeating content from your Statement of Suitability. That section should focus on what you can do, supported by specific examples. This question, by contrast, is about what you’ve done and the context in which your experience was gained.
Person Specification
Please Refer To Job Description
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service
- Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
Please refer to Job Description
Salary and Benefits
Alongside your salary of £25,582, HM Courts and Tribunals Service contributes £7,411 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
- Access to learning and development
- A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
- A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
- Annual Leave
- Public Holidays
- Season Ticket Advance
Selection Process Details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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
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
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