Criminal Fines Collection and Enforcement - Cash Office

Job Title: Administrative Officer

Grade: Administrative Officer (AO)

This is a general job description covering the likely scope of work of the post holder.

Overview

The Criminal Fines Collection and Enforcement (Enforcement) department plays a central role in delivering justice by working alongside the Criminal Courts in England and Wales to ensure convicted parties comply with fines and other financial penalties imposed by the Courts. Enforcement is a large and complex business unit and you will help deliver our HM Courts and Tribunals Service’s (HMCTS) responsibilities for the enforcement of Fines, Confiscation Orders, Community Penalty Breach Warrants and other enforcement work.

The key purpose of the role

Administrative Officers are assigned to teams to carry out a variety of general administrative duties to progress cases through the court/tribunal system or provide support to other functions within HMCTS. Your role will include general administrative duties and will require you to deal with the general public, defendants and outside organisations sometimes dealing with difficult customers and situations. You may also be required to work in a call centre type environment or directly in the handling of cash and certain related functions.

Continuous improvement tools and techniques are used in HMCTS and so there will be opportunities to exercise discretion and initiative and continually seek to improve within a framework of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Problem solving is carried out by reference to lean techniques (e.g. problem-solving hubs) and comprehensive guidelines and instructions - complex or difficult issues are normally referred to or will involve a team leader.

In some positions, role holders will have regular contact with court / tribunal users, including members of the Judiciary and the legal profession.  Administrative Officers work within a team with regular management support and are responsible for their own time, although there may be some opportunity to provide advice and carry out limited supervision of others.

Essential Skills & Criteria:

• Strong customer focus and service skills via telephone and email

• Experience of working in an administrative role in a customer focussed environment

• Proficient with IT and Microsoft Software packages

• Excellent communication and organisational skills

• Customer Service and Administrative skills

Key responsibilities

Administration

• Preparing papers and files for court.

• Collection of financial impositions imposed by the court.

• Enforcement of financial impositions using designated Fines Officer Powers.

• General photocopying and filing.

• Creating and updating records on in-house computer system and data input.

• Post opening and dispatch.

• Booking, preparing and organising meeting rooms, supporting training courses and other group activities.

• Preparing meeting agenda, joining instructions, handouts etc.

Drafting

• Standard letters and correspondence, minutes, notes, reports, submissions etc, according to guidelines and instructions.

Operations

• Conducting Means Interviews with defendant mainly over the phone but face to face in some instances.

• Assisting at Enforcement Courts and hearings, ensuring papers and materials are available and up to date.

• Contacting relevant parties, scheduling, serving court documents, executing a range of warrants, collecting fines and fees etc.

• Handling counter (face to face), written and telephone enquiries.

• To work as a team to ensure TIB (Team Information Board) meetings are relevant, timely and productive.

• To work as a team to problem solve, to assess the impact of new SOPS, to contribute to small projects.

Processing Casework

• Including standard documentation and information, court orders, claims, fines, fees, maintenance and fixed penalty tickets.

• Resulting courts accurately, interpreting accurately the information required on a court file.

• To work to workload targets in terms of throughput and accuracy.

Checking and verifying

• Documents, records, accounts, claims and returns for approval, results, statistics, plans etc. against criteria, regulations or procedures.

• Ensuring compliance and administration documentation meet quality standards.

• Role holders may be required to cross check and validate work completed by colleagues.

Collecting and assembling information

• For returns, results, accounts, statements, warrants, statistical analysis, reports etc.

• Work may require interpretation of source materials, preparation of files, obtaining updates.

• Role holders will need to modify and adjust information and make decisions to allow work to be completed.

• Role holders will need to collect and assemble information to prepare for and run the daily TIB meeting, as required.

Undertaking calculations

• Produce basic statistical analysis reports and where required, process financial information.

• Checking the work of others, updating records, assessing the value of goods and/or property, reconciling accounts, preparing invoices, information gathering and running straightforward reports.

Communicating

• Communicate and work with Enforcement Delivery Managers, Judiciary, Magistracy, Cluster Staff, and other internal and external stakeholders, suppliers and customers to collect information, check facts, communicate or enforce judicial decisions, give advice on the completion of forms or court procedures etc and provide excellent customer service.

• To deliver a helpful, prompt, polite and “right first time" service to our internal and external customers.

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.