Ministerial Correspondence Support Officer at the Ministry of Justice

AO

Private Office and Parliament Directorate

Want to see how government really works? Join a team at the heart of ministerial decision-making, where every day brings new challenges, direct exposure to Ministers, and the chance to develop skills that will serve you throughout your career. We'll support you with active development opportunities and the chance to work flexibly in a team that values your contribution.

The Private Office and Parliament (POP) Directorate is recruiting for up to 3 AO Ministerial Correspondence Support Officers within the Ministerial Correspondence Support Team (MCST). This campaign is being run externally and so is open to all who consider themselves suitable for the roles and meet the eligibility criteria in the wider advert within Civil Service Jobs. 

Location:

Successful candidates will be based at the following location:

• 102 Petty France, London

The postholder would be expected to attend their base location (102 Petty France) at least 2 days a week. This hybrid working arrangement is not contractual and as a result staff could be asked to attend their base location more frequently.

This role will be available as full time only.

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

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range. 

If you are already a civil servant and are successful in an external recruitment competition for a role with us, your starting pay will be the better of:

• promotion terms or transfer terms, as appropriate; or

• pay on appointment arrangements (minimum of pay range)

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ)

MoJ is the largest government department, employing over 90,000 people with a budget of approximately £10 billion. Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK - including at 500 courts and tribunals, and 133 prisons in England and Wales.

Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

About the team

Private Office and Parliament Directorate and the Ministerial Correspondence Support Team

The Private Office and Parliament Directorate serves as the interface between the Permanent Secretary, Ministers, the rest of the Department and Whitehall. We ensure effective communication and coordination at the highest levels of the organisation.

Within this directorate, the Ministerial Correspondence Support Team (MCST) plays a crucial role in managing the department's correspondence with Members of Parliament and the public, as well as overseeing the Department's write-round process. Ministers and senior officials place great importance on this work, seeing it as a core service that the department provides to MPs and the public. The role may involve direct exposure to Ministers.

About the role

This is a unique opportunity to gain invaluable insight into the workings of the department, the policies for which it is responsible and seeing exactly how the department functions and the key issues that are affecting correspondents. You will be expected to liaise with colleagues and officials alike at all levels.

The role of the Ministerial Correspondence Support Officer is critical to the effective and efficient running of MCST. The post holder will be expected to show determination, flexibility and commitment. Training will be provided and development opportunities are available and actively encouraged. Roles in the Ministerial Correspondence Support team are varied and you will be expected to work across the different parts of the team.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

The post holder’s main duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Accurately scanning, logging, and managing ministerial and official correspondence using the MCST correspondence management system.

• Liaising with Ministry of Justice (MoJ) officials to ensure the effective and timely handling of correspondence.

• Identifying correspondence that falls within the remit of other government departments and processing or redirecting it appropriately.

• Supporting the Cabinet Committee write-round team by issuing documents and ensuring timely responses to write rounds.

• Monitoring the department’s general enquiries inbox, logging and processing correspondence as required.

• Reviewing draft replies prior to submitting these to ministers’ offices, returning inadequate drafts to drafters with clear feedback and guidance.

• Checking and dispatching ministerial replies, ensuring all details are accurately recorded and databases are kept up to date.

• Opening post and redirecting incorrectly addressed mail to the correct recipient or department.

• Maintaining up-to-date awareness of departmental structures, priorities, and new initiatives.

• Undertaking additional duties as required, including supporting senior colleagues, drafting responses to correspondence, and assisting with file reviews.

Skills and Experience

Essential:

• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage workloads effectively and meet deadlines.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey information clearly across a range of channels.

• Proven ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and senior officials across the organisation.

• Demonstrated teamwork skills and flexibility to support colleagues across the wider directorate.

• Proficient IT skills, including the use of Microsoft Office applications.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and remain composed under pressure.

• Sound judgement in managing competing demands and prioritising effectively.

• A high standard of written English, including excellent grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy in all work.

Desirable:

• Previous experience of working in a correspondence environment 

Candidates applying from HMPPS should note that the Ministry of Justice does not have the same conditions of employment as HMPPS. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful.

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.

Application process 

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework.

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

Experience 

 You will be asked to provide a CV during the application process in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role.  

You will also be asked to upload a Statement of Suitability of no more than 500 words stating what you would bring to the role, with reference to the Skills and Experience listed above. 

Behaviours

During the application process you will be asked to provide an example of how you have met the following behaviour (see Annex A for more information):

• Managing a Quality Service - 250 word limit

Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade (Administrative Assistant (AA) and Administrative Officer (AO) grade or equivalent):

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

Should we receive a large number of applications, we will sift primarily on the lead behaviour of Managing a Quality Service. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview, testing both behaviours and strengths.

Candidates Invited to Interview

Interviews will be conducted virtually via Microsoft Teams.

During the panel interview, you will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of, and strengths-based questions to also explore what you enjoy, and your motivations relevant to the job role.

There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.

You can refer to the CS Strengths dictionary for more details:  Success Profiles - Civil Service Strengths Dictionary (publishing.service.gov.uk) 

Behaviours 

There is one interview stage for this vacancy. You will be assessed on the following behaviours:

• Managing a Quality Service 

• Delivering at Pace 

• Working Together 

Interviews are expected to take place in March 2026. 

Contact information    

Please do get in touch if you would like to know more about the role or what it is like working in our team by contacting the Deputy Head of MCST Leanne Gilshnan leanne.gilshnan@justice.gov.uk.