Ministry of Justice

Job title: Business Manager

Directorate: Development Directorate

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 service users and colleagues, where people and businesses access potentially life-changing justice.  We’re looking for individuals who are committed to public service and want to make a difference in people’s lives in delivering justice. If you’re interested in developing a career with a real purpose, please apply.

About the role

The Business Manager to the Director of Strategy, Development & Change is a critical role within the Directorate and is key to the smooth and efficient running of a busy Director’s office. You will provide high‑quality, efficient and effective direct support to the Director, working closely with senior colleagues across HMCTS, the Ministry of Justice and wider Government, as well as supporting members of the Senior Leadership Team as required.

The role is varied and fast‑paced, requiring excellent organisational skills, attention to detail and confident communication. Responsibilities include filtering and managing workload through inbox and diary management, commissioning and collating information for Directorate reporting and high‑level queries, ensuring records are up to date, tracking actions, and keeping administrative processes running smoothly. You will also facilitate and attend meetings, including scheduling, agenda preparation and minute‑taking, lead on a range of business support activities such as finance and communications, and work collaboratively with other SCS Business Managers and colleagues across the organisation. The role holder will build strong relationships, act with discretion and agility, work closely with the Head of Office, and line manage a Diary Manager (EO).

Your role as Business Manager encompasses several key aspects (but not limited to):

• Manage the Director’s inbox and incoming requests, using judgement to filter, prioritise and respond as appropriate, acting as a gatekeeper and coordinating requests for information.
• Oversee daily diary management, including scheduling meetings, workshops and events, and ensuring effective use of the Director’s time.
• Track, manage and complete actions on behalf of the Director, ensuring deadlines are met and work is delegated appropriately when the Director is in meetings or out of the office.
• Facilitate and attend meetings as required, including planning agendas, preparing papers (including use of OneNote), minute‑taking and following up on agreed actions.
• Commission, collate and quality‑assure information, reports and responses for Directorate reporting and high‑level queries.
• Monitor and analyse data, identify issues and recommend interventions to the Director where appropriate.
• Ensure key communications from HMCTS, MoJ and other stakeholders are shared and cascaded to relevant managers in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Maintain and develop effective administrative, record‑record and filing systems (digital and paper), including implementing new systems where required.
• Use a range of IT systems and software, including email, spreadsheets, databases and presentation tools, to support the efficient running of the Director’s office.
• Review and maintain Directorate materials, such as intranet content and induction packs, ensuring information remains current and accurate.
• Lead, manage and support the development of the EO Diary Manager.
• Assist with recruitment activities and coordinate induction and onboarding for new staff.
• Provide ad‑hoc and flexible support to the Head of Office, Senior Management Team and Directorate as a whole, contributing to the smooth and effective operation of the wider team.

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. 

Who are we looking for? (Person Specification)

The ideal candidate for this position should demonstrate:

Essential Skills

• Highly motivated self‑starter with excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise effectively in a fast‑paced, pressurised environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the confidence to brief senior managers clearly, share informed opinions, and influence others by understanding business needs.
• Proven experience working with and liaising confidently with senior stakeholders up to Director level.
• Resilient, resourceful and adaptable, with the ability to maintain focus under pressure and deliver high‑quality outcomes at pace.
• Able to analyse information and data quickly, exercise sound judgement, and distil complex issues into clear, practical advice.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a collaborative approach, building and maintaining effective relationships across all levels of an organisation.
• Comfortable working independently, taking ownership of areas of work, and managing multiple competing priorities.
• A desire to simplify processes and improve ways of working through practical and innovative solutions.
• Excellent IT skills, including strong experience using Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, OneNote, Word, Excel and PowerPoint).

Desirable Skills

The below criteria are desirable only. These will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates.

• Experience of working in a Private Office or a central support team.
• Experience of line managing others.

Opportunities for development

This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience of working with senior management and being exposed to a broad range of work.

How to apply

Application Stage

Please submit:

• An anonymised CV. Please ensure your CV is uploaded in a simple format to prevent any formatting issues when it's downloaded or reviewed. 

Your CV should: 

• Be succinct and clear.
• Be factually accurate – You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, is 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.
• Include your qualifications, highlighting any modules or accreditation relevant to the role.
• Include your relevant experience, providing dates.
• Provide detail –we are interested in how your knowledge, skills, and experience demonstrate the capabilities we are looking for in this role.
• Statement of suitability demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria (up to 750 words).

Your Statement of Suitability should be no more than 750 words and should give us real life examples of how your skills and experience match those needed for this role. Consider addressing particular points in the person specification requirements and key responsibilities. We recommend following the STAR format. 

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application 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.  

Interview Stage

If successful at sift, you will be invited to attend an in-person interview at 102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ, during which you will be asked:

• Questions in relation to the following Civil Service behaviours:

o   Making Effective Decisions

o   Delivering at Pace

o   Managing a Quality Service

o   Communicating and Influencing  

• Strengths will also be assessed however these are not shared in advance.

Further details

Working pattern

Full time only - This is a full-time position only due to the nature of the role.

Opportunities for development

HMCTS is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities. 

This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience of working with senior management and being exposed to a broad range of work. 

About our benefits

We reward our people for their hard work and commitment. We have a number of family

friendly and flexible working polices that will help you achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition, we offer a range of employee benefits which include generous annual leave, a highly competitive contributory pension scheme, childcare benefits, season ticket and bicycle loans.

Proud to Serve. Proud to keep justice going.