Ministry of Justice

Role Profile
Role Title: HMCTS Operational Support Officer
Grade: AO

Role Purpose 

The HMCTS Operational Support Officer is the first point of contact for our users, judicial office holders, and partner agencies, providing exceptional customer service, including those who are vulnerable or who have additional complex needs This versatile role is at the heart of delivering day-to-day administrative and operational support to a variety of functions, including facilitating all types of hearings across all HMCTS business areas and will have a direct impact on the delivery of justice. This role may be based in Courts and Tribunal sites or across National Services and Criminal Fines Collection and Enforcement.

The role will support HMCTS users in a variety of ways, including (but not limited to), in-person, over the telephone, digital and written communications. The HMCTS Operational Support Officer will help maintain the smooth flow of operations, dealing with a wide range of enquiries and resolving issues to prevent delays to cases or services. This role will perform a variety of general administrative duties and manage user contact to assist in the running of functions across HMCTS operational business areas, making use of digital channels to work closely with colleagues, judicial office holders, and other stakeholders. The purpose of this role is to support the operational delivery of a high-quality service, supporting the delivery of justice, both in and outside of hearings and across the range of HMCTS operations.

The Operational Support Officer role may work across multiple business areas, undertaking a range of activities as and when required driven by business need.

Key Accountabilities

The following list provides a summary of some of the activities that may be performed, and is not exhaustive: 

Customer Service
•    Undertake all administrative tasks to prepare for, facilitate, and result all types of hearing. 
•    Provide users and stakeholders with or signpost them to appropriate available support via face-to-face engagement, telephone and webchat interaction (incoming and outbound), and responding to correspondence in a range of formats. This includes users with specific and potentially complex needs, providing clear and consistent information to aid all users to participate in justice effectively.
•    Use HMCTS service scripts and knowledge articles to direct users to relevant services, ensuring users are provided with appropriate and specific information relating to their query, utilising all contact methods.
•    Follow complaints policies and procedures, supporting users through the process and providing immediate response as necessary to prevent escalation and updating OPTIC as required.
•    Identifying risks relating to HMCTS buildings, informing the Senior Person on Site (SPoS) as required, and provide immediate response as necessary.

Operational Support
•    Process work using standard operating procedures to meet performance targets and maintain operational and service standards.
•    Handle case files, ensuring accurate data entry, secure information management, and compliance with retention and data loss protocols.
•    Manage jury service tasks, including selection, deferral, reassignment, and attendance tracking, as well as processing related expenses and court fees.
•    Assist with listing and scheduling, ensuring efficient use of judicial time, responsiveness to urgent matters, and adherence to listing policies.
•    Provide dedicated judicial business support, such as diary coordination and administrative tasks, as locally required.
•    Support enforcement procedures, including conducting financial assessments, aiding fine collection, and producing basic statistical and financial reports.
•    Contribute to health and safety operations, including PEEPs, facility checks, issue logging, and key/safety governance under team leader guidance.
•    Any ad hoc or additional duties that may be required by business need that is appropriate to the grade of the role.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 
Essential
•    Ability to work flexibly as part of the team, undertaking tasks delegated by the Team Leader to enable the delivery of team and business priorities.
•    Digital skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and other databases.
•    Communication skills to undertake broad customer service and administrative tasks and explain complex procedures to users in potentially difficult scenarios. Develop and utilise effective working relationships with stakeholders across the organisation, and partners, to support service delivery. Utilising proactive resolution skills to resolve routine problems and escalating them where appropriate.
•    Customer Service skills to effectively respond to user needs and support requirements to enable effective participation, including witnesses in hearings and cases that may involve complex situations and users, dealing in accordance with established protocols and escalation criteria.
•    Resilience to remain impartial and professional when faced with difficult or distressing situations and/ or information.

Desirable
•    Knowledge of HMCTS practices and procedures to ensure these are adhered to and followed by public and professional users.
Problem Solving and Decision Making
•    The role holder will make routine everyday decisions to prioritise their immediate workload and make adjustments in light of urgent and immediate requests.
•    Apply corporate guidelines to make routine decisions and take prompt action to support service users, including those with additional needs, through all forms of communication.
•    Follow established procedures and protocols to handle administrative decisions, escalating complex or exceptional matters as needed.
•    This role will make decisions in line with the operational framework, policies, procedures, and guidance to support their team and the business to deliver expected performance targets.
•    Exercise sound judgment in non-routine situations, such as security risks, safeguarding concerns, and interactions involving Potentially Violent People (PVP).
•    Promote a collaborative team environment by sharing knowledge, mentoring peers, and coaching colleagues using existing resources and expertise.

Management of Resources 
•    Use existing resources to provide learning, development, and training support for colleagues, including mentoring and coaching to support learner journeys within HMCTS. 
•    Responsible for reporting and logging building, facilities, and IT issues, escalating these where appropriate.   
•    Implementation of special measures and reasonable adjustments to allow vulnerable users to contribute and participate in hearings. 
•    Booking interpreters, intermediaries, and other professionals for hearings. Signing time sheets on the day of attendance.  
•    Adhere to resource schedules to ensure service demand can be met. 

Autonomy
•    Following HMCTS policies, procedures, frameworks, and guidelines to resolve issues and effectively manage activities, working autonomously where required.
•    Carry out official duties on behalf of HMCTS on specific work tasks subject to relevant training where appropriate.
•    Assess issues in the moment and respond and acts accordingly to prevent escalation. 
•    Work closely with, and taking direction from, Team Leaders following policies, procedures, and protocols, and use them to resolve routine matters.
•    Escalate any serious or complex issues and report on matters to ensure the Team Leader is aware of incidents.
•    Maintain own knowledge of digital systems and contribute to and update local knowledge management systems to effectively carry out this role. 

Key Relationships and Contacts
Key Relationships and Contacts include but not limited to:
Internal
•    Colleagues from across operations, central functions, enforcement colleagues, and Bailiffs – sharing information and building relationships for effective working partnerships, including development of casework.
•    Judicial office holders – providing information and receiving instruction to ensure smooth running of justice.
•    Facilities Management – sharing information and building relationships for effective working partnerships.
•    Jury Central Summoning Bureau – exchange of information about jurors to ensure smooth running of courts and hearings.
•    Justice Partners and Other Government Departments (OGDs) – exchanging information, querying, and providing information.
•    Contracted Service and maintenance providers – greeting, sharing information to ensure safe operation of the location.
•    Workforce Management- to support effective resource planning. 
External
•    Service users, members of the public and Jurors - explaining information to meet external user needs, signposting users to the correct information, or explaining court processes and procedures.
•    Third sector providers and Witness Services – exchange of information to ensure the smooth running of case progression and hearings.