Job Title: Administrative Officer

Pay Span: Band AO

Background

Good administrative staff with excellent customer service skills are vital to the effective operation of the Courts, Tribunals and other offices within His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). Most of the staff within HMCTS are employed in administrative roles. HMCTS embraces Lean principles and continuous improvement techniques to provide high standards of customer service.

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. 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 systems and processes (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 or supervisor. 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.

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 basis at other local HMCTS offices.

Working as part of a flexible team, the postholder will be expected to undertake a range of the functions and responsibilities specified. It is not intended that each post will be responsible for the full range of duties.

Key responsibilities

Administration	Preparing papers and files for court, tribunals, hearings and meetings. Producing court/tribunal documents. 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	Clerking civil and family courts, tribunals and hearings, using current audio/video systems where parties attend remotely, ensuring papers and materials are available and up to date. Assisting court users, supporting listing and rota management, checking files Contacting relevant parties, scheduling, serving court documents, executing a range of warrants, collecting fines and fees etc, including the use of chip and pin 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 To undertake ad hoc roles within the band such as Jury Bailiff Officer, L+D Co-ordinator, H+S roles
Processing casework	Including standard documentation and information, court orders, claims, fines and fees, legal aid 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 bundles, chasing. 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. Spending limited sums of money on behalf of an office or unit. Calculate the anticipated numbers of Jurors to be called and manage the numbers to be as efficient as possible
Communicating with the public, the judiciary, other court and tribunal users and representatives of other agencies and Organisations	Communicate and work with the Judiciary, Magistracy, the Cluster Managers, Court 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.

Operational Delivery in HMCTS

This role is part of the Operational Delivery Profession. Operational delivery professionals are the outward face of government, providing essential services to the public in a variety of roles. They work in many different departments and agencies across the breadth of the UK, delivering service to customers in

Face-to-face roles in HMCTS for example a court usher
Contact Centre roles in HMCTS for example call centre advisers
Processing roles in HMCTS for example Staff at the County Courts Money-Claims Centre and Courts and Tribunal Administration

Being part of the operational delivery profession means belonging to a cross-government community of people. This will offer you access to information on professional standards, skills development and qualifications to help you continue to improve your development and performance and expand your career options.