Job Specification

1 Assistant Private Secretary role in the Employment Tribunal President’s Private Office, Judicial Office.

Organisation

The Judicial Office (JO) is a unique branch of the civil service, independent from the machinery which supports the Government and dedicated to supporting the judiciary as the third arm of the state. We promote and safeguard judicial independence to maintain confidence in the rule of law. We are answerable not to Ministers but instead, through our Chief Executive, to the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales and the Senior President of Tribunals as we help them to fulfil their responsibilities to the judiciary.

We support c.22,000 judicial office holders, providing policy, legal and handling advice, and operational support. This includes advice on judicial leadership, support with relationships with Government and Parliament, assistance with justice sector reform, judicial education and training, comms, and HR.

Directorate

The postholder(s) will join the Judicial Private Offices directorate. The business units include operational private offices; jurisdiction and policy private offices; and the Judicial Executive Board Secretariat.

Overview:

This is an exciting opportunity to provide leadership and support to a busy Judicial Private Office, supporting the work of the President of the Employment Tribunals (England and Wales). This position would suit someone looking for a stretching role working with some of the most senior Tribunals judiciary in the country.

Within the Judicial Office, the Chamber Presidents Private Offices are a series of small jurisdictional teams focused on supporting each Chamber and Tribunal President across all of their leadership functions. Each Private Office provides policy and legal advice, and general secretariat and administrative support to the Chamber and Tribunal Presidents, working collaboratively with expert teams across the Judicial Office.

Role Summary:

The postholder will be responsible for ensuring that the jurisdictional Private Office provides high quality policy advice and administrative and operational support to the

President. These roles involve the development and implementation of new ways of working within the Private Office(s) and the delivery of efficiencies across the wider CPO and Judicial Office.

The role involves maintaining an overview of developments in Tribunals liaising with and building strong relationships with peers and senior stakeholders across the Justice system, including His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service, the Ministry of Justice, other government departments, and across the Private Office Directorate in Judicial Office.

Main Activities / Responsibilities:

The main responsibilities of the post include, but are not limited to:

• Supporting the provision of advice for the President and act as the single point of contact for enquiries on a variety of matters including governance, legislation and policy and signposting to professional support e.g. HR, Communications, Judicial Training, Data, across the Judicial Office.

• Setting the Agenda and briefing the President in preparation for set piece meetings, providing and/or commissioning written and oral advice and, noting and chasing action points and implementing decisions.

• Communicating on behalf of the President with judges from both the courts and tribunals system and where directed, with officials from MoJ, HMCTS, and OGDs, stakeholder organisations, and members of the public/their legal representatives.

• Providing advice and support to the President on specific jurisdictional projects, including arranging and supporting judicial working groups and networks as directed.

• Supporting the President in their interaction with the JO Data Governance, Policy and Analysis Team and with the HMCTS Analysis & Performance and Management Accounting Teams, acting as the single point of contact for those Teams.

• Playing a key role in both internal and external recruitment and forecasting for the Tribunal. Drafting and obtaining the relevant approvals for business cases.

• Develop and implement/maintain systems, processes and new ways of working to deliver efficiencies within the Private Office as we begin to align CPO with the established Private Offices structures across Judicial Office.

• Undertake ad hoc requests as required to support the President, managing conflicting priorities often with tight deadlines. 

• Providing cover for Deputy Private Secretary during periods of planned and unplanned absence to ensure the smooth running of the office.

Management of Resources:

The postholder will manage an EO Executive Assistant to the President and an AO Support Officer.

The post-holder will report to the Deputy Private Secretary to the Employment Tribunal President.

Person specification:

The successful candidate must:

• be able to influence and manage upwards and speak with authority when dealing with senior officials or judiciary;

• have excellent communication and leadership skills;

• be confident implementing and driving forward changes in ways of working and modernisation initiatives

• have strong organisational skills.

Desirable Knowledge and Skills:

• experience of working closely with the judiciary, and an interest in the workings of the courts and tribunals system more widely.

• experience of working in the Employment Tribunals and/or an understanding of the Employment Tribunal jurisdiction

The support provided by judicial Private Offices necessarily involves working before and after court, in keeping with the judge’s diary commitments and sitting patterns. Some early mornings and late evenings can be expected, though every effort will be made to accommodate flexibility where necessary. These roles are not suitable for reduced hours working.

Location:

Victory House, 5^th Floor, 30-34 Kingsway London, WC2B 6EX

Occasional travel may be required.

These posts are eligible for hybrid working (current requirement is at least 60% of working hours each week to be spent in the office, in line with all government departments).

How to apply:

This is a Success Profiles based recruitment and Civil Service Behaviours will be considered at application stage along with a candidate CV.

Behaviours to be assessed at application stage:

Leadership, Communicating & Influencing, Working Together and Seeing the Bigger Picture.

In the event of a high volume of applications, we will sift on the lead behaviour of Communicating and Influencing.

Candidates invited to interview will be assessed on these behaviours and on Civil Service Strengths.

We anticipated that interviews for candidates successful at sift will be held during 14 July 2025

If you wish to discuss the role before applying, please contact Leanna Conradson at Leanna.Conradson@judiciary.uk