Descriptions & requirements
x1 Executive Assistant to Chamber President
Chamber Presidents’ Offices, 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, communications, and HR.
Directorate:
The postholder 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 work with and support some of the most senior Tribunals judiciary in the country. The successful candidate will be an Executive Assistant to the President of the Upper Tribunal, Tax and Chancery Chamber (UT TCC), and will also be expected to provide cross-jurisdictional support for other Chamber Presidents and the President of the EAT, as/when required.
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 works collaboratively with expert teams across the Judicial Office and HMCTS to provide policy and legal advice, as well as general secretariat and administrative support, to the Chamber and Tribunal Presidents.
Role Summary:
The postholder will be responsible for ensuring that the President of the UT TCC is provided with high quality administrative, diary and inbox support, and will assist the Upper Tribunal and EAT judiciary with day-to-day queries and requests for support.
Main Activities / Responsibilities:
The main responsibilities of the post include, but are not limited to:
- Organising & prioritising routine work for the President;
- Managing the President’s diary;
- Processing hotel & travel bookings for the President (in relation to their UT TCC engagements / work);
- Processing, triaging and drafting some personal correspondence (incoming & outgoing) on behalf of the President;
- Distributing local communications on behalf of the President;
- Supporting the resolution of judicial accommodation and/or IT issues for and on behalf of the President;
- Arranging meetings, booking rooms and setting up IT as necessary, including the issuing of calendar invites through Outlook, Teams and e-Judiciary;
- Gathering and circulating papers ahead of meetings, minute-taking, and recording/tracking and chasing actions where directed;
- Maintaining electronic files of judicial HR records;
- Managing a shared mailbox in addition to a personal inbox, responding to and/or redirecting messages as appropriate;
- Processing stationary orders and managing post and deliveries;
- Occasionally answering phone calls to the Private Office and triaging as appropriate.
Person specification:
The successful candidate must:
- be able to manage conflicting priorities and use their initiative to re-prioritise work at short notice;
- be willing and able to support the team in other jurisdictions as/when required;
- be able to communicate clearly, both in writing and orally;
- have excellent interpersonal skills to build and maintain strong relationships with a range of peers and stakeholders working across the justice system;
- be open to changes to ways of working and support the team in driving these changes forward;
- embrace constructive feedback and be comfortable reflecting on how tasks could be done better.
Desirable Knowledge and Skills:
- experience of working closely with the judiciary, and an interest in the workings of the courts and tribunals more widely.
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. This role is not suitable for reduced hours working.
Location:
Based in London within the Royal Courts of Justice estate (combining the Royal Courts of Justice (Strand), Rolls Building (Fetter Lane) and Field House (Breams Buildings). The principal office location for this role will be the Rolls Building, but there may be a need to sit in the other two sites from time to time.
This post is eligible for hybrid working (current Judicial Office requirement is at least 60% of working hours 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.
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:
Delivering at Pace, Communicating & Influencing, Working Together
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 anticipate sift will be held during w/c 14th July 2025 and interviews W/C 4 August 2025
If you wish to discuss the role before applying, please contact Mark Chander (mark.chandler@judiciary.uk) or Heddwen Daniel (Heddwen.Daniel@judiciary.uk).
Working Arrangements & Further Information
The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.
Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.
For nationally advertised roles: All successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale. This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO) – See Map. All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity).
For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within the National Office Network and moved its location’s respective pay scale (any legacy arrangements/locations will need to be amended).
Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.
MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.
All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.
Flexible working hours
The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.
Benefits
The MoJ offers a range of benefits:
Annual Leave
Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.
There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
Pension
The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.
Training
The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.
Networks
The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.
Eligibility
Staff on fixed term appointments must have been recruited through fair and open competition.
Vacancies advertised “cross-government” are only open to all Civil Service employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) who were appointed on merit following a fair and open competition; or were appointed to a permanent post through an exception in the Civil Service Commissioners' rules.
Support
- A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
- Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
- For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on www.www.GOV.UK or Childcare Choices. You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
- Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
- Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order
- To Transformative Business Services (0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk);
- To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team (resourcing-management-office@justice.gov.uk);
- To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)
As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.
You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.
For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos.
Diversity & Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
Redeployment Interview Scheme
Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.
MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.
Civil Service Nationality Rules
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules
Reserve list
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.
MoJ:
If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
Please quote the job reference: 7156
HMPPS
If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
Please quote the job reference: 7156
Job Description Attachment
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EA Job Specification_UT _SubstantivePermanent(002) June 2025 (1).docx (Job Description Attachment)