Ministry of Justice

Job title: Judicial Payroll Systems Officer

Directorate: CFO – Chief Financial Officer

Workstream: Judicial Pay and Expenses Team (JPET)

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

Background

The Judicial Pay and Expenses team is part of the Chief Financial Officer Directorate. The team administers the judicial payrolls, ensuring that judicial office holders are remunerated at the correct rates, be they salaried, fee-paid or non-legal office holders in the Courts and Tribunals. The Finance Support Centre manages the fee-paid payrolls. The Access Expense database holds fee and expense information and generates the fee-paid and salaried expenses payrolls.

The key purpose of the role is to:

·       Process Fee and expenses payrolls via Judicial Payroll System and legacy systems.

·       Control and maintain the Judicial Payroll System for judicial fees, expenses and witness and appellant costs arising from Courts and Tribunals.

·       Manage training, guidance, communications and feedback on the Judicial Payroll System.

·       Perform independent checks and reconciliation of payrolls and manage emergency payments.

·       Produce management information, financial reports and analysis, on a regular and ad hoc basis.

Key responsibilities

Operations

·       Manage the Judicial Payroll System and legacy payrolls process, ensuring pay data submissions are correct and complete and run within the agreed timescales.

·       Maintain the Judicial Payroll System, ensuring users are set up correctly, amendments are actioned promptly, leavers are removed, and that sensitive data is protected at all stages.

·       Manage the payment of London weighting, ad hoc allowances and arrears payments.

·       Maintain expense types, payment elements, groups and codes, update venues and payment rates.

·       Manage communications regarding changes to Judicial Payroll System to judiciary, staff and partner agencies.

·       Co-ordinate and deliver training Finance Centre staff and judicial users.

·       Maintain guidance, circulating updates to staff and judicial users.

·       Run reports to provide statistical and financial data for the management team, judiciary, Judicial College, MOJ Policy, Reform, HMCTS Management Accounting Team, MOJ Pensions team and Judicial Office.

·       Ensure Governance and Assurance around the safe and secure receipt, accounting and transfer of both money and personal data.

·       Deputise for the HEO Judicial Payroll System Manager as and when required.

·       Deal with any accommodation issues that arise and liaising with estates/ facilities and/or contractors as required.

·       Ensure the risk management system and standards are applied by all staff in line with HMCTS/MOJ policy. Alert others, as appropriate, to risks which are not capable of local resolution.

·       Apply Continuous Improvement tools and techniques to working practices to improve efficiency of operations.

·       Contribute to testing and evaluation of future developments to the system.

·       Represent the Judicial Pay and Pensions team at project and policy meetings as an operational expert.

Calculations and analysis

·       Perform reconciliation of payrolls, taking action to resolve errors and anomalies in payroll data.

·       Identify and implement solutions to local problems, referring complex issues and/or trends to the Judicial Payroll System Manager.

·       Extract, collate and format data for management reports and ad hoc requests from MOJ and HMCTS colleagues

·       Research trends and analyse financial data for regular management reports and draft appropriate commentary, identifying any trends or significant issues.

Communicating with the judiciary, other court and tribunal users and representatives of other agencies and organisations

·       Maintain effective working relationships with the judiciary, supporting agencies, voluntary and user groups. Work with partner agencies to improve the level of service offered to users.

·        Providing guidance and training on system’s functionality to judicial office holders

·       Provide feedback to staff, judiciary and other stakeholders on process improvement and performance against targets

·       Think beyond own area of responsibility, considering wider policy and organisational implications of issues.

Processing and managing casework

·       Answer and/or appropriately redirect enquiries from HMCTS staff, judicial office holders and other customers.

·       Investigate formal complaints and manage them to resolution, escalating policy issues to senior managers as appropriate.

·       Process manual and emergency payment requests ensuring a consistent approach and that appropriate authority for payment is obtained.

·       Act on instances of non-compliance with policy and refer back claimants/users and team members accordingly.

·       Assist with investigation and resolution or recovery of over/under payments. Make appropriate recommendations for remedial action.

Team leadership

·       Contribute and participate in the management of the team; role model HMCTS values, and apply policies and procedures (including diversity, attendance and discipline).

·       Assign responsibilities for action and monitor progress against plans.

·       Identify staff potential and develop in line with business and individual needs.

·       Ensure that performance management and reward & recognition systems are utilised effectively throughout area of responsibility, ensuring consistent standards through benchmarking, and encouraging and rewarding good ideas and creativity.

·       Be responsible for health and safety issues for the team and their immediate working environment.

·       Take a lead in employee engagement activities to maintain good working relationships with team members and to improve service delivery and staff morale / motivation.

·       Ensure staff are aware of HMCTS strategic objectives/and or updated in relation to corporate messages.

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

·       The ability to deliver a quality customer service; organised to ensure service delivery objectives are met and be flexible to meet tight deadlines. 

·       The ability to develop effective working relationships with a range of stakeholders to support delivery of business outcomes.

·       Working with remote colleagues as part of a team.

·       Excellent communications skills: both written and verbal tasks.

·       Adaptable and willing, with the ability to work in a culture of change; continually improving (products, processes, and priorities) to meet the current and future needs of the organisation

·       Good IT skills (particularly Excel and PowerBi).

Desirable

·       Knowledge of HMCTS and its business.

·       Experience of working with Payroll is desirable

·       Analytical skills for the investigation and resolution of complex issues

How to apply

Application Stage

Please submit:

• Statement of suitability demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria (up to 500 words)
• Behaviour examples illustrating the Civil Service Behaviour: - Communicating and Influencing (up to 250 words).

Please ensure you cover both ‘what’ you do but also ‘how’ you do it. (i.e., the effective skills, knowledge & experience needed to undertake the role)

In the event of a high volume of applications, the panel may perform an initial sift based on the Lead Behaviour – Communicating and Influencing. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift. 

Interview Stage

If successful at sift, you will be invited to attend a remote interview, via Microsoft teams. During your interview, you will be assessed against the following Civil Service Success Profiles which will include:

• Questions in relation to the following Civil Service Behaviours:
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

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

Further details

Travel requirements

There will be a requirement for frequent travel to Bristol Magistrates Court in line with business needs.

Opportunities for development

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

Skilled Worker Sponsorship

From 22nd July 2025, the Government increased the salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas. The starting salary for this role falls below the general salary threshold for sponsorship.  

The Department cannot consider sponsoring you for this role unless you have held a Skilled Worker visa continuously since before 4 April 2024, you qualify for relevant tradeable points, or you meet other criteria where a lower salary can be considered. Therefore, if you believe you meet the eligibility criteria (in whatever way possible) and you have received a provisional job offer, please raise this during your vetting checks. 

If you are applying for this role and you do not meet the new eligibility criteria for sponsorship, you will need to consider your options for obtaining and/or maintaining your right to work in the UK in light of these changes. Successful applicants must ensure they have and maintain the legal right to live and work in the Civil Service and in the United Kingdom.

The Department will continue to comply with UK Immigration Rules applied in the UK and Civil Service.

You can read more about Skilled Worker visas and the eligibility criteria here.

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.