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Job Sepcification
Business Support to the Civil Justice Council and the Private Office of the Master of the Rolls and the Deputy Head of Civil Justice
Private Offices Directorate, 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 (LCJ) 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.
A unique opportunity to support the work of the Civil Justice Council (CJC), a body considering how to make the civil justice system more accessible, fair, and efficient.
This role offers the scope to begin to develop broad policy making skills. Operating as a vital part of a small Secretariat team - working together with the Secretary, Deputy and Assistant Secretaries - you will be central to the delivery of a wide range of projects and research. You will occupy a critical position helping operate a statutory advisory body at the heart of the civil justice system.
The CJC has significant autonomy in fulfilling its role: you will need to make and maintain strong working relationships with members of the judiciary, officials, legal representatives and other diverse stakeholders in the civil justice system, working with them to achieve the CJC’s objectives. It is integral to the role that you are able to work with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Your responsibilities will be varied and broad. They will include helping to plan quarterly CJC meetings - which you will attend - as well as regular working party meetings. You will take the lead for the administration of the CJC’s work and will be supported to have responsibility for specific working parties, helping them to deliver expediently to the full CJC. You will maintain the CJC’s website, administer its finances, and undertake a full range of wider administration tasks.
You will become a recognised figure within civil justice and you will be expected to develop and maintain your own knowledge of developments and trends across the civil justice system.
The CJC is a statutory non-departmental advisory body which is chaired by the Master of the Rolls. The CJC Secretariat, and this post, forms part of the wider Private Office of the Master of the Rolls. You will have access to the broader opportunities and experience that working as part of a busy Private Office brings. In particular, you will lead the planning and administration of a full schedule of court visits for the Master of the Rolls, the Deputy Head of Civil Justice, and a team of Senior Leadership judges, supporting them to deliver on their objective of visiting all 140 civil court centres.
With excellent opportunities to work on cutting edge projects alongside some of the country’s leading experts, this post offers significant exposure to policy making and decision making at the highest levels, from within a unique organisation which brings together the Civil Service, the judiciary, and the wider legal sector.
The successful applicant will join the team at a critical point for the development of the CJC. They will play an active role in supporting new members joining the CJC from the most recent public appointments campaign, along with supporting exciting current and upcoming projects. More details of the CJC’s current projects can be found on our website: Civil Justice Council - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary.
Role Summary
The primary function of the Business Support to the CJC is to work with other members of the CJC Secretariat to deliver the Council’s statutory functions and wider responsibilities.
The Business Support role is responsible for ensuring all the administrative functions of the Council are maintained to support operational delivery. The portfolio of responsibilities and roles undertaken by the Business Support role are not exhaustive and therefore the successful candidate will need to be proactive, adaptable and able to autonomously triage work.
The focus of the role will involve delivering the practical administration of meetings, ensuring the production of papers, agendas and minutes; information management; ad-hoc administrative tasks; diary management, both of the CJC Secretariat and the wider CJC; and supporting members. Successful delivery will require the post-holder to understand the vision of the CJC, the CJC’s purpose, and the wider context in which it operates.
In parallel to working with CJC, you will support the administration of the wider Private Office, supporting two judicial principals. The post has particular responsibility for the administration of and planning for a full schedule of court visits for the Master of the Rolls, the Deputy Head of Civil Justice, and a wider team of Senior Leadership judges.
You will have impeccable personal skills and will be confident dealing directly with civil servants, the judiciary and external stakeholders - of all levels - during your daily business. You will be a natural energetic organiser, who is routinely able to adapt quickly to changing situations and successfully bring about their resolution. You will be a person who is able to apply critical thinking to problems and challenge existing assumptions, blockers, and constraints to find solutions.
Your responsibilities will include:
Providing comprehensive administrative support to the CJC Secretariat, including leading within the team on the management of a shared inbox and calendar.
Leading and acting as a central coordinating point of contact for a range of business administration activities; for example, maintaining a register of members interests and ensuring members are appraised annually, and certain corporate function processes including finance.
Communicating and engaging effectively with a range of people, including internal and external staff and stakeholders. This will include dealing with stakeholder enquiries promptly and courteously by email, telephone, letter or in-person, referring to colleagues where appropriate.
Organising meetings and events on behalf of the CJC, including the CJC’s annual public conference (the National Forum), as well as booking rooms, arranging catering and working with centrally-agreed budgets.
Producing agenda, papers, minutes and reports, as well as updating action logs as required.
Supporting and participating in relevant working parties and initiatives.
Remaining aware of developments in the civil justice system, sharing with others as necessary.
Adhering to and appropriately following CJC processes for administration and governance, as well as exercising judgment where necessary to support the development of improved systems and procedures, to ensure efficiency, quality and time effectiveness.
Reporting on and tracking the development of proposals for working parties to the wider CJC and the Master of the Rolls & the Deputy Head of Civil Justice.
Representing the work of the CJC internally within the justice system and, where necessary, providing an interface between the CJC and wider Civil Service.
Trip planning, sequencing and travel booking for members of the Civil Leadership Group to ensure that members of the senior civil judiciary are visible and undertake regular visits to all regions of England & Wales.
The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by your line manager.
The successful candidate will be organised, strategic and be able to prioritise and handle multiple issues concurrently. You should have a proactive and positive attitude to getting the job done. You will have excellent organisational and administration skills with a close eye for detail, demonstrating judgment to ensure deadlines are met.
The best candidates are likely to be an enthusiastic team player and may be able to demonstrate experience of working within a similar small team.
The role requires excellent and concise communication skills. The post holder must be able to perform independently at a high level. The best candidates are likely to be able to demonstrate that they can independently engage senior officials and stakeholders confidently.
Part of the enjoyment and challenge of working in a Private Office is that work is occasionally fast-paced and unpredictable. It will be important that the job holder is willing and able to be flexible in the tasks they take on.
Desirable Knowledge and Skills
The strongest applicants are likely to have some experience of writing correspondence, Committee work, IT skills, and skills in communication and influencing. Knowledge of the civil justice system and the work of the Civil Justice Council is desirable, but not essential. Experience of working with the senior judiciary is also highly desirable.
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 and requires a minimum of 60% attendance in the office.
Location
This post is primarily based in London, at the Royal Courts of Justice but does require some travel, accompanying the MR to events across England & Wales, and occasionally abroad.
Length of Deployment
We are looking for the successful candidate to be in post as soon as possible. This is a permanent post.
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:
Seeing the Big Picture, Working Together, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace
In the event of a high volume of applications, we will sift on the lead behaviour of Managing a Quality Service
Candidates invited to interview will be assessed on these behaviours and on Civil Service Strengths.
We anticipate that interviews for candidates successful at sift will be held during w/c 15th September 2025.
If you wish to discuss the role before applying, please contact: Freya Prentice (Freya.Prentice@judiciary.uk)
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