Administrative Officer

**Administrative Officer - 72006**
**£21,775**
**Maidstone**:
**HM Courts and Tribunals Service**

**Directorate**:South East Region

**Job Title / Grade**:Administrative Officer (AO)

**Number of Vacancies**:1

**Location**:Maidstone Combined Court Centre, The Law Courts, Barker Road, ME16 8EQ

**Duration**:12 Months FTC

**Salary**:National: £21,775
- These positions are available for external applicants as well as existing civil servants on level transfer or promotion. Secondments and loans will be considered on an individual basis. _

**Background**:
Good administrative staff with excellent customer service skills are vital to the effective operation of the Courts, Tribunals and other offices within HM 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

**Key Purpose**:
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.

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.

**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.

**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, ensuring papers & materials are available / 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 standar