Administrative Officer

**Administrative Officer - Port Talbot - 74376**
**£21,775**
**Port Talbot**:
**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). Criminal Fines Collection and Enforcement responsibilities include the collection of criminal fines. 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

**About Criminal Fines Collection and Enforcement**

The Criminal Fines Collection and Enforcement department plays a central role in delivering justice by working alongside the criminal courts in England and Wales to ensure convicted parties comply with fines and other financial penalties imposed by the courts. Enforcement is a large and complex business unit, employing over 1200 staff across multiple locations across England and Wales through which flows some £500m per annum. You will help deliver HMCTS’ responsibilities for the enforcement of Fines, Confiscation Orders, Community Penalty Breach Warrants and other enforcement work.

**The key purpose of the role**

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. As an Administrative Officer working in Enforcement, your role will include general administrative duties and will require you to deal with the general public, defendants and outside organisations sometimes dealing with difficult customers and situations. You may also be required to work in a call centre type environment or directly in the handling of cash and certain related functions.

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.

**Essential Skills & Criteria**:

- Strong customer focus and service skills
- Experience of working in an administrative role in a customer focussed environment
- Proficient with IT and Microsoft Software packages
- Excellent communication and organisational skills
- Customer Service and Administrative skills

Whilst the post holder will be allocated to a specific office base, there may be a need for flexibility to work on an ad hoc basis at other local HMCTS offices.

**Key responsibilities**

**Administration**
- Preparing papers and files for court.
- Collection of financial impositions imposed by the court.
- Enforcement of financial impositions using designated Fines Officer Powers.
- 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**
- Conducting Means Interviews with defendant mainly over the phone but face to face in some instances.
- Assisting at Enforcement Courts and hearings, ensuring papers and materials are available and up to date.
- Contacting relevant parties, scheduling, serving court documents, executing a range of warrants, collecting fines and fees etc.
- 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.

**Processing Casework**
- Including standard documentation and information, court orders, claims, fines, fees, maintenance and fixed penalty tickets.
- 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 q