23624 - Operational Support Officer

Ministry of Justice; Bedlington; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Ministry of Justice in Bedlington seeks Operational Support Officers to provide excellent customer service and administrative support to court users, judiciary and management. You will work in a team to progress cases through the court/tribunal system, prepare papers, update records, and communicate with the public and colleagues to support court proceedings.

You will be based at Mid and South East Northumberland Law Courts, Schalksmuhle Road, Bedlington, NE22 7LX, with standard hours of 37 per

Qualifications

• Strong customer service skills in a service-led environment.
• Good digital and administrative skills with attention to detail.
• Able to communicate confidently in person, over the phone, digitally and in writing.
• Resilient and empathetic handling sensitive information.

Responsibilities

• Progress cases through the court/tribunal system and provide administrative support.
• Prepare papers and files for court/tribunals and meetings; handle sensitive information.
• Create and update records digitally and ensure accurate court file information.
• Communicate with the public, judiciary, and other agencies to support court proceedings.

Skills

Customer service

Digital skills

Administrative skills

Communication

Resilience

Teamwork

Job description

Proud to serve. Proud to keep justice going.

Our Operational Support Officers play a critical role, providing excellent customer service and administrative support to court and tribunal users, judiciary and management.

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 court users and colleagues within HMCTS, where people and businesses access potentially life-changing justice. We’re looking for individuals who are committed to public service and making a difference in people’s lives to deliver justice.

Your role

Working as part of a team, you will contribute to the overall operational, performance and service standard targets across your area of work. You will progress cases through the court/tribunal system and provide customer service and administrative support to functions within HMCTS. You will have regular contact with court / tribunal users, which could include members of the judiciary and the legal profession.

You will be adaptable, able to multi-task and effectively carry out a variety of duties, both office-based and in a court, which will include:

Preparing papers and files for court, tribunals, hearings and meetings including processing and handling sensitive information and accurately resulting outcomes.

Creating and updating records digitally, interpreting information required on a court file accurately.

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

Supporting the smooth running of court proceedings, preparing court /hearing rooms and ensuring court runs efficiently.

When required, you will be an essential first point of contact for all the court users; meeting members of the public, which may include vulnerable witnesses, and their legal representatives.

Your knowledge, skills and experience

Strong customer service skills with the ability to work in a service-led customer-facing environment.

Good digital and administrative skills; with excellent attention to detail.

Able to communicate confidently in person, over the telephone, digitally and in written communications.

Resilient and empathetic to be able to deal with sensitive information and situations.

A team player; able to work collaboratively and flexibly to deliver HMCTS objectives.

Please refer to the role profile attachment for more information.

Lead criterion at application stage

Statement of Suitability. An initial sift based on the statement of suitability may be held if a large number of applications are received.

These operational roles are customer facing, requiring successful applicants to be court based to provide HMCTS services to the public. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week (Monday to Saturday). HMCTS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs and are agreed prior to appointment. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy

Working Pattern.

Applications for part-time working will be considered however due to the nature of the role the minimum hours would be 30 hours per week which must include full days.

You will be required to work at least 12 Saturdays/Bank Holidays per year that will be agreed in line with business needs on a rota basis. The expectation is to work the Saturday with a day off in the week.

Location

You will be based in Mid and South East Northumberland Law Courts. The address is Schalksmuhle Road, Bedlington, NE22 7LX.

Occasional travel to other courts

For this post, occasional travel across the Cleveland Durham and Northumbria (CDN) area may be required for cover when needed.

Skilled Worker Visa

This role is not eligible for new Skilled Worker visas in accordance with the current immigration rules.

From 22 July 2025, the Government introduced changes to the Skilled Worker visa route. The department cannot consider sponsoring you for this role unless you have held a Skilled Worker visa prior to the 22 July 2025 changes. If you have held a Skilled Worker visa continuously, please raise this during your vetting checks and eligibility will be assessed in accordance with the immigration rules and transitional provisions in place.

If you are applying for this role and you have not held a Skilled Worker visa prior to the 22 July 2025 changes, 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.