Administration Officer

Ministry of Justice; Coventry; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A government department in England is seeking a senior administrative professional for co-ordination and management support. The role involves ensuring compliance with health and safety standards, managing administration systems, and providing leadership to the administrative team. Candidates should have relevant administration experience and strong communication skills, with NVQ Level 2 qualifications. This position offers benefits like annual leave and pension contributions.

Benefits

25 days annual leave, increasing to 30

Pension scheme

Training and development opportunities

Family-friendly policies

Free annual sight tests

Qualifications

• Demonstrate previous administration experience.
• Experience in providing management support activities.
• Evidence of support for quality service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement business administration systems.
• Ensure compliance with Health, Safety and Fire Regulations.
• Provide leadership and management to the administrative team.
• Write reports to support effective operations.
• Liaise to collate and analyze information for performance.

Skills

Administration experience

Management support activities

Communication skills

Education

NVQ Level 2 or equivalent

GCSE Grade A-C in English and Maths

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

Outlook

PowerPoint

Job description

Overview

This is a co‑ordination and senior administrative role within the Divisional office, Function / Cluster local offices. The jobholder provides corporate support office‑based activities to support the work of the Divisional and operational teams. Acting as an interface between the Hub Manager, Business Manager and colleagues and external partners, the jobholder reports to the Hub Manager in Divisional offices and to the Business Manager in Function or Cluster offices and has line‑management responsibilities for Administrative Assistants, Case Administrators and other administrative staff. The purpose of the role is to ensure efficient and effective business support and operational administrative services to the Division, Function or Cluster. The jobholder supports the Business Manager in ensuring compliance with Health, Safety and Fire Regulations, acting as the Single Point of Contact / Estates Liaison Officer for the buildings from which they operate. In line with NPS policies and procedures, the post holder must demonstrate a commitment to equality and inclusion and understand them in relation to the work they do. The post holder must adhere to all policies regarding the sensitive/confidential nature of the information handled in this position.

Responsibilities, Activities & Duties

• Management Support
  • Development and implementation of business administration systems, databases and recording systems to support operational probation delivery.
  • Preparation and collation of a range of documentation for a variety of purposes to support effective divisional, functional or cluster business activity and operational probation delivery.
  • Maintenance of (or supporting the relevant Business Manager to maintain) Divisional, functional or cluster Registers such as Serious Further Offences, Freedom of Information, Accidents, Complaints, inputting data, monitoring agreed probation processes and ensuring completion within specified timescales.
  • Collection and distribution of monies to/from Imprest, and maintenance of related records.
  • Act as the Vetting Contact Point for the relevant division, function or cluster.
  • Monitor Travel Warrants, Bus passes, cheque book requests and assist with Purchase Orders where required, within the agreed procurement arrangements.
  • Attend meetings and events to represent the relevant Business Manager as agreed from time to time.
• Health, Safety & Fire
  • Ensure the timely reporting of problems, including repairs, defects and security issues with the building(s) to facilities contractors and maintain progress to satisfactory conclusions, ensuring equipment is in good working order.
  • Undertake and coordinate health and safety risk assessments, fire drills and ergonomic assessments at the relevant sites; report issues locally and to the Divisional HS&F Manager, maintaining registers and coordinating training.
  • Act as Cardinus Assessor, First Aider and Fire Warden, taking forward actions to deal with local incidents and DSE Assessments or ensuring sufficient people are available for these roles.
• Effectively Manage and Develop staff
  • Provide effective management and leadership to the team.
  • Proactively manage staff development, issues of underperformance, attendance, health and safety, employee relations and diversity matters, adopting a consistent, fair and objective approach to individual staff issues.
  • Contribute to relevant training and development events as a trainer.
  • Support recruitment activity for relevant posts within the cluster/division.
• Use communication effectively
  • Write reports to support the effective operation of the Division/Cluster/Function.
  • Participate in meetings where appropriate, using appropriate skills, styles and approaches.
  • Contribute to the management of the Division/Cluster/Function.
• Enhance your own performance
  • Manage own resources and take responsibility for own professional development.
• Use information to take critical decisions
  • Liaise with staff to receive, collate and analyse information, developing systems and compiling reports as necessary, using data to identify trends and taking appropriate action to maintain and enhance performance.
  • Ensure that all reasonable precautions are taken towards the maintenance, security and confidentiality of written and electronically stored material in line with the Data Protection Act and Information Security Policies and Procedures.
  • Ensure that all team resources are deployed cost effectively and provide best value.
  • Undertake (or support locally if the role is held divisionally) the Knowledge and Information Liaison Officer role, offering advice and guidance to OMs in completing such requests and working with the Data Access Compliance Unit to complete responses; act as Record Retrieval Requestor in line with divisional, function or cluster arrangements.
  • Demonstrate pro‑social modelling skills by consistently reinforcing pro‑social behaviour and attitudes and challenging anti‑social behaviour and attitudes.
  • Work within the aims and values of NPS and HMPPS.
• The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and are not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re‑examination under the Job Evaluation scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the Job Holder.

Essential Experience

• Demonstrate previous administration experience and experience of providing a wide range of management support activities.
• Evidence of providing support and assistance to colleagues in delivering a quality service.

Technical Requirements

• NVQ Level 2 or equivalent.
• GCSE Grade A‑C in English and Maths (or equivalent).
• IT Skills: Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint (or equivalent, e.g. Lotus Notes).

Behaviours

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Developing Self and Others

Benefits

• Annual Leave – 25 days on appointment, increasing to 30 days after five years of service (pro‑rated for part‑time).
• Pension – National Probation Service covered by the Local Government Pension Scheme via the Greater Manchester Pension Fund.
• Training – Extensive range of training and development opportunities offered by the Ministry of Justice.
• Employee networks – Opportunities to join employee‑run networks for minority groups, disabilities, caring responsibilities, women and LGBTQIA+ staff.
• Family‑friendly policies – Options for reduced hours, job share, flexible benefits, voluntary benefits and retail vouchers.
• Paid parental leave – Paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
• Free annual sight tests for employees using computer screens.