Administrative Officer

Ministry of Justice; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK government department is hiring for a coordination and senior administrative role providing support to various teams within the division. The successful candidate will manage staff, oversee compliance with health regulations, and ensure effective business support. Candidates should have NVQ Level 2 or equivalent, GCSE in English and Maths, and experience in administration. Flexible working arrangements available.

Benefits

25 days annual leave, increasing to 30 days after five years

Local Government Pension Scheme

Extensive training and development opportunities

Family-friendly policies

Qualifications

• Experience providing a wide range of management support activities.
• Evidence of support and assistance to colleagues in delivering a quality service.

Responsibilities

• Development and implementation of business administration systems.
• Preparation and collation of documentation to support business activities.
• Management and development of staff.
• Conduct health and safety assessments and drills.

Skills

Administrative experience

IT Skills (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)

Communication skills

Education

NVQ Level 2 or equivalent

GCSE Grade A-C in English and Maths (or equivalent)

Job description

This is a co‑ordination and senior administrative role in the Divisional office, Function / Cluster local offices. The jobholder will provide corporate support office‑based activities to support the work of the Divisional and operational teams. The jobholder acts as an interface between the Hub Manager, Business Manager and colleagues and other partners on a wide range of issues. The jobholder will report to the Hub Manager in Divisional offices and Business Manager in Function or Cluster offices and will have 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 are provided to the Division, Function or Cluster. The jobholder will support the Business Manager to ensure effective compliance with Health, Safety and Fire Regulations, acting as Single Point of Contact / Estates Liaison Officer for the buildings from which they operate. In line with NPS policies and procedures, the job holder must at all times demonstrate a commitment to equality and inclusion and an understanding of their relevance to the work they do. The post holder must adhere to all policies in respect of the sensitive/confidential nature of the information handled whilst working in this position.

Responsibilities, Activities & Duties

• 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 in specified timescales.
• Collection and distribution of monies to/from Imprest, and maintenance of related records.
• Act as 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, and 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 reach satisfactory conclusions and ensure equipment is in good working order.
  • Undertake and co‑ordinate health and safety risk assessments, fire drills and ergonomic assessments at the relevant sites, or ensure they are undertaken. Report issues locally and to the Divisional HS&F Manager. Maintaining registers and coordinating training.
  • Act as Cardinus Assessor, First Aider and Fire Warden and take forward actions to deal with local issues arising from incidents and DSE Assessments, or ensure that there are sufficient people able to undertake these roles at the relevant sites.
• 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. Adopt a consistent, fair and objective standpoint when making decisions in relation 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 requirements of the Data Protection Act and Information Security Policies and Procedures.
  • To 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 work with Data Access Compliance Unit to complete responses. Acting as Record Retrieval Requestor in line with divisional, function or cluster arrangements.

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non‑contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone's circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre‑employment checks. Some of MoJ's terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid. HMPPS welcomes part‑time, flexible and job‑sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part‑time, flexible and job‑sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the HMPPS' Flexible Working policy.

Experience & Qualifications

• 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 i.e. Lotus Notes).
• 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.

Making Effective Decisions

We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods: Statement of Suitability, Technical Questions, and Interview stage assessments. Interview dates will be conducted face‑to‑face and expected week commencing 05/01/2026. A minimum 5 working days' notice will be provided for interviews. We endeavour to stick to these dates, but these are subject to change around business needs.

Benefits

• Annual leave: 25 days on appointment increasing to 30 days after five years' service, plus public holidays. Leaves for part‑time and job share posts calculated pro‑rata.
• Pension: Covered by the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) run through the Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF). Please visit www.gmpf.org.uk for further information.
• Training: Extensive range of training and development opportunities.
• Networks: Opportunity to join employee‑run networks for minority ethnic origin, disabilities, caring responsibilities, women employees, LGBTIQ, etc.
• Support: Family‑friendly policies, voluntary benefits, retail vouchers, flexible benefits.
• Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
• Free annual sight tests for employees using computer screens.

Support & Inclusion

• Case of the Civil Service Code, recruitment by merit, fair and open competition.
• Right to raise a formal complaint if recruitment process breaches the commission’s principles: contact the appropriate teams listed.
• Disability Confident employer: providing adjustments throughout recruitment and workplace.
• Veterans: guaranteed interview scheme for eligible former armed forces members.
• Redeployment Interview Scheme: exploring redeployment opportunities before redundancies.

Hiring Process

Statement of Suitability: Demonstrate previous administration experience, and evidence of support and assistance to colleagues in delivering a quality service. Technical Questions: 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 i.e. Lotus Notes). Interview assessment will be conducted face‑to‑face. Personal attributes: Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace, Developing self and others, etc.