Coroner's Officer

West Sussex County Council; England; On-site; GBP 39,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in England is seeking a dedicated professional to join the Coroners Service. The role includes investigating sudden deaths, supporting bereaved families, and ensuring compliance with Coroner-related legislation. Excellent communication skills and the ability to handle sensitive information are required. A salary range of £39,862 to £42,839 is offered along with other benefits including 27 days of annual leave and a local government pension scheme.

Benefits

Local government pension scheme

27 days annual leave

Access to discounts through benefits platform

Qualifications

• Excellent IT skills are required.
• Experience with specific legislation related to Coroner's investigations is preferred.
• Ability to work under pressure and make quick decisions.

Responsibilities

• Investigate and record sudden and unexpected deaths.
• Provide support to bereaved families.
• Prepare and conduct formal investigative interviews.

Skills

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters

Good knowledge of Coroner's policies and procedures

Experience in managing own workload and multi-tasking

Strong problem-solving skills

Tools

Computer database systems

Job description

Do you have personal resilience and professionalism when dealing with potentially sensitive, confidential, or distressing queries?

Are you able to effective build and maintain relationships with service users?

Do you have excellent IT skills?

If the answer is yes, we would love to hear from you! We are looking for a dedicated professional to join the Coroners Service.

The Coroners Service comprises a small team dedicated to providing support to the Senior Coroner by ensuring that the legislative and case management processes, as well as the planning and handling of inquests, are conducted efficiently and effectively.

Salary: £39,862 to £42,839 per annum

Contract Type: Fixed term contact until 30 November 2026. Final start and end dates will be agreed with the successful candidate.

Working Pattern: Full-time (37 hours per week) Monday to Friday

Location: County Hall North, Madeira Ave, Horsham RH12 1AB

Interview Date: Wednesday 07 January, Thursday 08 January and Friday 09 January 2026.

This role requires the successful candidate to be able to participate in an on-call rota, acting as a single point of contact for any out of hours enquiries and attending scenes on behalf of the Coroner.

You will need to be able to travel independently around the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Pool cars and pool bikes available (subject to availability)

Travel will be within your jurisdiction which will include anywhere in West Sussex, Brighton and Hove.

Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position. Please can you therefore discuss and agree this with your manager before applying for this position.

About the Job

Under the direction of the Coroner, you will take on the significant responsibility of investigating and recording sudden and unexpected deaths, all in accordance with the Coroner's and Justice Act 2009, the Coroner's (Investigations) Regulations 2013, the Coroner's (Inquests) Rules 2013, and the Chief Coroner's Guidance.

Our work in the Coroner Service and any given day can often feel quite different from the next! There will be some key responsibilities likely to feature in this role, including:

• Attending scenes of sudden deaths in accordance with existing local authority policies and as requested by the Coroner.
• Working with the investigation team to provide expert in the field, recording and reporting tissue and organ donation requests on behalf of HM Coroner.
• The assignment of a number of 'designated powers' when appropriate by the Coroner, you will be expected to discharge such powers professionally, legally and
• Acting as a single point of contact providing immediate support and guidance to bereaved families following sudden and unexpected death ensuring that families, interested persons and witnesses are updated with the progress of the investigation and are provided with any necessary support.
• Preparing for and undertaking formal investigative interviews, writing statements, and conducting related investigative enquiries where appropriate of families, professionals, and witnesses in compliance with Coroner's and Justice Act 2009, Coroner's (Investigations) Regulations 2013, Coroner's (Inquests) Rules 2013 and the Chief Coroner's

If you have excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and genuine desire to thrive in a supportive environment, we want to hear from you!

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills as well as the capability of absolute discretion in handling personal, sensitive and matters of a confidential nature.
• The ability to remain sympathetic and empathetic whilst working to policy and procedure.
• Good knowledge of Coroner's policies and procedures relating to Coroner's investigations. Particularly Coroner's and Justice Act 2009, Coroner's (Investigations) Regulations 2013, Coroner's (Inquests) Rules 2013 and Chief Coroner's Guidance.
• Experience in managing you own workload, working flexibly, multi-tasking and balancing different priorities. You will be comfortable making fast-time decisions when managing unpredictable caseloads and setting priorities.
• The ability to operate multiple computer database systems and be willing to undertake training to become proficient in all relevant Coroners and local authority systems.
• Strong problem-solving skills and is capable of exercising sound judgment independently and consistently, while adhering to relevant legislation and established procedures.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

Rewards and Benefits

We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role. You will benefit from 27 days annual leave, rising to 28 days after 5 years' service plus the opportunity to buy additional leave and an excellent local government pension scheme.

A range of discounts give our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform.

For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CPP01255.

Does this sound like the opportunity for you? Click apply below, upload your CV, and complete the application form, explaining how you meet the key skills in the attached job description and experience you can bring to the role. Please ensure all that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.

Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to right to work within the UK, enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, satisfactory references, and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.