Operational Support Officers

HM Courts and Tribunals Service; Wealden; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension

Flexible working options

Learning & Development

Job summary

HM Courts and Tribunals Service is seeking an Operational Support Officer to provide excellent customer service and administrative support within court and tribunal environments. The role centers on supporting the smooth running of court proceedings, preparing papers, updating records, and communicating with court users.

The position is primarily based in a courtroom setting with some travel, and standard full-time hours are 37 per week.

Qualifications

• Strong customer service skills with the public and court users.
• Excellent digital and administrative skills with attention to detail.
• Effective communication and organizational abilities in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Prepare papers and files for court hearings and meetings, handling sensitive information.
• Create and update records digitally and accurately on court files.
• Communicate with the public, judiciary and other court users to support proceedings.
• Assist in the smooth running of court proceedings and prepare hearing rooms.
• Travel to different courts as required and work full-time shifts, including Saturdays when stated.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Administrative skills

Digital skills

Team player

Job description

Candidate preferences will be explored during the interview stage in conjunction with the application selection process. 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. If you are interested in developing a career with a real purpose, please apply. Your role The role is primarily based within the courtroom, supporting the smooth running of court proceedings. Administrative duties will also be incorporated into the post. 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., 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.
• Further details: 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 Friday). This is a business-critical role requiring full time hours. Brighton Magistrates' Court, BN2 0LG ONLY (Saturday working) You will be required to work the following shift pattern, to include Saturdays as follows: 5 days over a 6 day working pattern. Your working pattern will be confirmed by your line manager, and whenever you are required to work on a Saturday, you will receive a day off in lieu based on business needs. Please note that there is no requirement to work on Sundays. Occasional travel to other courts 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 or regular basis at other local HMCTS sites/courts. Where applicable, associated travel cost/time will be applied in line with organisational policies. While you will have a designated base location, the role may require travel to other courts within a reasonable commutable distance:
• Crown Position: Occasional travel may be required to Brighton and Hove.
• 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. Base Location and Reserve list information Base locations and reserve lists for this campaign will be managed in accordance with location preference/s, as indicated in your application. We will appoint in merit list order for each location outlined in the vacancy and hold a separate locational reserve list for each of these locations. After appointments have been made using this locational appointment process, any remaining candidates who met the benchmark for the role will remain on a locational reserve list in accordance with their preferences for 12 months. Please only indicate preferences where you are prepared to work. If you are subsequently offered a role from the reserve list for a location preference indicated in your application and decline it, you will be removed from the reserve list for the vacancy, across all locational preferences.
• Technical 1 Using your CV as a reference, please provide a summary of the key responsibilities from your previous experience that is most relevant to the Operational Support Officer position. Begin with your most recent experience and work backwards. For each position, include the job title, duration of employment, and a concise overview of your main duties. (Maximum 250 words). This section is intended to help us understand where and how you gained your experience. Please avoid repeating content from your Statement of Suitability. That section should focus on what you can do, supported by specific examples. This question, by contrast, is about what you've done and the context in which your experience was gained. Person specification Please refer to Job Description Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found.
• 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.
• Effective communication and organisational skills. 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.
• Benefits Alongside your salary of £25,582, HM Courts and Tribunals Service contributes £7,411 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance