Probation Reception & Admin Coordinator — Hybrid

Ministry of Justice; Ashford; Hybrid; GBP 21,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid Working

25 days annual leave (UK)

Career development opportunities

Security-conscious environment

Job summary

The Ministry of Justice in Ashford (Kent) invites applications for a permanent receptionist role within the Probation Service Directorate. You will provide first point of contact for visitors, handle reception duties, and support a range of administrative services.

Hybrid working is offered with standard full-time hours of 37 per week. The role requires security checks, excellent ICT skills, and strong communication abilities to support busy, sensitive operations.

Qualifications

• Must have proven proficiency in ICT skills across the full range of Microsoft Office applications
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills
• IT qualification equivalent, i.e. ECDL/CLAIT or equivalent work experience to the competency level of ECDL

Responsibilities

• To be first point of contact for Probation Service and greet people on probation and visitors professionally both face to face and via telephone and email, logging their arrival and departure, ensuring the appropriate member of staff is notified and issue visitor passes and security fobs as necessary.
• Through observation and situational awareness to use tact and diplomacy to diffuse potentially violent situations and recognising where additional support is required, be that internal management or external security/policing presence, and to be alert to conversations that might indicate a safeguarding/risk issue and take appropriate remedial action such as emailing the Probation Practitioner and updating Delius.
• Answer all enquiries, while on Reception, relating to basic information about the Probation Service and local Person on Probation support services such as the provision of food banks, referring more technical enquiries to an appropriate manager.
• To deal with all logistics for a building including managing all mail items, ordering PPE and office stationery, meeting room equipment, taking delivery of items and ensuring they get to the right destination and managing room, hot desk and car parking bookings, support and service meeting rooms including preparing for events and event registration as required.
• To pay bus fares/travel warrants to people on probation and handle day to day petty cash including collection and transport of petty cash and travel warrants between Probation properties.
• To assist in maintaining Health and Safety and security aspects of the building, including acting as key holder, operating the physical security of the building, the testing of fire alarms, testing panic alarms, monitoring CCTV and assisting evacuation measures and where necessary to act as Fire Warden/First Aider and in the absence of a line manager to support risk assessments where trained.
• To log building faults and incidents and keep a log of maintenance and repairs escalating issues through the appropriate channels and making decisions (within guidelines) on the urgency of the faults in order to maintain the security of the building. In the absence of the Senior Admin Officer escorting contractors and visitors around the building.
• Where necessity arises to support the case administration of Person on Probation by providing a confidential and high-level administrative support service to operational teams, to include: Process and update computer based and manual files and filing systems o Use a range of computer software in providing comprehensive administration support
• Produce a range of documentation and correspondence
• To access databases for information as necessary and input information as required
• Scanning and archiving data, some of which is sensitive and highly confidential

Job description

The Ministry of Justice in Ashford (Kent) invites applications for a permanent receptionist role within the Probation Service Directorate. You will provide first point of contact for visitors, handle reception duties, and support a range of administrative services.

Hybrid working is offered with standard full-time hours of 37 per week. The role requires security checks, excellent ICT skills, and strong communication abilities to support busy, sensitive operations.