Administrative Officer in Bristol

Admin Officer / Bristol County Court

Brook Street have a great opportunity to work with the Ministry of Justice on a temporary basis at Bristol County Court. Please see the below details of the position and apply direct if you feel this position is of interest and suited to you.

Full time position (37 hours) Monday - Friday
Pay - £12.36 for the first 12 weeks and increasing to £13.25
On site only

Our client HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is an agency of the Ministry of Justice. HMCTS provides administrative support for the legal system across England and Wales, ensuring justice works for everyone.

Due to the nature of the work, this role is fully office based. The office is located in Bristol city centre.

The key purpose of the role

Administrative Officers are assigned to teams to carry out a variety of general administrative duties to progress cases through the court/tribunal system or provide support to other functions within HMCTS. Continuous improvement tools and techniques are used in HMCTS and so there will be opportunities to exercise discretion and initiative and continually look to improve, within a framework of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Problem solving is carried out by reference to lean techniques (e.g., problem‑solving hubs) and comprehensive guidelines and instructions - complex or difficult issues are normally referred to or will involve a team leader. In some positions, role holders will have regular contact with court / tribunal users, including members of the Judiciary and the legal profession. Administrative Officers work within a team with regular management support and are responsible for their own time, although there may be some opportunity to provide advice and carry out limited supervision of others.

Key responsibilities

Administration

• Preparing papers and/or digital files for court, tribunals, hearings and meetings.
• Producing court/tribunal documents.
• General photocopying and filing.
• Creating and updating records on in-house computer system and data input.
• Post opening and dispatch.
• Booking, preparing and organising meeting rooms, supporting training courses and other group activities.
• Preparing meeting agenda, joining instructions, handouts etc.

Drafting

• Standard letters and correspondence, minutes, notes, reports, submissions etc, according to guidelines and instructions.

Operations

• Clerking civil and family courts, tribunals and hearings, ensuring papers and materials are available and up to date.
• Assisting court users, supporting listing and rota management, checking files.
• Contacting relevant parties, scheduling, serving court documents, executing a range of warrants, collecting fines and fees etc.
• Handling counter (face to face), written and telephone enquiries.
• To work as a team to ensure TIB (Team Information Board) meetings are relevant, timely and productive.
• To work as a team to problem solve, to assess the impact of new SOPS, to contribute to small projects.
• To undertake ad hoc roles within the band such as Jury Bailiff Officer, Learning and Development Co‑ordinator, Health and safety roles.

Processing casework

• Including standard documentation and information, court orders, claims, fines and fees.
• Resulting courts accurately, interpreting accurately the information needed on a court file.
• To work to workload targets in terms of throughput and accuracy.

Checking and verifying

• Documents, records, accounts, claims and returns for approval, results, statistics, plans etc. against criteria, regulations or procedures.
• Ensuring compliance and administration documentation meet quality standards.
• Role holders may have to cross check and validate work completed by colleagues.

Collecting and assembling information

• For returns, results, accounts, statements, warrants, statistical analysis, reports etc.
• Work may require interpretation of source materials, preparation of bundles, chasing.
• Role holders will need to modify and adjust information and make decisions to allow work to be completed.
• Role holders will need to collect and assemble information to prepare for and run the daily TIB meeting, as needed.

Undertaking calculations

• Produce basic statistical analysis reports and where needed, process financial information.
• Checking the work of others, updating records, assessing the value of goods and/or property, reconciling accounts, preparing invoices, information gathering and running straightforward reports.
• Spending limited sums of money on behalf of an office or unit.
• Calculate the anticipated numbers of Jurors to be called and manage the numbers to be as efficient as possible.

Communicating with the public, the judiciary, other court and tribunal users and representatives of other agencies and organisations

• Communicate effectively and work with all court staff, Judiciary and internal and external stakeholders.
• To deliver a helpful, prompt, polite and "right first time" service to our internal and external customers.

Other duties

The post holder is required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post.

Essential Skills & Criteria

• Strong customer focus and service skills.
• Experience of working in an administrative role in a customer focussed environment.
• Proficient with IT and Microsoft Software packages.
• Excellent communication and organisational skills.
• Customer Service and Administrative skills.

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 basis at other local HMCTS offices.

The successful candidate for this role will be subject to a Basic DBS check and referencing. If this is something you would be interested in, please apply for more information.

Brook Street is proud to support the Armed Forces Covenant and as such, we guarantee to interview all candidates who are veterans or spouses/partners of military personnel, and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy.

As a Disability Confident Leader, and holder of the Gold Award status from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, Brook Street, as a supplier to the Public Sector Resourcing Framework (PSR), will offer you a guaranteed interview with a PSR Sourcer.

Should you identify as a candidate with a disability and/or as a veteran or spouse/partner of military personnel and meet all the essential criteria for the role, we encourage you to reach out to us via the Brook Street website. Here you will find a link to register your interest and state the role that you are interested in. We are committed to engaging with you.

In cases where we have a high volume of ex‑military candidates/military spouses/partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, Brook Street will interview the best candidates from within that group.