Operational Support Officer

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. 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. The role may require participation in court hearings, including speaking in court to support the effective running of proceedings where required. 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, 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 accurately required on a court file. Communicating with the Public, the Judiciary, other Court and Tribunal Users and Representatives of other Agencies and Organisations. 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. Preparing court / hearing rooms, as well as ensuring the court runs efficiently. Your knowledge, skills and experience Customer service skills; ability to work in a service‑led customer‑facing environment. Digital and administrative skills; with excellent attention to detail. Communication and organisational skills. Able to communicate confidently in person, over the telephone, digitally and in written communications. Resilience and empathy to be able to deal with sensitive information and situations. A team player; able to work collaboratively and flexibly to deliver business objectives. Benefits Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service. There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part‑time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro‑rata basis. Pension : The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best. Training : The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities. Networks : The opportunity to join employee‑run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed directly to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees. Support : A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share. Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services. Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave. Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens. Equal opportunities As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order: To the Civil Service Commission (details available here) Nationality This job is broadly open to the following groups: UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre‑settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS). nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre‑settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS). individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service Fixed Term Appointments (MoJ Staff) Employees must seek approval from their line managers to ensure they can be released for the duration of the FTA and can return to their substantive role at the end. If there is no role available at the end of the FTA, the employee will be subject to redeployment and potentially redundancy procedures. Occasional Travel Occasional travel to Norwich Magistrates will be required for cover when needed. 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. Working Arrangements & Further Information 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). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity. 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. Term and Hours Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday. Recruitment We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. Should you feel the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order: To the Civil Service Commission (details available here) Equal opportunities (continued) We support brief and flexible working and provide a range of reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team. Legal notices You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team. #J-18808-Ljbffr Ministry of Justice