42713 - Personal Secretary to the Master of the Rolls

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A unique opportunity working at centre of the delivery of civil justice as a critical part of the team supporting the Master of the Rolls, Sir Geoffrey Vos, in fulfilling his responsibilities.

The post holder will deliver critical administrative support directly to the Master of the Rolls, his office, and other senior judiciary. The role offers the opportunity to develop private office, and some policy skills in a historic and stimulating environment.

The post holder will take direct responsibility for the Master of the Rolls’ diary, event management, and administrative support. The successful candidate will also have opportunities to develop policy experience by contributing to projects from across the civil justice system.

A critical part of the Masters of the Rolls’ Private Office team. You will be the recognisable and reliable point of contact for all enquiries relating to the MR’s availability for appointments and meetings.

You will take a lead in ensuring his engagements from social occasions to formal meetings are appropriately prepared for and supported, as well as preparing paperwork this will include accounting for necessary finances, liaising with venues, caterers, and working on guest lists.

The role will require you to be comfortable preparing paperwork to a high standard, and drafting responses to correspondence on behalf of Senior Judges.

You must be prepared to represent the Master of the Rolls publicly and as a key member of their team you will become a recognised and respected figure across the justice system.

As part of the wider Master of the Rolls’ Private Office, you will have access to the broader opportunities and experience that working in a busy private office brings.

The role and its responsibilities will be shared with another experienced EO as they take up partial retirement.

Overview

A unique opportunity working at centre of the delivery of civil justice as a critical part of the team supporting the Master of the Rolls, Sir Geoffrey Vos, in fulfilling his responsibilities.

The post holder will deliver critical administrative support directly to the Master of the Rolls, his office, and other senior judiciary. The role offers the opportunity to develop private office, and some policy skills in a historic and stimulating environment.

The post holder will take direct responsibility for the Master of the Rolls’ diary, event management, and administrative support. The successful candidate will also have opportunities to develop policy experience by contributing to projects from across the civil justice system.

A critical part of the Masters of the Rolls’ Private Office team. You will be the recognisable and reliable point of contact for all enquiries relating to the MR’s availability for appointments and meetings.

You will take a lead in ensuring his engagements from social occasions to formal meetings are appropriately prepared for and supported, as well as preparing paperwork this will include accounting for necessary finances, liaising with venues, caterers, and working on guest lists.

The role will require you to be comfortable preparing paperwork to a high standard, and drafting responses to correspondence on behalf of Senior Judges.

You must be prepared to represent the Master of the Rolls publicly and as a key member of their team you will become a recognised and respected figure across the justice system.

As part of the wider Master of the Rolls’ Private Office, you will have access to the broader opportunities and experience that working in a busy private office brings.

The role and its responsibilities will be shared with another experienced EO as they take up partial retirement.

Main Duties

Current work includes:

• Providing the primary point of contact for the Master of the Rolls’ office.
• Being responsible for the consideration of all invitations and general correspondence, drafting or commissioning responses as appropriate.
• Giving advice to the Master of the Rolls with regards to his availability. Proactively managing his diary, and that of the office, to ensure that his responsibilities are fulfilled efficiently.
• Arranging meetings, booking and preparing facilities as necessary. Liaising with meeting attendees, commissioning and circulating documents as required. Ensuring that papers are filed and retained in accordance with data protection policies.
• Organising events, including social functions requiring venue management, catering, and accounting for financial contributions.
• Taking the lead on the MR’s ceremonial responsibilities, ensure that the MR is appropriately briefed and prepared for his many ceremonial functions.
• Providing secretarial and administrative support to the Deputy Head of Civil Justice in their projects supporting the MR.
• Contributing to policy projects being led from the office, conducting research and contributing to the development of ideas.
• Build and maintain relationships with key colleagues from across the wider Judicial Office, HMCTS, and outside the civil service.

Skills & Qualifications

The successful candidate will be very organised, and able to prioritise and handle multiple tasks concurrently. They will have excellent and concise communication skills.

The strongest applicants are likely to be able to work independently and may already have experience of providing administrative support to a senior figure and as an enthusiastic member of a small team.

Prior experience of working with the judiciary is desirable, but not essential.

Master of the Rolls’ Private Office

As a member of the Master of the Rolls’ Private Office team, the job holder will assist the Private Secretary and the wider team in ensuring that the Master of the Rolls is able to fulfil the requirements of his role. It will be important that the job holder is willing and able to be flexible in the tasks they take on. Part of the enjoyment and challenge of working in a private office is that work can be by necessity fast paced and unpredictable, particularly during the judicial term time. We are a small and friendly team, with a sociable outlook, that enjoys supporting each other.

Skills & Qualifications

The successful candidate will be organised, precise in their approach and be able to prioritise and handle multiple tasks concurrently. They will have excellent and concise communication skills.

Candidates will be required to provide evidence of the following Behaviours from Success Profiles the Civil Service recruitment framework:

Seeing the Big Picture

Understand how your work and the work of your team supports wider objectives and

meets the diverse needs of stakeholders. Keep up to date with the issues that affect

your work area. Take a keen interest in expanding knowledge in areas related to your work. Focus on overall goals and not just specific tasks to meet priorities.

Changing and Improving

Regularly review own and team’s work and take the initiative to suggest ideas to make improvements. Give feedback on changes in a constructive manner. Take a positive, open approach to the possibility of change and encourage others to do the same. Help others to understand changes and the reasons they are being put in place. Identify and act on the effects changes are having on your role and that of the team. Look for ways to use technology to achieve efficient and effective results. Consider accessibility needs of the diverse range of end users.

Managing a Quality Service

Work with customers to understand their needs and expectations. Create clear plans

and set priorities which meet the needs of both the customer and the business. Clearly explain to customers what can be done. Keep colleagues and stakeholders fully informed of plans, possibilities and progress. Identify common problems that affect service, report them and find possible solutions. Deliver good customer service which balances quality and cost effectiveness.

Working Together

Develop a range of contacts outside own team and identify opportunities to share knowledge, information and learning. Show genuine interest when listening to others. Contribute to an inclusive working environment where all opinions and challenges are listened to and all individual needs are taken into account. Ensure it is clear that bullying, harassment and discrimination are unacceptable. Offer support and help to colleagues when in need, including consideration of your own and their wellbeing. Change ways of working to aid cooperation within and between teams in order to achieve results.

Delivering at pace

Regularly review the success of activities in the team to identify barriers to progress or challenging objectives. Identify who and what is required to ensure success, set clear goals and areas of responsibility and continually assess workloads considering individual needs. Follow relevant policies, procedures and legislation to complete your work. Ensure colleagues have the correct tools and resources available to them to do their jobs. Have a positive and focused attitude to achieving outcomes, despite any setbacks. Regularly check performance against objectives, making suggestions for improvement or taking corrective action where necessary. Ensure that colleagues are supported where tasks are challenging.