21006 - Business Support Manager

Background

Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is a major Government agency, handling over four million cases a year, employing 16,000 people delivering courts and tribunals services from nearly 350 buildings, and with an annual budget of £1.8bn. What we do is important: an effective courts and tribunals service is fundamental to our democracy, underpinning the rule of law.

This is a rare opportunity - positioned in Westminster at the very heart of the agency - to support delivery of our services, as well as supporting a major modernisation programme, transforming the way justice services are delivered to our customers.

This post is part of the small team providing a Private Office to the Deputy Chief Executive. The post offers the successful candidate the chance to operate in a dynamic, interesting and rewarding environment. Contact with Ministers’ and senior officials’ offices will be a constant feature.

The successful candidate will have a track record of fostering and maintaining good relations with a wide range of people, being able to work at pace and amongst competing priorities, and of delivering a quality service.

Key purpose of the role

The post is crucial to the smooth running of both the Director’s office and the wider Directorate. Working to the Head of Office, it provides direct support to the HMCTS Deputy Chief Executive (who is also the Courts & Tribunals Development Director) and to his Deputy Directors. In addition to contributing to the successful day-to-day running of the office, the post holder is responsible for ensuring that the Directorate meets all its corporate responsibilities in terms of governance and corporate stewardship. As well as obtaining and collating information required for Directorate reporting purposes, or in response to high level queries from other central Directorates (or the Ministry of Justice), duties include ensuring that all relevant information received into the Deputy Chief Executive’s office is disseminated across the Directorate.

The post offers a rare insight of how crucial Government services are delivered at a time of significant transformation. Representing the Directorate to others, and having a key role in communicating back to colleagues within the Courts & Tribunals Development Directorate provides an opportunity to develop leadership and influencing skills. Once the basics of the post are mastered, the position offers the successful candidate the chance to develop wider skills and knowledge including, for example, handling briefing and Parliamentary correspondence. 

Key responsibilities

Operational management           

• Act as gatekeeper, coordinator and collator for requests for information coming to the Director’s office (for example, budget and headcount issues, accommodation and IT requirements, and appraisal outcomes).
• Monitoring and ensuring the Directorate meets its responsibilities in respect of key indicators (for example, Freedom of Information requests).
• Support the Head of the Director’s office to ensure the effective flow of work between the component parts of the Directorate, drafting commissions to Deputy Directors where appropriate (for example, on national performance reporting).
• Secretariat support to meetings of the Courts & Tribunals Development Directorate Senior Management Team.
• Support the Head of the Director’s office in the Directorate and HMCTS Business Planning processes, including in-year reporting of delivery against the plan.
• Monitor and analyse a wide range of data, highlight problems and recommend interventions to the Head of the Director’s office and the Director as appropriate.
• Ensure operational processes for the Directorate are in line with agreed guidelines and regulations.
• Management of Directorate risks and issues logs and assurance statements.
• Ensure any communications from other parts of HMCTS or MoJ are delivered on time and in the appropriate manner at Deputy Director level.
• Owner of HMCTS CTDD intranet pages.
• Organise engagement and leadership events.
• Provide ad-hoc support as required to the Head of the Director’s office and the Director. This includes covering for the Director’s Personal Assistant in their absence (essentially managing the diary, email traffic and meeting preparation).
• Act as Single Point of Contact for IT upgrades and other corporate issues.

Team leadership             

• No direct line management responsibilities.
• Manage an effective working relationship with the Director and the Directorate’s senior management team.
• Demonstrate leadership across the Directorate when overseeing cross-Directorate processes.
• Foster and manage effective working relationships with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders within and outside of HMCTS, including the CEO’s office, other Directors’ offices, Ministers’ Private Offices, and Judicial Office, demonstrating good team working and communication skills.

Accountability  

• Reporting to the Head of the Director’s office

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.

Location of Post

Due to the nature of this role, the post-holder will be based at 102 Petty France, London.

Key Civil Service Competencies               

You will be required to provide evidence of the following key competencies at Level 3.

Seeing the Big Picture

• Be alert to emerging issues and trends which might impact or benefit own and team’s work
• Develop an understanding of the directorate’s strategy and how this contributes to HMCTS and Departmental priorities
• Ensure own area/team activities are aligned to Departmental priorities
• Actively seek out and share experience to develop understanding and knowledge of own work and of team’s business area
• Seek to understand how the services, activities and strategies in the area work together to create value for the customer/end user

Making Effective Decisions

• Make decisions when they are needed, even if they prove difficult or unpopular
• Identify a range of relevant and credible information sources and recognise the need to collect new data when necessary from internal and external sources
• Recognise patterns and trends in a wide range of evidence/data and draw key conclusions
• Explore different options outlining costs, benefits, risks and potential responses to each
• Recognise scope of own authority for decision making and empower team members to make decisions
• Invite challenge and where appropriate involve others in decision making to help build engagement and present robust recommendations

Leading and Communicating      

• Take opportunities to regularly communicate and interact with staff, helping to clarify goals and activities and the links between these and Departmental strategy
• Recognise, respect and reward the contribution and achievements of others
• Communicate in a succinct, engaging manner and stand ground when needed
• Communicate using appropriate styles, methods and timing, including digital channels, to maximise understanding and impact
• Promote the work of the Department and play an active part in supporting the Civil Service values and culture
• Convey enthusiasm and energy about their work and encourage others to do the same

Collaborating and Partnering     

• Establish relationships with a range of stakeholders to support delivery of business outcomes
• Invest time to generate a common focus and genuine team spirit
• Actively seek input from a diverse range of people
• Readily share resources to support higher priority work, showing pragmatism and support for the shared goals of the organisation
• Deal with conflict in a prompt, calm and constructive manner
• Encourage collaborative team working within own team and across the department

Managing a Quality Service

• Make effective use of project management skills and techniques to deliver outcomes, including identifying risks and mitigating actions
• Develop, implement, maintain and review systems and service standards to provide quality, efficiency and value for money
• Work with team to set priorities, goals, objectives and timescales
• Establish mechanisms to seek out and respond to feedback from customers about service provided
• Develop proposals to improve the quality of service with involvement from a diverse range of staff, stakeholders or delivery partners

Delivering at Pace           

• Successfully manage, support and stretch self and team to deliver agreed goals and objectives
• Show a positive approach in keeping their own and the team’s efforts focused on the goals that really matter
• Take responsibility for delivering expected outcomes on time and to standard, giving credit to teams and individuals as appropriate
• Plan ahead but reassess workloads and priorities if situations change or people are facing conflicting demands
• Regularly monitor own and team’s work against milestones or targets and act promptly to keep work on track and maintain performance
• Coach and support others to set and achieve challenging goals for themselves

Flexible working options

HMCTS offers a flexible working system in many of its offices.

Job Sharing and Reduced Hours

All applications for job sharing or reduced hours will be treated fairly and on a case by case basis in accordance with the MoJ’s flexible working policy and equality policy.

Excess Fares and Relocation Allowances

This job is not eligible for relocation allowances but excess fares may be considered in accordance with MoJ’s excess fares allowance policy

Closing Date: 28th September 2018 at 23:55 hours

If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@sscl.gse.gov.uk Please quote the job reference.