24061 - Magistrates HR Advisor

£25,893 - £29,729
1
12 Months
London
London
RCJ LONDON, WC2A 2LL
EO
D
Permanent
Full Time
Administration / Corporate Support, Human Resources, Operational Delivery

About the Judicial Office

The Judicial Office (JO) reports to, and is accountable, to the Lord Chief Justice and was established in 2006 to provide support to him and to the wider judiciary following the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. In addition, we support, and are accountable to, the Senior President of Tribunals, whose responsibilities extend to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The JO is an interesting and important place to work. Everything we do is in support of upholding the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. We work closely with HMCTS, the Ministry of Justice and others across Government as well as with the legal professions.

The Judicial HR function reports to the Chief Executive of the JO and is answerable to the Lord Chief Justice and the Senior President of Tribunals in their responsibilities for the deployment, diversity and welfare of judges. One of the groups we support is the c.15,000 magistrates serving in England and Wales.   Magistrates are volunteer judicial office holders and are a very important part of the Judiciary, dealing with over 90% of all criminal cases in England and Wales as well as some civil cases.

About the Magistrates HR team

The Magistrates’ HR team is a team of eight which feeds into the Judicial Office Business Plan. We support the Senior Presiding Judge on the appointment of magistrates and provide support and advice to the 44 advisory committees in England and Wales which recruit and select candidates for appointment. We also support the Lord Chancellor on some magistrates-related issues such as Freedom of Information Requests, Parliamentary Questions, and on appointments to Advisory Committees.

With HMCTS reform, and following a report from the Justice Select Committee on the Role of the Magistracy, it is an exciting time to join a team at the forefront of changes that affect magistrates.

The Judicial HR Team is not a conventional HR team and roles in the HR Magistrates’ team are a mix of operational and HR work. The principles of good HR practice apply but need to be aligned to the requirements of the Judiciary and this provides a unique set of challenges.

Job Description

The Magistrates HR Team has a vacancy for a Band D (Civil servant Grade EO equivalent) HR Advisor. The role is varied and work includes recommendation of appointments to the Senior Presiding Judge, drafting of advice and correspondence, advice and support to advisory committees in carrying out their duties. The role is largely outward-facing and there are likely to be opportunities to get involved in policy and project work.    

The successful candidate will have an induction and support from their line manager and colleagues in the work of Judicial Office and how the team works with senior judiciary and key stakeholders such as MoJ, HMCTS and advisory committees.

Please contact Kelly.Dyke@judiciary.uk if you would like further information.

Key duties of the role:

  • Drafting clear and concise advice to the senior presiding judge on magistrates’ appointments, ensuring that full information has been obtained from advisory committees to inform that advice, relevant issues are highlighted in sufficient detail and appropriate recommendations are made.
  • Overseeing the processing of appointments, resignations and retirements of magistrates and advisory committee members (processing done by Band Es in the team) and dealing with magistrate reappointment requests.
  • Supporting the Band C Process Improvement Manager in process improvement and maintenance of a recruitment tool kit.      
  • Support and advice to advisory committees on policy and process issues
  • Drafting of responses to treat official and ministerial, general correspondence/briefing e.g. for advisory committee visits, circulars to advisory committees, straight forward parliamentary questions and freedom of information requests.
  • Supporting the administration of the E-HR database, e.g. updating e-HR system and maintaining information as and when required
  • Supporting the Band C Operations manager in dealing with nominations for magistrates to receive a public honour, including helping with the preparation of case papers for the two annual sift meetings led by Magistrates’ HR.
  • Providing ad hoc flexible support to colleagues and external stakeholders as needed to meet work priorities. This may include occasional visits to advisory committee meetings, observing training courses, contributing to policy and project work to deliver the Magistrates’ HR Plan.
  • Respond to queries from advisory committees and public, allocated to you from the Magistrates Team inbox and deal with routine correspondence.

Skills and Qualifications

Essential Criteria

  • Strong written and oral communication
  • Ability and confidence to communicate with people at all levels, including senior judiciary.
  • Strong attention to detail
  • Building and maintaining relationships
  • Good IT skills
  • Willingness to contribute to the successful delivery of the work of the team as a whole by supporting others in their work as necessary and in building and maintaining a continuous learning environment for the team (applicable to all in the team)
  • Team player. Flexible approach to supporting the team

Desirable Criteria

  • Knowledge of the magistracy and its role within the justice system
  • Strong drafting skills
  • Experience of working in an HR environment

Competencies (level 2)

Seeing the big picture

  • Develop understanding of own and team’s work to support achievement of departmental priorities
  • Take an active interest in expanding knowledge of areas related to role

Changing and improving

  • Consider and suggest ideas for continuous improvement, sharing this feedback with others in a constructive manner
  • Help colleagues and customers to understand changes and why they have been introduced

Making effective decisions

  • Demonstrate accountability and make unbiased decisions
  • Examine complex information and obtain further information to make accurate decisions
  • Identify and speak with the relevant people in order to obtain the most accurate information and get advice when unsure of how to proceed
  • Provide advice and feedback to support others to make accurate decisions

Leading and communicating

  • Display enthusiasm around goals and activities – adopting a positive approach when interacting with others
  • Listen to, understand, respect and accept the value of different views, ideas and ways of working
  • Express ideas effectively, both orally and in writing, and with sensitivity and respect for others

Collaborating and partnering

  • Actively encourage team working, changing ways of working to facilitate collaboration for the benefit of the team’s work
  • Proactively seek information, resources and support from others outside own immediate team and effectively manage stakeholder relationships in order to help achieve results
  • Readily identify opportunities to share knowledge, information and learning and make progress towards work plans and objectives

Delivering at pace

  • Take ownership for problems in own area of responsibility
  • Check own and team performance against outcomes, make improvement suggestions or take corrective action when problems are identified

Working Arrangements & Further Information

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices.

Benefits

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Annual Leave

Generous allowances for paid holiday starting at 25 days per year, and rising as your service increases. 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.

Support

  • A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
  • Access to flexible benefits such as salary sacrifice arrangements for childcare vouchers, and voluntary benefits such as 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.

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 direct 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.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity.

There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Eligibility

Staff on fixed term appointments must have been recruited through fair and open competition.

Expected w/c 25th March 2019

01/03/2019, 23:55 hours.

Closing Date: 1st March 2019 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.

Counter-Terrorism Check (CTC)
Please note the successful applicant will need to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Security Check for this post.

To apply for roles in MOJ you will need to confirm your employment history for at least 3 years prior to the date of application so that pre-employment checks (BPSS) can be undertaken. If you have spent significant time abroad (a total of 6 months in the past 3 years) you would be required to give a reasonable account of the reasons why. 

For some roles you will be required to successfully complete National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorism (CTC), Security Clearance (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV) level as a condition of appointment. To meet CTC/SC/DV requirements you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3/5/10 years prior to the date of application (The level of checks that are required are stated in the advert).

If you do not meet the above requirements, you may still be considered if, for example:

  • You've been serving overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of HM Government
  • You were studying abroad
  • You were living overseas with parents

In such cases you will need to be able to provide referee cover for the period(s) of residence overseas. The duration of overseas residence and the country of abode will also be taken into account.

Candidate Information

You may be required to provide statements describing your skills and experience relevant to each of the selection criteria. We recommend that you structure any examples as Situation, Task, Action and Result. For more information about the recruitment process and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

In the event of a large number of applications, we reserve the right to undertake the following processes:


  • An automated online test where a benchmark must be passed to progress;
  • A sift on the lead selection criteria. If this happens, the lead criteria will be the first one listed in the advert.

During the selection process, you may be asked to undertake an additional assessment (such as written test). If this is applicable you will be notified of this when you are invited to interview.



if you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance
Seeing the Big Picture
Changing and Improving
Making Effective Decisions
Leading and Communicating
Collaborating and Partnering
Delivering at Pace

We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.


Application form stage assessments

Interview stage assessments

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

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) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

· 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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

This Vacancy is closed to applications.