26439 - Senior Costs Officer

The Senior Courts Cost Office is part of the RCJ group

Background

Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of the criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales and non-devolved tribunals in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It provides a fair, efficient and effective justice system delivered by an independent judiciary. HMCTS aims to ensure that all citizens receive timely access to justice according to their different needs, whether as victims or witnesses of crime, defendants accused of crime, consumers in debt, children at risk of harm, businesses involved in commercial disputes or as individuals asserting their employment rights or challenging the decisions of government bodies.

Consequently, there are high expectations of all staff regardless of the job they do and high performance is expected from everybody. The organisation is continuously adopting new or better ways of working to ensure that it focuses on just that which is essential.

Band A staff play a key part in the leadership and direction of HMCTS.

Band A staff need to display a commitment to four key principles: Continuous change, Lean Principles, managing uncertainty and improving performance. All those appointed to roles in HMCTS must be wholeheartedly committed to these principles and evidence this in their application.

In addition this post will require you to exercise a high degree of technical expertise and judgment in approving and assessing costs arising under Part 44 to 47 of the Civil Procedure Rules.

Overview

As an organisation HMCTS is embarking on a period of significant change. Strong leadership is a critical element in this being successful. As a manager within HMCTS the jobholder must provide clear direction and focus, visibly championing the changes which deliver greater efficiencies. The Regional Delivery Directors expect all managers in the clusters to operate in a culture of openness and honesty, demonstrating a commitment to change through involvement and empowerment, and by delivering results.

The jobholder will need to help staff and other stakeholders to understand the impact of the changes and the reasons for them, recognising that staff will need support during what will be an unsettling period. This will include helping staff prepare for changes and supporting them through it. There may also be times when it will be necessary to deliver difficult or unwelcome messages. This must be done sensitively, but firmly, addressing any inappropriate reactions or responses.

The key purpose of the role is to

• Be accountable for day to day operations across a number of functions within the Senior Court Costs Office (SCCO).
• To act as a senior technical reference point within the SCCO offering support and guidance to other Cost Officers ensuring that the technical aspect of the SCCO is administered professionally and within the parameters of the appropriate legislation

Key responsibilities

• Develop and implement strategies which deliver organisational change
• Establish a consistent and customer focussed service
• Ensure effective deployment of resources to live within allocated budget.
• Design, build and maintain effective liaison with judiciary, user groups and representative organisations, representing the cluster manager where necessary.
• Work with managers across the cluster / region to ensure cohesive cross-Cluster delivery
• Act as Responsible Officer as required.

Operations

• Establish and enhance effective working relationships with the judiciary, supporting agencies, voluntary and user groups. Working with agencies to improve the level of service offered to users.
• Provide direction and close support to Delivery Managers, setting local priorities which are consistent with Regional and national priorities.
• Use Staff Survey Action Plans / local TU liaison / Staff Forums to effect good working relationships with staff and to improve service delivery and staff morale / motivation
• Work collaboratively with all areas of the business to fully utilise MI, ensuring performance targets are monitored, reviewed and achieved.
• Manage conflicting demands through reprioritisation and negotiation, using the strengths of individuals and teams to achieve results.
• Be proactive in reviewing processes to identify improvements, understanding and managing associated risks; building on team strengths to deliver business outcomes and involve the team in developing plans and consistent messages.
• Accountable for ensuring Governance, risk management registers and contingency plans are in place and updated annually/monthly.
• Ensuring compliance with HMCTS values, policies and procedures (including diversity, attendance and discipline, HMCTS Assurance Programme) and contribute to ongoing development.
• Perform Responsible Officer duties. This may include any of the following activities:Apply CI, tools and techniques to working practices to improve efficiency of operations.
• Identify and implement solutions to local problems
• Identify risks
• Ensuring IT/Workstation compliance at all times
• Ensure compliance with health and safety requirements
• Ensuring Risk Assessments take place at appropriate times
• Maintenance of an up to date Asset Register
• Ensure any issues regarding level of service for Estates Facilities Management are escalated to MoJ Estates
• Constructively manage complaints within set timescales, and ensure corrective action taken where necessary.

Team leadership

• Provide visible leadership to managers and staff and role model engaging behaviours and challenge non-engaging behaviours in managers.
• Leading by example, coaching, supporting and developing staff and guiding them through a substantial and significant change.
• Ensure managers across the cluster support the ongoing use of TIB’s and SOP’s and empower and develop staff to achieve the highest performance standards.
• Ensure the application of MoJ HR policies and procedures.

Developing new policies / processes, etc

• Developing innovative proposals for introducing policy change, drawing on best practice for managing change.
• Working with Senior Operations Manager to develop business plans for the Cluster
• Setting local priorities and objectives within the context of national/regional/area strategies and plans
• Identifying and implementing solutions to complex local problems.
• Task or commission work to review and improve local processes.
• Assess the impact of new policies or processes on current performance.

Specialisms

To be responsible for the efficient and prompt detailed assessment of costs arising under Part 44 to 47 of the Civil Procedure Rules. This will include and is not limited to the following:

• Carrying out detailed assessment of costs under a current jurisdiction of £110,000 plus VAT (2012) or as directed by the Chief Costs Judge (with a few exceptions a Costs Officer, when carrying out these duties, has the same powers of the Court as exercised by Costs Judges and District Judges). This requires a comprehensive knowledge of costs law, through keeping up to date with case law, the Civil Procedure Rules and legal publications such as “Butterworth’s Costs” and “Cook on Costs”, and keeping oneself abreast of legal developments in all fields of law as these are ultimately reflected in claims for costs.
• Conducting provisional assessments on costs in between parties cases up to £75,000 to determine the amount of costs a successful party in civil litigation is entitled to recover (constitutes 70% of the role). Dealing with oral hearings when the assessment is disputed by one or other of the parties, and contested hearings between parties where the bill of costs is in excess of £75,000. Such hearings may be attended by costs lawyers, solicitors, barristers or litigants in person (constitutes approx 20% of the role)
• Dealing promptly with “Box work” relating to Legal Aid Bills and other publically funded cases.
• Line management responsibilities for 4 Band B Costs Officers and countersigning responsibilities for 8 Band C Cost Officers. Overall management of SCCO, including line management of a Band C Delivery Manager.

Training will be given in conducting assessments.

Financial Authority

• To monitor and control expenditure (as delegated), ensuring profiles are met and efficiencies made.
• Ensure effective deployment of resources to live within the allocated budget.

Accountability

• Reporting to the Senior Operations Manager in the RCJ

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

• The post holder will be based in the Thomas More Building of the Royal Courts of Justice but expected to work flexibly across the RCJ to meet operational needs.

Relevant MOJ competencies

You will be required to provide evidence of the following key competencies at Level 4

Changing and improving

• Encourage a culture of innovation focused on adding value – give people space to think creatively
• Effectively capture, utilise and share customer insight and views from a diverse range of stakeholders to ensure better policy and delivery.
• Spot warning signs of things going wrong and provide a decisive response to significant delivery challenges.
• Provide constructive challenge to senior management on change proposals which will affect own business area.
• Consider the cumulative impact on own business area of implementing change (culture, structure, service and morale).

Making effective decisions

• Push decision making top the right level within their teams, not allow unnecessary bureaucracy and structure to suppress innovation and delivery.
• Analyse and evaluate pros and cons and identify risks in order to make decisions that take account of the wider context, including diversity and sustainability.
• Draw together and present reasonable conclusions from -a wide range of incomplete and complex evidence and data – able to act or decide even when details are not clear.
• Identify the main issues in complex problems; clarify understanding or stakeholder expectations, to seek best option.
• Make difficult decisions by pragmatically weighing the complexities involved against the need to act.

Leading and communicating

• Be visible to staff and stakeholders and regularly undertake activities to engage and build trust with people involved in area of work.
• Clarify strategies and plans, giving clear sense of direction and purpose for self and team.
• Stand by, promote or defend own team’s actions and decisions where needed.
• Lead by example, role modelling ethics, integrity, impartiality and the elimination of bias by building diverse teams and promoting a working environment that supports the Civil Service values and code.
• Be open and inviting of the views of others and respond despite pressure to ignore, revert or concede.

Building capability for all

• Ensure that individual and organisational learning and talent development are fully exploited in order to enhance organisational capability.
• Role model work-place based learning and encourage development, talent and career management for staff.
• Coach and support colleagues to take responsibility for their own development (through giving accountability, varied assignments and on-going feedback).
• Establish and drive intra and inter team discussions to learn from experience and adapt organisational processes and plans.
• Identify capability requirements needed to deliver future team objectives and manage team resources to meet these needs.
• Prioritise and role model continuous self learning and development, including leadership, management and people skills.

Managing a quality service

• Exemplify positive customer service behaviours and promote a culture focused on ensuring customer needs are met.
• Make clear, pragmatic and manageable plans for service delivery using programme and project management disciplines.
• Create regular opportunities for staff and customers to help improve service quality and demonstrate a visible involvement.
• Ensure the service offer thoroughly considers customers’ needs and a broad range of available methods to meet this, including new technology where relevant.
• Ensure adherence to legal and regulatory requirements in service delivery and build diversity and equality considerations into plans.

Delivering at pace

• Get the best out of people by giving enthusiastic messages and encouraging messages about priorities, objectives and expectations.
• Clarify business priorities, roles and responsibilities and secure individual and team ownership.
• Adopt clear processes and standards for managing performance at all levels.
• Act as a role model in supporting and encouraging teams to build confidence in their ability to deliver outcomes.
• Review, challenge and adjust performance levels to ensure quality outcomes are delivered on time, rewarding success.