Proud to serve. Proud to keep justice going.
Our Support Officers play a critical role, providing excellent customer service and administrative support to court 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. Were looking for individuals who are committed to public service and making a difference in peoples lives to deliver justice. If you are interested in developing a career with a real purpose, please apply.
Your role
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
-
Supporting the smooth running of court proceedings, preparing court /hearing rooms and ensuring court runs efficiently.
-
When required, you will be an essential first point of contact for all court users; meeting members of the public, which may include vulnerable witnesses, and their legal representatives.
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.
Please refer to the role profile attachment for more information.
Lead Criterion: Statement of Suitability. A sift based on the statement of suitability may be held if a large number of applications are received.
Further details:
There are 3 positions available: -
1 x Newton Abbott Magistrates Court you will be based at Torquay County Court but will be required to travel as required to cover courts sitting at Newton Abbot Magistrates Court. The role is split between both sites to support Magistrates work at Newton Abbot MC and Civil & Family areas of work in Torquay County Court. Staff parking is available at Torquay County Court only.
2 x Plymouth Magistrates Court you will be based at Plymouth Combined Court but will be required to work at both Plymouth sites which are within short walking distance of each other. The role is split between sites to support Crown, Civil & Family work at Plymouth Combined Court, and Magistrates, Family, and Tribunal work at Plymouth Magistrates Court. Staff parking is available at Plymouth Combined Court only.
These operational roles are customer facing, requiring successful applicants to be court based at the addresses stated above to provide HMCTS services to the public.
Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week (Monday to Friday). HMCTS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs and are agreed prior to appointment. Applications for part-time working will be considered in accordance with the MoJs Flexible Working policy, however due to the nature of the role, the minimum we could consider is 30 hours per week over 4 days. Any non-working day would need to be agreed on request, depending on operational needs.
Base Location and Reserve list information
Base locations and reserve lists for this campaign will be managed in accordance with location preference/s, as indicated in your application. We will appoint in merit list order for each location outlined in the vacancy and hold a separate locational reserve list for each of these locations. After appointments have been made using this locational appointment process, any remaining candidates who met the benchmark for the role will remain on a locational reserve list in accordance with their preferences for 12 months.
Please only indicate preferences where you are prepared to work. If you are subsequently offered a role from the reserve list for a location preference indicated in your application and decline it, you will be removed from the reserve list for the vacancy, across all locational preferences.
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.
The Department will continue to comply with UK Immigration Rules applied in the UK and Civil Service. You can read more about Skilled Worker visas and the eligibility criteria here.
Technical Skills
Using your CV as a reference, please provide a summary of the key responsibilities from your previous experience that is most relevant to the Operational Support Officer position. Begin with your most recent experience and work backwards. For each position, include the job title, duration of employment, and a concise overview of your main duties. (Maximum 250 words).
This section is intended to help us understand where and how you gained your experience.
Please avoid repeating content from your Statement of Suitability. That section should focus on what you can do, supported by specific examples. This question, by contrast, is about what youve done and the context in which your experience was gained.
