23395 - Senior Executive Assistant and Business Manager

HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Job Title: Senior Executive Assistant and Business Manager

Grade: HEO

Directorate: Office of the CEO

Location: London

Contract Type: Loan/Fixed Term/Detached Duty (12 months initially)

Working Pattern: Full-time

This is a full-time position only due to the nature of the role.

Successful applicants will be expected to be office based 3 days per week.

Level of Clearance: To apply for this role, you will be required to successfully complete Counter Terrorism Check (CTC). level as a condition of appointment. For further guidance click here

Introduction

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 service users and colleagues, where people and businesses access potentially life-changing justice. We’re looking for individuals who are committed to public service and want to make a difference in people’s lives in delivering justice. If you’re interested in developing a career with a real purpose, please apply.

The Office of the CEO sits at the centre of HMCTS, supporting the CEO and senior leadership to turn priorities into action. It is a dynamic, fast-paced environment, working across the organisation and with senior colleagues across the Ministry of Justice, judiciary and wider government.

Job Description

The Senior Executive Assistant & Business Manager is a critical role within the Office of the CEO and is key to its smooth and efficient running. You will provide high-quality, efficient and effective executive and business support to two Deputy Directors who are currently working closely with the CEO as HMCTS develops its priorities and ways of working under new leadership. You will also provide wider business management support across the Office of the CEO, including to the Deputy Director in the Office and the wider team.

The role is varied and fast-paced, requiring excellent organisational skills, attention to detail and confident communication. Responsibilities include managing senior diaries and priorities, coordinating recruitment and onboarding, maintaining effective administrative and information-management systems, supporting workforce and financial processes, and keeping business support arrangements running smoothly.

You will work closely with senior colleagues across HMCTS, the Ministry of Justice and wider Government, building strong relationships, acting with discretion and agility and contributing to the effective operation of the Office as a whole.

In this role you will

Your role as Senior Executive Assistant and Business Manager will encompass several key responsibilities listed below (but not limited to):

• Manage diaries for three Deputy Directors working closely with the CEO, including scheduling meetings, workshops and events, resolving competing demands, anticipating requirements and ensuring effective use of their time.
• Lead and coordinate recruitment activity across the Office of the CEO, working with HR and recruitment colleagues to support campaigns, expressions of interest and appointments.
• Coordinate induction, onboarding and offboarding for staff, ensuring colleagues have the information, equipment, access and support they need.
• Maintain and develop effective administrative, record-keeping and filing systems, including managing the Office’s shared digital workspace and implementing improved systems where required.
• Provide business management support across the Office, helping the team operate efficiently and consistently.
• Coordinate workforce information, including vacancies, recruitment activity, team structures and other people-related information.
• Support financial and administrative processes, including procurement, travel booking, expenses and monitoring relevant expenditure where required.
• Review and maintain Office materials, including induction information, shared guidance and other resources, ensuring information remains current and accurate.
• Maintain effective resilience arrangements, including coordinating leave, cover and business continuity across the Office.
• Develop and improve ways of working, identifying opportunities to simplify processes and improve the efficiency of the Office.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with colleagues across HMCTS, the Ministry of Justice and wider Government to resolve issues quickly and get things done effectively.
• Provide ad-hoc and flexible executive and business support to the Deputy Director, wider Office and senior colleagues as required, contributing to the smooth and effective operation of the team.

Person Specification

We are looking for someone who:

• Is a highly motivated self-starter with excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise effectively in a fast-paced, pressurised environment.
• Has strong written and verbal communication skills and can engage confidently with senior colleagues and stakeholders.
• Is resilient, resourceful and adaptable, with the ability to maintain focus under pressure and deliver high-quality outcomes at pace.
• Can exercise sound judgement, identify emerging issues and act on their own initiative.
• Has strong interpersonal skills and a collaborative approach, building and maintaining effective relationships across all levels of an organisation.
• Is comfortable working independently, taking ownership of areas of work and managing multiple competing priorities.
• Can anticipate the needs of senior colleagues and manage their time and priorities effectively.
• Can handle sensitive information appropriately and exercise discretion.
• Has a desire to simplify processes and improve ways of working through practical solutions.

Essential skills

• Experience of providing high-quality business, administrative or executive support in a busy environment.
• Experience of managing complex diaries, competing priorities and delivering work to tight deadlines.
• Experience of working with and liaising confidently with senior stakeholders.
• Experience of coordinating people, processes or business activity across a team.
• Strong IT skills, including experience using Microsoft Office applications such as Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Desirable skills

• Experience of recruitment, induction or workforce management.
• Experience of providing executive support to senior leaders.
• Experience of information or records management.
• Experience of working in a Private Office, central support team or similar fast-paced environment.

Application process:

Stage 1 - Sift:

To apply for this position, you must submit the following as part of your application:

• An anonymised CV, setting out your career history, key responsibilities and achievements. Your CV will be assessed against the essential criteria outlined within the Essential Skills section of this advert.

• A Statement of Suitability which should give us real life examples of how your skills and experience match those needed for this role. We recommend following the STAR

Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift may be conducted on the CV. Candidates who pass the pre-sift will be fully assessed on all the sift criteria.

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply - Application Guidance

Stage 2 - Interviews:

Successful candidates who passed the sift will be invited to interview via Microsoft Teams. At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Behaviours:

• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions

Details can be found under the interview stage assessment section on the advert.

For further guidance on the interview process please click here

Important information

Level of Clearance

To apply for this role, you will be required to successfully complete Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) level as a condition of appointment. To meet these requirements, you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least:

• CTC - 3 years

For further information please click here

Salary details

New recruits to the Civil Service joining MoJ are expected to join at the band minimum.

Existing Civil Servants applying on promotion, will usually be appointed on the salary minimum of the new pay band, or receive an increase of 10 percent on the current base salary, whichever is higher (This is restricted to the pay maximum of the new band).

Travel requirements

There will be a requirement to travel frequently to London in line with business needs.

Fixed Term Appointments (FTA) on Promotion

MoJ employees may apply for FTA opportunities in MoJ that are advertised at a higher grade than their current substantive grade. Where an employee accepts an FTA on promotion, this promotion will be temporary, and the employee will revert to their substantive grade upon return to their home business area, as per the loan policy for OGD loans. Before applying, employees must seek approval from their line managers to ensure they can be released for the duration of the FTA and can return to their substantive role at the end. If there is no role available at the end of the FTA, the employee will be subject to redeployment and potentially redundancy procedures.

Skilled Worker Sponsorship

This role does not meet the eligibility criteria for sponsorship in accordance with the current immigration rules if you are looking to apply for a Skilled Worker Visa for the first time.

The Department cannot consider sponsoring you for this role unless you have held a Skilled Worker visa continuously since before 22 July 2025. 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 do not meet the new eligibility criteria for sponsorship (or the transitional provisions), 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.

Proud to Serve. Proud to keep justice going.