Application Support Officer - National Magistrates Recruitment Taskforce (Ref: 22186)

Job summary

This position is based Nationally.

Job description

Background

Magistrates form a key part of the justice system and play a critical role in supporting the government to tackle priorities including addressing the backlog of cases in the criminal courts. The vast majority of criminal cases start in a magistrates’ court and around 95% will be completed there.

A new and exciting opportunity has arisen to join a newly formed cross-departmental team consisting of officials from HMCTS and Judicial Office. The National Magistrates Recruitment Taskforce has been established to deliver a fundamental transformation to the way magistrates are recruited across England and Wales. Working across HMCTS and the Judicial Office, the Taskforce is responsible for delivering a nationally consistent, accelerated recruitment pipeline to significantly increase magistrate capacity and support delivery of justice.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of courts and tribunals in England and Wales, supporting the delivery of justice by working with the judiciary, legal professionals and partner agencies. It governs and manages court buildings and hearing venues, provides administrative support for criminal, civil, family and tribunal cases, and ensures that people can access justice effectively, fairly and efficiently.

Job Description

Applications are invited for four Application Support Officer positions within the National Magistrates Recruitment Taskforce—a partnership between HMCTS and the Judicial Office focused on transforming the recruitment process for magistrates. The role is offered on an initial 12-month basis, with the option to extend to 24 months.

We are looking for committed, organised and delivery focused professionals with experience of working alongside magistrates and/or in judicial recruitment or operational environments to join our newly created cross‑departmental team as an Application Support Officer, supporting the delivery of magistrates recruitment campaigns.

The Taskforce’s ambition is to reduce recruitment timescales from around 12 months to just 12 weeks, supporting the recruitment of up to 7,000 additional magistrates by 2028/29 and enabling a 20% increase in sitting days.

As an Application Support Officer, you will play a key role in supporting delivery of the Taskforce’s ambition by providing essential administrative and processing support across multiple magistrates recruitment campaigns.

You will ensure applications are accurately processed, eligibility checks are completed, interviews are scheduled effectively, and candidate communications are issued promptly and in line with agreed standards. You will handle detailed and sensitive information with care, ensuring records and trackers are kept accurate and up to date.

Working under the direction of an EO Campaign Lead, you will support candidates through to appointment, maintain accurate tracking information, and flag issues or delays early to ensure campaigns continue to progress smoothly.

Main Activities/Responsibilities

The postholder will have the following responsibilities;

• Process applications and complete eligibility and completeness checks
• Maintain accurate campaign tracking data and audit trails
• Support interview scheduling and panel logistics
• Issue standard candidate communications and outcome notifications
• Update systems and records in line with agreed processes

Person Specification

Ideal candidates will have experience of working in an operational or administrative environment. Experience of supporting recruitment, customer service, or process-driven activities would be advantageous.

Candidates should be organised, accurate and reliable, with strong attention to detail and the ability to follow structured processes consistently. You should be confident handling detailed and sensitive information, working to deadlines in regulated environments, and escalating issues appropriately to support the smooth progression of recruitment campaigns.

Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. 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. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy. Applications for part-time working would be considered however due to the nature of the role the minimum of 30 hours over 5 days is required.

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 increased the salary threshold and skills level for Skilled Worker visas. This role does not meet the eligibility criteria for sponsorship in accordance with the current immigration rules if you 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.

Person specification

Please refer to the Job Description

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £25,582, HM Courts and Tribunals Service contributes £7,411 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance

For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances 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

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