Operations Manager

About this role

This vacancy is only available to existing Civil Servant employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). Please review the "Eligibility" section before you apply.

General Information

Working Pattern

Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working

Vacancy Approach

Cross Government

Region

London

Post Type

Permanent

Civil Service Grade

SEO

Number of jobs available

1

Reserve List

12 Months

Job ID

21644

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

Proud to serve. Proud to keep justice going.

Our Operations Managers play a vital role in delivering justice. This is a high-profile leadership position. You will proactively lead service delivery, providing teams with clear direction, ensuring that business activities are well-coordinated to increase productivity and deliver high-quality services. We are seeking an experienced leader who will lead by example, champion change, and cultivate a culture of resilience and adaptability, empowering teams to thrive while building strong, collaborative relationships with all stakeholders.

About us

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family Courts and Tribunals in England and Wales as well as the reserved unified tribunals across the United Kingdom. Our roles support our service users and colleagues within HMCTS, w people and businesses access potentially life-changing justice. We’re looking for individuals who are committed to public service and making a difference in people’s lives to deliver justice.

About your role

The role of a manager is at the heart of HMCTS operations, shaped by the Civil Service Line Management Standards. It’s rewarding, challenging, and essential to our success.

We’re looking for managers with the experience and desire to develop high performing teams, providing clear direction on performance and attendance and creating a culture of fair reward and recognition.

This role sits within HMCTS’ Royal Courts of Justice region. You will be responsible for the strategic oversight of the day-to-day operations across the Senior Courts Costs Office.

You will support your Senior Operations Manager to meet operational needs and deliver performance objectives by translating national priorities into local plans.

The role provides visible leadership across operational areas, driving service delivery and team productivity. Your presence supports engagement, accountability, and alignment with organisational goals.

You will give clear direction and focus and align and co-ordinate activity to increase productivity and deliver a quality service across Senior Courts Costs Office.

You will model inclusive leadership. You will identify development needs and implement targeted growth plans to improve individual and business performance, ensuring teams are equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge, and capabilities to excel.

Championing change and embedding a culture of continuous improvement, you will proactively use workforce planning, providing clear direction and focus to build teams that are resilient and adaptable.

You’ll foster a collaborative culture and communicate, support, and deliver HMCTS and MoJ strategic objectives, translating them into actionable local plans to deliver measurable results.

Please refer to the role profile attachment to understand more about this key leadership position.

Essential knowledge, skills and experience

• Proven experience in a challenging operations or management role with the ability and willingness to adapt and learn at pace.
• Demonstrable people management and coaching skills, leading, developing and managing teams to drive performance in a service-focused environment to deliver measurable results.
• A strong leader, with the ability to manage resource allocation, lead teams through change with the confidence to make informed and timely decisions and drive continuous improvement.
• Ability to build relationships and manage key stakeholders at all levels, able to negotiate, persuade and influence.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to create a collaborative and inclusive culture.
• Confidence to make independent decisions and resolve complex problems. This includes learning and using data driven tools to identify trends and challenges to generate solutions.
• Ability to collaborate across the business to deliver local priorities and HMCTS and MOJ strategic objectives.

Lead criterion at application stage: Statement of Suitability. An initial sift based on the statement of suitability may be held if a large number of applications are received.

Your development

As a leader, our HMCTS Leadership Development offer is designed to help you build a confident, capable team and make a real difference to how we work and grow. From bite-sized learning and interactive workshops to deeper insights through our Accountability & Decision-Making framework, we’ll equip you to lead with impact, inspire and drive performance across the organisation.

If you are ready to take on a challenging and rewarding role with real purpose, apply today.

Further details

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

These operational roles are customer facing, requiring successful applicants to be office based to provide HMCTS services to the public.

Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. HMCTS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, w 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.

Occasional travel to other courts

For this post, occasional travel across London for meetings may be required.

Additional Information

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements w business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.

Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised role: all successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale. This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO) – See Map. All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity).

For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within the National Office Network and moved its location’s respective pay scale (any legacy arrangements/locations will need to be amended).

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.

MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.

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