18545 - Operational Support Officer

Proud to serve. Proud to keep justice going.

Our HMCTS Operational Support Officers within Criminal Fines Collection and Enforcement (Enforcement) provide excellent customer service, administrative support and decision-making to recover criminal fines and financial penalties imposed by the Courts.

About us

Enforcement is a key function within HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) and plays a central role in delivering justice by working alongside the criminal courts in England and Wales to ensure convicted parties comply with fines and other financial penalties imposed by the courts. We are also responsible for compliance of Confiscation Orders imposed by the Crown Courts and the payment of Fixed Penalty tickets issued by police forces.

We’re looking for individuals who are committed to public service and making a difference in people’s lives to deliver justice. If you are interested in developing a career with a real purpose, please apply.

Your role

HMCTS use a variety of means to ensure the recovery of criminal fines and financial penalties and do everything within our powers to trace those who do not pay.

You will be responsible for creating and updating records on our in-house computer system and will contact relevant parties to give advice on the completion of forms or court procedures, providing excellent customer service. You will make decisions on the most effective method of enforcement within the current guidelines, and will use telephone and text message chasing and tracing tools.

You will have the confidence to engage with Managers, Courts and other internal and external stakeholders to collect information, check facts, communicate or enforce judicial decisions.

Your skills and experience

Strong customer service skills with the confidence to support our customers via the telephone, webchat and email
Experience of working in an administrative role in a customer focussed environment
Proficient with IT and Microsoft Software packages
Excellent communication and organisational skills
Exceptional attention to detail

Please refer to the role profile attachment for more information below before applying.

Further details:

These operational roles are customer facing, requiring successful applicants to be office based to provide HMCTS services to the public. Non-contractual hybrid working may be available, but arrangements will be determined by the business and will only be available when it has been established that delivering the service from home can be done effectively. We cannot facilitate requests for a particular work from home/working in the office schedule.

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. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.

The North Shields and Middlesbrough offices offer a service between 09:00 - 17:00 Monday to Friday and you will be required to work between these times on a scheduled basis. The business cannot accommodate Monday and Friday as non-working days.

The offices benefit from parking and excellent public transport links.

Occasional travel to other courts

Whilst the post holder will be allocated to a specific office base, there may be a need for flexibility to work on an ad hoc basis at other local HMCTS offices.

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