Administrator - Legal Aid Agency (Ref: 21553)

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

Job Title & Grade: Administrator, AO

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary range (depending on location): National - £25,582 London - £30,109

Please note that unless you are currently employed by the Civil Service and are earning more than the minimum above, if successful you will be offered the minimum for the grade depending on your location.

Location: South Tyneside Only

The role requires attendance in the South Tyneside office at least 2 days per week, as it requires the post holder to log paper files received into the office.

Minimum Working Pattern:

If you are applying for a part-time role, please note that to meet business demands we need cover for a minimum of 28 hours and to cover 4 days of the week.

To meet legal requirements, if you are between the ages 16-18 and you are a successful candidate, you will be required to complete an apprenticeship after your initial on the job training.

The Legal Aid Agency

We are an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). We areresponsible for operationally administering the legal aid fund to provide criminal and civil legal aid advice to people in England and Wales.

Our people are at the heart of achieving excellence. Employing around 1,200 colleagues across England and Wales, we feel proud to have some of the best People Survey results in the Civil Service.

Contract Management & Commissioning

The Contract Management Team work collaboratively with other LAA departments to interpret and apply the Contract to the providers which we manage. We ensure that providers deliver quality legal aid services in accordance with contractual requirements and relevant legislation. We interpret and analyse data to effectively manage risk and to influence providers to improve performance and effectively deliver change. We also engage with the wider justice system to promote partnership working and influence provider behaviour.

Peer Review Team

The Peer Review Team is responsible for the delivery of Peer Review audits, which are focused on the quality and accuracy of the advice that legal aid providers are delivering to their clients. These audits compliment the other reviews and compliance checks that are undertaken by Contract Management & Commissioning to ensure that we identify and manage areas of risk and contractual under performance.

The CMC Admin team forms part of the Contract Management & Assurance Directorate within the Legal Aid Agency. You will be part of a team that works closely with Contract Managers and with providers to provide admin support across multiple areas.

Job Summary

To work within the Peer Review and CMC Admin Team to ensure that all tasks undertaken by the team are completed as efficiently as possible and that relevant systems are accurately updated in accordance with time standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Review files received in the South Tyneside office, ensuring the file name match the file list
• Scan paper files and upload them to the shared drive
• Carry out quality checks to ensure each scanned file is complete and accurate
• Maintain accurate records and report to the peer review team any discrepancies identified during the process
• Liaise with Contract Managers & providers to ensure amendment requests are accurately processed as efficiently as possible
• Working with legal aid providers to ensure the records we hold are accurate.
• Ensure accurate records are maintained of withdrawal information received from Contract Management colleagues
• Process schedule amendments accurately with deadlines in mind
• Report progress, including any issues which may impact quality or efficiency to the CMC Admin team manager
• Ensure all monitoring tools/trackers are kept up to date
• Acknowledge and respond to all queries and correspondence in a professional manner
• Manage and prioritise own workload alongside colleagues to ensure all targets are achieved.
• Provide administrative support to other areas of the wider CMC team.

Essential Knowledge, Experience and skills

• Experience carrying out administrative tasks effectively.
• Experience managing your own workload and meeting deadlines effectively.
• Ability to work with attention to detail and maintain accurate records.
• Effective communication skills.

Desirable Knowledge, Experience and skills

• Ability to use IT.
• Experience using Microsoft Excel.

Person Specification

• You thrive in a process driven environment and understand the importance of operating within set rules and guidelines.
• You enjoy working with data with a focus on accuracy.
• You are confident when sharing information and able to communicate clearly both verbally and in writing
• You remain effective and can be flexible when faced with conflicting deadlines

Assessment approach

Application Process

To apply please provide a statement of suitability showing how you meet the essential criteria in no more than 750 words.

Your statement should demonstrate your ability to do all the essential criteria listed, using examples can help strengthen your application.

Please note we do not require a CV.

Please note that we only require a Statement of Suitability for your application. The wording on this advert may suggest that an Experience question is also required, however this is not necessary.

Interview / assessment Process

If you are successful through the application stage, you will be invited to an interview / assessment centre in person or via Microsoft Teams where you will be assessed against the following:

Strengths relevant to the role

The following Behaviours:

• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service

Shortlisting is planned for week commencing 14th September 2026

Interviews are planned for week commencing 5th October 2026

If you would like more information on this opportunity, please contact – Joanna Place, Joanna.Place@Justice.gov.uk

Our LAA commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain, and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. Under the Equality Act 2010 a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months.

If you are responding to a role within the Legal Aid Agency and would like to be considered under the guaranteed interview, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the sift or later selection processes.

The LAA’s goal is to build an organisation that is open and inclusive and truly values and celebrates the diversity of its workforce. One that reflects and understands the needs of the diverse society we serve. This is regardless of social background, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, beliefs, disabilities or long-term illness or caring responsibilities.

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long-term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments to support you through the recruitment process, please let us know by adding the information to the applications system or emailing LAARecruitment@justice.gov.uk after you have applied so that we can discuss options with you.

Complaints procedure

If you have any complaints about this recruitment activity, please share your concerns by emailing LAARecruitment@justice.gov.uk initially. We aim to respond to any complaint within 10 working days.

If you are dissatisfied with our response, we will forward your complaint to the Civil Service Commission, an independent body, for review.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £25,582, Legal Aid Agency 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

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
• Telephone : 0345 241 5359

Recruitment team

• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

https://jobs.justice.gov.uk/careers/JobDetail/21553?entityId=21553