Diary Manager - Legal Aid Agency (Ref: 23735)

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

Job Title & Grade: Diary Manager for Head of Case Management Grade – EO

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary range (depending on location): National - £29,303 to £31,061 London - £33,551 to £35,564

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: National – LAA Sites only (occasional travel to other LAA Sites will be required)

Please note that whilst this role is open to all Civil Servants staff, you can only apply for London, Cambridge and Brighton offices if you are a current LAA staff member based in those offices. This is due to and in line with the LAA's Location Strategy and the Cabinet Office's Places for Growth Strategy.

Important information for candidates choosing the Liverpool office If you are successful and choose to be based in our Liverpool office, you will be required to complete Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) clearance in addition to our standard pre-employment checks.

To obtain CTC clearance, you must meet the current National Security Vetting residency requirements. Under Central Government policy, applicants must normally have been resident in the UK for the last 3 years to be eligible for this level of clearance.

Please consider this requirement carefully when applying if Liverpool is your preferred location.

Minimum Working Pattern:

The post is supported by the MOJ flexible working policy and includes colleagues who work flexibly, remotely, part time or as part of a job share etc.

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

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.

Case Management

The Diary Manager role provides efficient diary management, coordinating schedules and meetings to the Head of Case Management and the Senior Management Team.

The role is based in our Case Management Directorate which is the largest department in the Legal Aid Agency.

The Case Management team is central to the Agency, it is responsible for handling legal aid applications, processing case payments and dealing with correspondence and enquiries received in both Civil and Criminal Legal aid matters. Our dedicated staff ensure that 600,000 new clients access justice each year, while ensuring that legal aid lawyers are paid fairly.

We listen and engage with all staff in case management, ensuring we always value the ‘caseworker voice’ and that this is represented when delivering change. We support all staff in our work, recognising success and promoting a positive and healthy work-life balance.

We have a culture where new ideas are encouraged and appreciated.

Finance, Performance and Governance

The Finance, Performance and Governance Team in Case Management leads on the delivery of actions relating to Finance matters, Performance Monitoring and Governance against policies and procedures for the directorate.

Job Summary

The role holder will provide support to the Head of Case Management acting as their Diary Manager which involves arranging meetings and acting as note taker across various Senior Management meetings and forums. Due to the nature of the work involved discretion and absolute confidentiality are essential.

The role holder will also provide support to members of the Senior Management Team including managing calendar appointments, arranging meetings, acting as a note taker and monitoring the progress of actions.

The role holder will also provide effective diary management and administrative support to the Chief Executive’s Office, assisting with workload pressures and covering responsibilities during annual leave periods.

The LAA offers hybrid working arrangements where business need allows. Due to business need this role requires regular attendance in your base location for meetings, training, development and supporting engagement in the office. There is also a requirement for occasional travel to other LAA Offices nationwide.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide proactive diary and correspondence management for the Head of Case Management, effectively prioritising competing demands and resolving scheduling conflicts using sound judgement and initiative.
• Ensure the Head of Case Management is fully briefed and provided with all relevant information and documentation in advance of meetings and engagements.
• Support the Senior Management Team with diary management and organising meetings and events, including booking appointments, arranging venues, travel and accommodation.
• Prepare agendas, attend meetings as required, and produce accurate minutes and records of discussions and decisions.
• Monitor and track actions arising from meetings including Senior Management meetings and Operational Leadership meetings, ensuring deadlines are met and escalating issues appropriately where required.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including senior leaders and partner organisations.
• Provide administrative and secretarial support to other senior managers within the Case Management Directorate as required.
• Act as Appeals administrator for the Criminal Cases Unit, liaising with Bar counsel and other external stakeholders to schedule appeal meetings. Acting as the point of contact for enquiries from internal and external stakeholders.
• Work collaboratively with the Head of Finance, Performance and Governance to coordinate activity across the Senior Management Team.
• Manage travel bookings for the Senior Management Team and wider Case Management Directorate, ensuring compliance with organisational policies and service level agreements.
• Prioritise and manage routine administrative activities, including handling correspondence and responding to enquiries from internal and external stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities for improvements to practices, contribute to change initiatives and support the implementation of new ways of working.
• Work collaboratively with other Diary Managers to share best practice, improve consistency and ensure resilience across the service.
• Provide flexible diary management and administrative cover to the Chief Executive’s Office during periods of peak demand, annual leave and other staff absences to ensure continuity of service.
• Attend LAA offices for face to face meetings, Senior Management support and training as required.

Essential Knowledge, Experience and skills

• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workloads, meet competing deadlines and work effectively under pressure.
• Established communication, influencing and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience of tracking actions and monitoring progress to ensure deadlines and commitments are met.
• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams.

Desirable Knowledge, Experience and skills

• Proven experience of providing diary management and administrative support to senior leaders within a busy office environment.
• Ability to prepare clear and accurate correspondence, meeting papers, agendas and minutes.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and as part of a team

Person Specification

• The role holder is someone who enjoys working as part of a team and on their own in a fast-changing environment

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.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the essential criteria “Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workloads, meet competing deadlines and work effectively under pressure”. Candidates who pass the initial sift will progress to a full sift, or progress straight to interview.

Interview / assessment Process

If you are successful through the application stage, you will be invited to an interview via Microsoft Teams where you will be assessed against the following:

• Strengths relevant to the role
  
  
• The following Behaviours:
• Communicating & Influencing
• Working Together

Your Experience of implementing, promoting, or understanding diversity and inclusion policy - Diversity is the presence of difference, this can include one or more of the protected characteristics (Gender, Age, Race, Disability etc.) or it can be about working patterns, whether we like to jump into a task or reflect on it before acting. Inclusion is how we welcome, value, and celebrate diversity, giving everyone a voice, tapping into ideas, and enabling everyone to be themselves at work and achieve their potential.

For this grade/ role we would expect the candidate to demonstrate understanding of the terms Diversity and Inclusion and be able to explain why they are important to them and to where they work. Examples of action they have taken (in or outside of work) to embrace diversity (e.g., increasing understanding) or improve inclusion for others will increase the strength of their answer.

There will be a practical exercise to assess candidate’s experience of planning and prioritising workloads to meet deadlines. The exercise will be run via MS Teams and candidates will will require access to a computer and will share their screen whilst being monitored during the exercise. Full details of the exercise will be provided during the interview.

Shortlisting is planned for week commencing 23rd November 2026

Interviews are planned for week commencing 14th December 2026

If you would like more information on this opportunity, please contact – Jayne Nevitt, Jayne.Nevitt@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:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £29,303, Legal Aid Agency contributes £8,489 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/23735?entityId=23735