Secretariat Officer - Legal Aid Agency (Ref: 18431)

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

Job Title & Grade: Secretariat Officer, 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: Any LAA Office

Please note that whilst this role is open to all Civil Servants, 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.

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 30 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.

Corporate Assurance, Risk and Secretariat Team

The Secretariat team provides a Secretariat function for the LAA’s key senior governance forums such as the LAA Board and LAA Executive Committee and sits within the wider Corporate Assurance, Risk and Secretariat (CARS) team ultimately reporting to the Head of Assurance.

The CARS team combines the five functions of Health & Safety, Information & Data Security, Business Continuity, Risk and Secretariat to collectively strengthen and support the LAA’s governance, assurance strategies, risk management processes and provide support to the LAA’s governance and management committees.

Job Summary

This is a varied, fast paced and rewarding role that operates at the heart of the LAA and involves regular interaction with members of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and exposure to high profile issues with the ability to manage and prioritise a variable workload.

The post-holder will be responsible for leading on, and planning, a number of key meetings. They will provide support in the preparation and management of meetings as required, help manage the Secretariat team mailbox, shared drive and Microsoft Teams areas.

This is an exciting opportunity to work closely with multiple teams across LAA such as the Chief Executive’s office on a range of areas, and to build strong networks across the LAA and wider Ministry of Justice.

Key Responsibilities:

The Secretariat Officer plays a vital role in assisting the Secretariat to deliver effective, efficient and professional management of the Agency’s formal governance forums. Key duties and responsibilities include:

• Providing quality secretariat support for key LAA governance meetings, including agenda planning, action management, paper collation and distribution and, formal minute-taking*;
• Acting as the team lead for the management of particular meetings, being flexible to ensure cover for other forums depending on resource and business need;
• Routine attendance at senior governance meetings, which may be either virtual or in-person. Although this post is national, travel to particular offices will be required where in-person attendance is necessary, though this will generally be limited to 1-2 times per month;
• Leading on ensuring the attendance log is up to date and supporting Secretariat colleagues in maintaining the action logs and forward look;
• Managing the Secretariat mailbox, ensuring emails are promptly dealt with, followed up when required and then filed appropriately;
• Leading on meeting dates and arrangements for governance forums, ensuring meetings are planned well in advance and that meetings dates are timely and convenient for attendees;
• Leading on a range of ad-hoc governance meetings, in accordance with ELT diaries and ensuring the necessary papers are provided prior to the meeting;
• Assisting in the management of numerous Microsoft Teams areas relevant to each committee.
• Provide ad-hoc administrative support to wider CARS team when required.

Essential Knowledge, Experience and skills

• Excellent organisational and planning skills;
• The ability to prioritise effectively to deliver at pace to tight deadlines and competing priorities;
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills to engage and build relationships with key stakeholders;
• A good team player with a drive for continuous improvement of ways of working;
• Excellent Microsoft Outlook skills to help navigate multiple outlook calendars and prioritise between conflicting meetings;
• Attention to detail and excellent drafting and communication skills.

Desirable Knowledge, Experience and skills

• Previous experience in a Secretariat or executive support role;
• Experience of formal minute-writing;
• Familiarity with LAA’s governance forums and requirements.
• Experience of using or developing use of AI tools such as copilot.

Person Specification

• You enjoy being part of a team;
• You enjoy working in a fast-paced environment with the ability to juggle different tasks in quick succession;
• You are organised with excellent attention to detail;
• You have a passion to want to deliver an excellent service;
• You have an interest in always striving for improvement and new ways of working.

Assessment approach

Application Process –

To apply complete an application based of the following behaviours, each behaviour should be no more than 250 words:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture

When submitting an example of a behaviour remember to include the situation, what you did and why, and what was the outcome / result.

We will also be looking for your Experience of:

• Using written communication skills to record, report or inform others. Examples of such work may include, but are not limited to, work similar to that outlined in the Key Responsibilities relating to minute taking.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Managing a Quality Service, as well as the Experience question of using written communication skills to record, report or inform others. 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 / assessment centre in person or via Microsoft Teams where you will be assessed against the following:

Strengths relevant to the role

The following Behaviours:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture

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.

In addition, there will be a practical, written exercise relevant to the role, to assess your minute drafting ability, further details of which will be communicated in advance of the interview.

Shortlisting is planned for week commencing 22nd June 2026

Interviews are planned for week commencing 13th July 2026

If you would like more information on this opportunity, please contact – Alex Bennett, Head of Secretariat, alex.bennett@justice.gov.uk and Nicola Murchie, Head of Governance, Risk and Assurance, nicola.murchie@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:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture

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.

• 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, Ability 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 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.

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/18431?entityId=18431