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Job introduction

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.

About the role

Northamptonshire Coroners Service is provided by West Northamptonshire Council as the lead Authority, but the service is funded 46.21% by North Northamptonshire Council. The Service remains a county wide service provision following Unitary in 2021. Northamptonshire is ambitious, forward-looking, and keen to make things happen. We have serious appetite for growth, welcoming employment and housing development, and are perfectly situated at the heart of the country, offering the most affordable homes within a one-hour drive-time of London. We are also one hour from Birmingham, Oxford, Leicester, Peterborough and Cambridge, in the heart of England. Commutable counties include Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Cambridgeshire, and Bedfordshire.

Northamptonshire offers something for everyone who visits or lives here, numerous pretty villages with thatched cottages, country lanes and parish churches and Northamptonshire is home to some of the most beautiful countryside in England. There are miles of walks, beautiful country parks, canals and substantial areas of ancient woodland just waiting to be explored. Miles of cycle path follows the landscape of the Brampton Valley Way. Rockingham Castle perches on its hilltop with views stretching to Rutland Water. Stately homes and ancestral seats, including that of the Spencer family at Althorp, are all part of the local heritage. The network of canals that interweave the county are perfect for exploring, with cruisers able to stop to sample the hospitality of the old navigational inns along the way.

West Northamptonshire’s main towns are Northampton, Daventry, Towcester, Brackley and North Northamptonshire’s main towns are Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough, Thrapston, and Oundle.

Local sporting highlights include international venues at Silverstone, the Saints rugby team, football league teams and first-class county cricket. Enjoy spectacular golf courses, equestrian and country pursuits, and excellent water sports centres.

For more information, please visit www.westnorthants.gov.uk/ and www.northnorthants.gov.uk/

Specific Area Information related to the Role in Northamptonshire

The number of deaths registered from April 2025 until Feb 2026 for West Northamptonshire was 3298 and for North Northamptonshire was 2959. From January 2025 until December 2025 a total number of 1903 cases were referred to the Senior Coroner.

The end of life pathway has been re-structered across University Hospitals of Northamtonshire, which consists of Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital, and as such UHN now have one Lead Medical Examiner across both Hospital Trusts. West Northamptonsire Council has invested in a dedicated disaster mortuary, which from 28th April 2026 acts as a centralised mortuary for all ward deaths and community deaths for Northamptonshire.

This is a new state-of-the-art disaster facility that by the end of 2026 will offer invasive, non-invasive and forensic services.

More information on The County Mortuary is available here : Plan to improve county mortuary services explained | West Northamptonshire Council

Additional information

The successful candidate will be a barrister or a solicitor or Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives and satisfy the judicial-appointment eligibility condition which means they will have five years of experience whilst holding that qualification. They will be under the age of 75, have experience of working as an assistant coroner or area coroner and be subject to the appointment and eligibility conditions within the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (s.23 and Schedule 3).

Statutory Terms of the Appointment:

Once a Coroner is appointed they are then a Judicial Office holder until they reach the age of 75 years (compulsory retirement age) unless they choose to resign or are removed by the Lord Chief Justice or Lord Chancellor prior to their 75th birthday.

How to apply:

Suitably qualified applicants are requested to email their CV and supporting statement (which should include disclosure of any convictions or disciplinary proceedings) to HRAdvisory@westnorthants.gov.uk

If you wish to have an informal discussion or arrange a visit, please contact Mrs Ann Pember, Senior Corner, via email to Coroners.ncc@westnorthants.gov.uk

Company information

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential.  We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.