Operational Support Officer (Ref: 19115)

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.

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

Your role

We have roles available in different teams: Enforcement, Cash and Confiscation and you may be assigned to any of these. Unfortunately, preferences of team cannot be accommodated, the decision will be made in line with business needs.

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 as well as external databases. You will take incoming telephone calls as well as make outgoing calls and 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 also prepare cases for court hearings and serve court documents as part of this process. You will be given workload targets in terms of throughput and accuracy.

Our Cash Operations Team processes all payments received in respect of fines and fees within a set timescale. Youll ensure that those payments are accurately and securely receipted, reconciled and banked in accordance with appropriate policies and procedures.

Our Regional Confiscation Unit is responsible for the management, collection and enforcement of Confiscation Orders made in the Crown Court. A Confiscation Order is an order made against a convicted defendant ordering them to pay the amount of their benefit from crime. You will be accountable for enforcing confiscation orders following set procedures, updating case management systems, preparing cases for court hearings and working closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure effective enforcement.

As a Contact Centre Operator, you will be passionate about delivering excellent customer service. Working in an inbound call centre you will field calls from the public seeking assistance with payment of financial penalties.

Customers calling us are often in a difficult and stressful situation and therefore great importance is placed on handling calls with empathy and understanding. This is a fast-paced position that requires an individual to be able to multi-task and move from one call to another efficiently.

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

You will be an excellent communicator both written and verbal, able to swiftly assess circumstances and adapt accordingly. You must be able to demonstrate empathy, be non-judgmental but focussed on carrying out your role whilst fully respecting our customers. Youll be skilled in organising your time, prioritising efficiently, able to multi-task and adapt to using various software packages. Youll enjoy working in a busy environment with a desire to deliver proactive and effective customer service to people who may be in difficult situations.

For a full job description, please read supporting document included 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. 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 MoJs Flexible Working policy.

The Leeds office offers a service between 08:00 - 17:00 Monday to Friday and you will be required to work between these times on a scheduled basis.

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

From 22 July 2025, the Government increased the salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas. The starting salary for this role falls below the general salary threshold for sponsorship.

The Department cannot consider sponsoring you for this role unless you have held a Skilled Worker visa continuously since before 22 July 2025, you qualify for relevant tradeable points, or you meet other criteria where a lower salary can be considered. Therefore, if you believe you meet the eligibility criteria (in whatever way possible) and you have received a provisional job offer, please raise this during your vetting checks.

If you are applying for this role and you do not meet the new eligibility criteria for sponsorship, 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. Please go to www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa for more information.