Assistant Coroner Kent and Medway

Role Responsibility

Assistant Coroner for all Kent & Medway Coroner areas 

Salary – fee paid, £516.00 per day. [in line with the JNC Coroners Circular 69]

Kent County Council is seeking to appoint Three new Assistant Coroners to support the Senior and Area coroner across the full range of coroner duties in order to deliver a high-quality coroner service to the residents of Kent and Medway. 

Successful candidates, if not already an Assistant Coroner, will be required to attend a mandatory Assistant Coroner Induction training course on 2-3 December 2025.

About the post: 

Kent County Council is looking for an exceptional candidate with excellent proven organisational, management and efficiency skills, as well as experience of exercising sound judgement and communicating effectively. You will work closely with the Senior Coroner and Area Coroner to ensure the running of an efficient coroner service that puts the bereaved at the heart of its service. 

You will be required to demonstrate knowledge and experience of coroner law and of basic medicine, have proven skills in conducting investigations and an understanding of court procedure. You will also need to demonstrate the excellent communication and interpersonal skills necessary to deal with sensitive situations.  

The successful candidate will be required to carry out the duties and responsibilities of a coroner as defined in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and associated rules and regulations and as further described in various guidance issued by the Chief Coroner.

These are fee paid positions although they are likely to involve a regular commitment, which is to be agreed between the assistant coroner, senior coroner and the local authority. Assistant Coroners are required to sit a minimum of 20 days a year. You will be expected on occasion to be available to assist on an out of hours rota system.   

Who can apply: 

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 5 years of experience whilst holding that qualification. They will be under the age of 75 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. 

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

How to apply: 

The candidate pack is available below.

If you wish to have an informal discussion or arrange a visit, please contact Mrs Belinda Hooker Head of Service on 07774248464 

Suitably qualified applicants are requested to email their CV and supporting statement to Belinda Hooker on Belinda.hooker@kent.gov.uk and additionally complete the application online via an application form and upload their CV  

Contact Details

For further information, please contact Mrs Belinda Hooker Head of Service on 07774248464 

About the Company

Work that works for you and us - let's talk flexibility!

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

KCC is transitioning to a new pay structure from 1st April 2025.  More details can be found here - Pay - Jobs & Careers - Kent County Council 

Please note - if you are interested, please apply soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.