Coroners Office Manager (Operations)

Role Responsibility

When applying for this role please ensure you have first read the ‘Important information for candidates’ section below and the five questions which must be answered when completing your reason for applying statement.

The Kent County Council Coroner Service Team delivers a key frontline service on behalf of the Kent and Medway Coroners as we continue with a range of service improvement initiatives to ensure that the best possible service is delivered by the team for Kent and Medway residents

The Coroner Service Team has an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated manager with refined interpersonal skills as well as operational management skills from working in challenging or complex environments.

The successful person will be a great people manager who can balance empathy with the need to make decisions and problem solve in fast paced, difficult and often complex situations and competing demands. You must therefore have a positive outlook as well as high levels of personal resilience and emotional intelligence.

Working with a wide variety of people, the ability to build relationships based on trust, understanding and mutual respect is essential. Importantly, you should also be self-disciplined, systematic, methodical and solutions focused whilst also responding to the unpredictable demands on the service.

You will need to demonstrate the ability to lead and develop the growing team of KCC coroner service staff, participating in recruitment, training and regular supervision and performance monitoring, experience of project management, service improvement initiatives and supporting a team through change will also be important.

The role is full time and based in Maidstone but the ability to travel across Kent and Medway in a timely manner is also required. Office hours are currently Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm but you will also need to attend training or provide advice and support when required outside of these hours and participate in the duty manager rota.

In return, Kent County Council offers a first-rate package for employees including access to the Local Government Pension scheme and continuing professional development, along with regular supervision to enable you to confidently progress in your career.

IMPORTANT

As part of the recruitment process, shortlisted candidates will be required to attend a virtual assessment centre on Wednesday 10^th November. Candidates invited for interview will be required to complete an on-line assessment which will be validated by 90-minute (maximum) phone call.

Interviews will be held on 3^rd, 6^th, 8^th or 10^th December 2021 (date to be confirmed).

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.

IMPORTANT information for candidates

1. A cv is not required and will NOT be reviewed as part of the selection process, please provide all relevant information on the on-line application form
2. Your application form must list in sequence ALL employment and ANY gaps in employment including dates and key responsibilities as they relate to the post you are applying for
3. Your application form MUST list all qualifications and grade in sequence (highest level first)
4. IMPORTANT - The application includes 5 specific questions, and your answers form the first element of the shortlisting procedure

• Please provide the answers to the five questions in the section Reason for Applying
• To progress to final shortlisting, you must answer and pass every question in sequence.
• If one or more questions are not answered the application will not be considered further
• Each answer must address the question being asked
• When reading your application, the reviewer is looking for:

1. a relevant example where it has been requested or illustrates your answer
2. evidence of your qualities, not just a list of what you believe your strengths to be
3. how your skills, knowledge and experience underpin how you are potentially the best candidate for this particular role
4. evidence as to how closely you match the criteria in the person specification or how your skills knowledge and experience can be transferred to the role as advertised
5. reflection and how your experiences inform your practice

• A strong application will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the role being advertised, a deep level of understanding of key concepts and insight and how these apply to your practice, and will be free from unsupported statements

Mandatory Questions (add to your reason for applying)

Q1 Tell us about your motivation for applying for this particular role and what being successful in your application would mean for you (maximum 200 words)

Q2 Using an example, please tell us how you maintain your levels of personal resilience under sustained pressure and describe the strategies you use to deal with significant setbacks while continue to deliver your responsibilities (maximum 200 words)

Q3 We are seeking a manager who can balance empathy with the need to make difficult decisions under time constraint in a complex and or challenging situation.Using an example, please describe how you have been able to confidently make a decision in such a situation (maximum 250 words)

Q4 With reference to your work experience tell us about one thing that you like most about the role of an operational manager and why you have you chosen this aspect as your answer. Secondly, tell us about the one aspect that you like least about the role of an operational manager and why, please include in your answer how you can deliver this aspect of the role successfully (maximum 250 words)

Q5 Using relevant examples please tell us about what your experience has taught you about your style of management, your qualities as a leader and how you learn from your experiences (maximum 250 words)

Contact Details

For further information on this role please contact Belinda Hooker by email: Belinda.Hooker@kent.gov.uk

About the Company

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 and faiths, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

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