Senior Coroner for North and South Northumberland
Job Summary
Working Pattern:
Full time
Advert Start Date:
03/06/2020
Advert End Date:
Closed for applications on 28/06/2020 23:59
Salary:
£131,091 per annum
Job Category:
Democratic Services/ Registrars
Employment Location:
Northumberland
Further Information
Salary £131,091pa (pro-rata)
Closing date: 28th June 2020, 11.59pm
Northumberland County Council is seeking to appoint a new full-time Senior Coroner to replace the current post-holder who retires in September 2020. Currently, the county of Northumberland consists of two coroner areas, North Northumberland and South Northumberland. For clarity the appointment of the Senior Coroner post will be to both areas pre-merger, with the successful candidate then appointed to the single Northumberland coroner area once the merger is approved.
About the Post:
The Senior Coroner stands at the head of the local coroner service and statutory coroner area and takes the lead on coroner work and will be expected to conduct inquests which are difficult or complex or will be likely to attract significant publicity.
Based on the 2019 Ministry of Justice returns, the number of reported deaths per annum for North Northumberland was 630 and for South Northumberland 1097. Accordingly, we appoint our Senior Coroner with a salary on a full-time basis.
The salary will include payment for out of hours availability by agreement. A Senior Coroner may join the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
The Senior Coroner will be based at the new dedicated court and coroner’s office which will be based at County Hall, Morpeth. Work on this is expected to be complete by September 2020. Current Office opening hours are 8am until 5pm.
Northumberland County Council is looking for an exceptional candidate with excellent proven leadership, organisational, management and efficiency skills, as well as experience of exercising sound judgement and communicating effectively, in addition to managing and embracing change. You will have experience of modernising procedures and driving change to ensure local practices conform to national coroner practice and standards, and in turn deliver excellence to bereaved families and local residents. You will work closely with the local authority manager to deliver a modern service and ensure value for money, performance and financial efficiencies. Collaborative working with the local authority, the police, National Health Service, funeral directors and other stakeholders is essential.
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.
It is desirable that the successful candidate has proven experience of running or sharing the running of a coroner’s jurisdiction including carrying out investigations, case management, and conducting inquests, as well as delivering leadership and direction to staff.
Who can apply:
The successful candidate will be a barrister, 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 70, have experience of working as a senior coroner, area coroner or assistant 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 70 years (compulsory retirement age) unless they choose to resign or are removed by the Lord Chief Justice or Lord Chancellor prior to their 70th birthday.
Full details are in the candidate pack which is available in the supporting documents.
If you wish to have an informal discussion, please contact Kelly Angus, Executive Director of HR / OD & Deputy Chief Executive, Northumberland County Council, kelly.angus@northumberland.gov.uk or 01670 623134.
Please note
This job is closed for applications.