Assistant Coroner (2 posts)                                                                 
South Wales Central Area

Fee paid post, £472 per day

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, as Relevant Authority for the South Wales Central Coroner Area, is seeking to appoint new Assistant Coroners to support the Senior and Area coroner across the full range of Coroner duties in order to assist in delivering a high quality coroner service to the people within the South Wales Area.

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough 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 value for money, performance and financial efficiencies.

You will be required to demonstrate knowledge and experience of Coroner law and basic medicine as well as 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. 

It is a Coroner’s personal responsibility (and not that of his/ her clerk/ secretary) to ensure that they sit when possible.  The Chief Coroner and the Lord Chancellor would expect an Assistant Coroner to offer a minimum of 15 sitting days each financial year.  However, it is recognised that there is a variance of workload in each area.

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 70 and be subject to the appointment and eligibility conditions within the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (s.23 and Schedule 3).

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 70^th birthday.

To request an application pack please e-mail: recruitment@rctcbc.gov.uk.

If you wish to have an informal discussion or arrange a visit, please contact Louise Roberts, Coroner’s Service Manager on (01443 281102), or by email: Sarah.L.Roberts@rctcbc.gov.uk

Closing date: Tuesday 4^th May 2021 at 12 noon.

Interview date: w/c 21^stJune or 28^th June 2021.

Notification

The vacancy for this post has been notified to the Chief Coroner and Lord Chancellor (as required by statute).