AREA CORONER North West Kent

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Area Coroner for North West Kent 

Salary £113,777.05 pa [in line with the Coroners JNC Circular 69] 

Closing date: 23:59 on Tuesday 29^th April 2025 

Kent County Council is seeking to appoint an Area Coroner. This is a new post. 

About the post: 

The Area Coroner will work closely with the Senior Coroner to provide judicial leadership to the coroner team as well as conducting their own coroner investigations and inquests. The area coroner may be nominated deputy for the Senior Coroner when the senior coroner is absent. The Area Coroner will be expected on occasion to be available out of hours on a rota-based system where necessary.  

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. In this role, you will work closely with the senior coroner and local authority manager to ensure the running of an efficient coroner service that puts the bereaved at the heart of its service. Collaborative working with the senior coroner, local authority, the police 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 running a coroner’s jurisdiction including carrying out investigations, case management, and conducting inquests. 

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 five years of experience whilst holding that qualification. They will be under the age of 75, have experience of working as an assistant coroner or area 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 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. 

How to apply: 

If you wish to have an informal discussion or arrange a visit, please contact Belinda Hooker, KCC Head of Service  on 03000 421971 or via email on  Belinda.hooker@kent.gov.uk

Suitably qualified applicants are requested to email their CV and a Statement of Suitability demonstrating the 6 assessment criteria directly Belinda Hooker Belinda.hooker@kent.gov.uk   as detailed in Section 5 ‘Recruitment and Selection Process' in the attached job information pack.  Additionally you will need to complete the online application form and upload your CV. 

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

Contact Details

Belinda Hooker, KCC Head of Service  on 03000 421971 or via email on  Belinda.hooker@kent.gov.uk

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.

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.