Meet our administrative officers

Isabella, Samir, Priya and Erin share their experience as administrative officers in the Crown Prosecution Service - how they got here, what they enjoy and what they've learnt along the way.

Isabella, Administrative Officer based in the International division

Isabella

“Personal development is greatly encouraged and supported - colleagues are more than willing to give a run-down on how the organisation works, and how to get more involved.”

My background

I think what first sparked an interest in public service for me was a documentary film I helped create during my final year at university. Like many soon-to-be graduates, I felt a lot of uncertainty in coming to the end of my degree, not made any easier by COVID-19 lockdown restrictions - and trying to secure my first post university job.

For the documentary, I transcribed and edited interviews of key workers, students and members of the public – hearing about how people dealing with the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown restrictions was very different to reading about it on the news. It really drummed home how big a role people can play in supporting their community.

In the years between completing my studies and applying for the Crown Prosecution Service, I worked in various jobs with a heavy focus on customer service - including bartending and will-writing. While still uncertain about my career path, I learnt from these jobs that I genuinely felt motivated by work where I could see I made some kind of positive impact. Whether it was making sure a family had a nice meal out, or in reassuring a customer about their purchase.

Of all government and Civil Service departments, the Crown Prosecution Service stood out in my mind as a place where even entry-level work could contribute to making society a better, safer place. For me, that sounded like a good place to start.

My typical day

What a typical day looks like for me depends on whether I’m working from home, or travelling up to London to attend the office in person. The journey takes around two hours, giving me plenty of time to complete offline work (like writing up meeting minutes), or just relaxing before work. For all the perks of working from home, I find it’s always nice to socialise with colleagues in person at the office.

As an administrative officer in the International division, my main responsibility is booking travel for our liaison prosecutors who are deployed overseas. Being a time-sensitive task, checking the travel inbox is always the first thing that I do when I log on. Really, it’s this inbox that determines the structure of my entire day – my other tasks can usually wait, but urgent request for hotels and flights so our prosecutors can attend important meetings is the priority.

If the inbox is quiet, this gives me a chance to get caught up on my other responsibilities – one example is keeping documents up to date with the correct information. Keeping contact lists up to date ensures liaison prosecutors can be contacted for overseas support and provide assistance to prosecutors here in the UK.

When in the London office, I usually get lunch with my colleagues. I’ve learnt that the staple lunch in my team is a Greggs meal deal - we go there almost every week, and the sausage rolls haven’t let us down yet!

My inspiration

If there's a skill I'd like to learn, a department or team I want to know more about - I can tailor my learning towards developing this knowledge in the areas I'm most interested in. Personal development is greatly encouraged and supported. Colleagues are more than willing to give a run-down on how the organisation works, and how to get more involved – so there’s always the opportunity to learn something new.

Additionally, having only ever worked in jobs with fixed start and finish times, I find the flexibility available to work the hours that are best for you (within reason) is invaluable. My work-life balance has improved and it's taken away a lot of potential stress that can usually be associated with the daily commute. Having good communication with my line manager and my team has been vital to achieve this.

My biggest learning

It’s well worth taking the time to fill out an application, regardless of whether or not your career plans are set in stone. Once you’re here, there are so many opportunities to work out what it is you’re interested in. Even if you’re not sure what it is you want to do - if you have a good work ethic and want to make a difference, this is the place to be.

Priya

"The supportive work culture at the Crown Prosecution Service has enabled me to build strong relationships with colleagues, which has been a significant and valuable benefit of my role."

My background

My previous Civil Service experience was limited to a brief tenure with His Majesty's Passport Office as a caseworker. I've also had a range of part-time roles in supermarkets, retails stores and creating social media content for an international makeup brand. So I initially questioned the relevance of my background and whether I'd be suited to a role in the Crown Prosecution Service - but it's provided a supportive and welcoming environment that has allowed me to thrive.

Before joining the Crown Prosecution Service, I spent four years studying geography and urban planning at university, followed by four months of traveling and volunteering in Madagascar, Thailand, and Vietnam—experiences that greatly shaped both my personal and professional growth.

In 2023, two friends working for the Crown Prosecution Service introduced me to a temporary six month opportunity working as an administrative officer within the People Function/HR department. Seeing how happy and successful they had been in their own careers; it inspired me to apply. I was drawn to the prospect of a stable role with clear progression, abundant opportunities, a great working culture, and excellent benefits.

I've since secured a permanent position and grateful for the journey so far and excited to take my career to the next level!

My typical day

As an administrative officer working in the Crown Prosecution Service strategic resourcing team, I deal with a variety of tasks around recruitment that are essential for the efficient functioning of the Crown Prosecution Service.

My core duties involve supporting the recruitment process to help strengthen our workforce, delivering recruitment targets and working closely with candidates going through this. Daily tasks can include creating job listings that are advertised on the Civil Service Jobs website, responding to enquiries from candidates and other stakeholders, as well as coordinating and facilitating interviews.

It's a highly professional environment handling correspondence over the phone or through email with my expertise, knowledge and understanding - something that I've developed during my time here. Effective prioritisation and managing my time is fundamental to carrying out my work, and I achieve this thanks to the continuous support from managers and work colleagues.

My biggest learning

This job has provided me with many rewarding and insightful experiences, with ongoing opportunities to enhance my skills and knowledge by taking on new challenges. The supportive work culture at the Crown Prosecution Service has enabled me to build strong relationships with colleagues, which has been a significant and valuable benefit of my role.

Head and shoulder photo of Priya. Priya has long mid brown highlighted hair and is wearing a red and gold embroidered sari.

Priya, Administrative Officer in Liverpool

Samir, Administrative Officer in CPS Direct

Samir

“I most admire the continual focus on staff development at all levels - it allows for personal growth as well as delivering a high-quality service to the public.”

My background

Before joining the Crown Prosecution Service, I worked in the private legal sector as a conveyancing paralegal. My responsibilities ranged from liaising with clients to conducting research on a variety of properties. It was a challenging yet rewarding position that gave me solid experience within the legal field - but when I saw the chance to work for the Crown Prosecution Service it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

My typical day

I work as an administrative officer within CPS Direct which is our out-of-hours service. Our prosecutors work through the night, at weekends and bank holidays, to provide charging advice to the police on cases where the suspect cannot be released on bail.

My day usually starts with a cup of tea (the first of many), before checking my emails and helping with any issues or queries that colleagues may have. This varies from helping prosecutors with individual problems to helping the learning and development team with scheduling training. The range of colleagues I get to interact with on a daily basis is one of the best aspects of the role.

My inspiration

Having studied law at university, I was exposed to a variety of legal areas but one that always piqued my interest was criminal law and the criminal justice system. Because of my studies, the Crown Prosecution Service has always been on my radar as a forward-thinking organisation. I most admire the continual focus on staff development at all levels - it allows for personal growth as well as delivering a high-quality service to the public.

My biggest learning

As a new starter, if I was to give any advice it would be, 'ask questions!' The teams within CPS Direct and the wider Crown Prosecution Service are so supportive and everyone is willing to help. I was made to feel welcome from the start. I'm continually encouraged to learn and develop within the role.

Erin

"I have learnt so much already and I'm constantly improving my own way of working ."

My inspiration

One of my favourite things about this role is the number of people I get to talk to, from all different backgrounds and walks of life.

I also love feeling like I'm making a difference to people’s lives within my day-to-day work. I have a sense of accomplishment at the end of each day.

My background

Before working for the Crown Prosecution Service, I studied business, English language and IT at A Level. I was never really interested in going to university. I was ready to leave full-time study and start work. Ideally, I wanted to find an apprenticeship where I could continue to develop my knowledge and skills, whilst also gaining real on-the-job experience. I did some research into the different apprenticeships available and found an administrative officer apprenticeship with the Crown Prosecution Service, I felt that would be a great opportunity.

My typical day

I work as a HR officer in the Crown Prosecution Service strategic resourcing team. Working in a recruitment team means every day brings something different in my role. On a typical day, I deal with candidates from across the country who have accepted a new role at the Crown Prosecution Service and are due to begin their pre-employment and onboarding checks.

My biggest learning

My advice is to do your research into the Crown Prosecution Service to learn more about the different areas within the organisation and the apprenticeships available - find out which one is best suited to you. If you're someone who wants to have a positive impact within your work, then the Crown Prosecution Service is the place for you.