Area Coroner

The Area Coroner will work closely with the existing second Area Coroner and Senior Coroner to provide judicial leadership to the coroner team as well as conducting their own Coroner investigations and inquests.

The Area Coroner is the nominated deputy for the Senior Coroner when the Senior Coroner is absent. The Area Coroner will be expected to be available to undertake statutory out of hours. There are opportunities for the Area Coroner to engage in non-statutory out of hours work by separate negotiation.

The Coroners are supported by Coroner's Officers who are employed by Bolton Council and Police Coroner's Officers who are employed by Greater Manchester Police and are co-located at the Coroner's Court and Office.

Manchester West is an area of high complexity, including a number of hospital trusts, HM prisons, mental health institutions and private care homes. It is a very busy and challenging area. In 2023 there were 3188 reported deaths and 818 concluded inquests.

Bolton 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 value for money, performance, and financial efficiencies. Collaborative working with the Senior Coroner, local authority, the police, and other stakeholders is essential., The Area Coroner will be based in the dedicated Coroner's Court and Office in Paderborn House, Howell Croft North, Bolton, BL1 1QY. The Office opening hours are 8.30am - 4.00pm Monday to Friday.

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 a Coroner's jurisdiction or comparable organisation, including carrying out investigations, case management, and conducting inquests., 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).

Interview & Assessment dates: Thursday 27th & Friday 28th Feb 2025 (provisional)

Stage 1 Technical Interview Assessments: Thursday 27th February 2025 (provisional)

Manchester West Coroner's Office, Paderborn House, Howell Croft North, Bolton BL1 1QY.

Stage 2 Appointment Interviews: Friday 28th February 2025 (provisional)

(only successful candidates from day 1 Manchester West Coroner's Office, Paderborn House

will proceed to day 2) Howell Croft North, Bolton BL1 1QY.

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