assistant coroner

Rochdale Borough Council is seeking to appoint up to three new Assistant Coroners to support the Senior and Area Coroner across the full range of Coroner duties in order to deliver a high-quality Coroner service to the people of Rochdale, Bury and Oldham.

Successful candidates, unless already an Assistant Coroner, will be required to attend a mandatory Assistant Coroner Induction training course on 2-3 December 2025.

About the post:

Rochdale 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 the running of an efficient coroner service that puts the bereaved at the heart of its service.

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.

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. Assistant Coroners are required to sit a minimum of 20 days a year. You may be expected on occasion to be available to assist on an out of hours rota system should the Senior Coroner or Area Coroner be absent.

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

Salary - fee paid, £516 per day. [in line with the JNC Coroners Circular 69]