Job Description

This is a 12-month fixed-term contract to provide maternity leave cover for the Probate Administration Manager, commencing October 2026.

Location Chaddesden, Derby, DE21 6BF

Salary £29K-£30K

Working Hours Monday – Friday, 11am – 7pm, 37.5 hours per week

of the Role

As Probate Administration Manager, you will lead the administrative team that supports the probate process, developing and delivering a consistent administrative journey across the Probate department and achieving all key KPIs and SLAs.

You will collaborate closely with the Probate Managers and the wider Legal Team to ensure operational excellence, client satisfaction, and continuous process improvement. This is a leadership role that requires a balance of people management, operational oversight, and performance delivery.

Purpose of the Role

To develop and deliver a consistent administrative journey across the Probate department, effectively managing the administrative workload so that all KPIs and SLAs are achieved.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

Leadership & People Management

• Lead, inspire, and develop the probate administrative team, including the professional development of team members in line with business requirements.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement across the team.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and ongoing development of team members.
• Take responsibility for the people management of the administrative team, ensuring high engagement and effective performance.
• Collaboration & Communication
• Lead the communication between the admin team and the legal team, creating and maintaining a positive working relationship.
• Collaborate with the Probate Managers to ensure all key deliverables of the Probate department are achieved.
• Work with the rest of the business to deliver its core purpose and cultural values.

Client

• Ensure the admin team drive the client journey so that team targets are met and clients receive timely, accurate communication.
• Promote positive client outcomes through proactive service and issue resolution.
• Handle escalated complaints with professionalism and empathy, ensuring swift and satisfactory resolution.

Process & Operations

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the probate admin team, ensuring all SLAs are achieved and tasks are completed within expected timescales.
• Ensure the case management system (LEAP) and other databases are updated and maintained at all times.
• Oversee workflows to ensure timely task completion, monitoring and reporting on process exceptions and implementing corrective actions.
• Drive process improvements to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and client satisfaction.
• Ensure the department has sufficient stationary to meet business requirements and in line with budget.
• Allocate resources effectively to manage peak periods and ensure service continuity.
• Performance
• Deliver all probate admin KPIs, monitoring team performance and implementing action plans where required.
• Drive operational efficiencies through data-driven decision-making and continuous feedback loops.
• Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and internal standards.
• Provide regular performance updates to the Head of Probate and contribute to operational planning.

Key KPIs

• 100% accuracy on all work sent to clients ensuring no administrative errors result in complaints.
• 100% of active matters to be actioned on at least a monthly basis.
• 100% accuracy in new matter and business book reporting.
• 100% of instructed matters result in signed terms with effective and efficient onboarding process being delivered

Key Success Outcomes – What Good Performance Looks Like

Leadership & Collaboration

• High team engagement and low attrition.
• Effective cross-functional collaboration with the legal and probate management teams.
• Client
• High client satisfaction and positive feedback.
• Timely resolution of complaints and service issues.
• Process & Performance
• Effective use of LEAP with minimal exceptions and accurate reporting.
• Achievement of departmental KPIs and SLAs.
• Documented and implemented process improvements, with scalable resource planning during peak times.

Objectives & Projects

Specific objectives will be set on commencement and reviewed regularly. Current departmental priorities the postholder will be expected to progress include:

• Ensuring the onboarding process is efficient and effective resulting in 100% of instructed matters signing their terms of engagement.
• Progressing the department towards being paper-light – post scanned in electronically and disposed of, rather than held in physical files.
• Working with the operations department to ensure accuracy in LEAP reporting, with milestones and precedents kept up to date.