Office Manager – Office of the Chief Justice (Supreme Court of Appeal)

The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) is inviting qualified, highly organized, and analytically sharp professionals to apply for the permanent position of Office Manager at the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein. This highly prestigious Level 09 mid-management position operates at a competitive salary scale of R487 197 – R573 897 per annum, with the successful candidate required to enter into a formal performance agreement.

This post represents a pinnacle career move for legal administrators, LLB graduates, or executive office managers who possess a deep familiarity with court operations, statutory timelines, and personnel supervision. Operating at the heart of South Africa’s appellate justice system, the incumbent will anchor the administrative machinery of the Office of the President of the Supreme Court of Appeal. Review the extensive technical requirements below and follow the official directives to submit your application.

Job Specification Overview

Job Specification Element	Position Details
Job Title	Office Manager
Reference Number	REF NO: 2026/49/OCJ
Hiring Institution	Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ)
Court Component	Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA)
Salary Scale	R487 197 – R573 897 per annum (Public Service Salary Level 09)
Primary Centre	Bloemfontein, Free State
Employment Class	Permanent Appointment (Performance Agreement Required)
Minimum Qualifications	3-Year National Diploma / Bachelor’s Degree (NQF Level 6)
Target Disciplines	Office Administration, Management, LLB, or Equivalent
Assessment Method	Shortlisted candidates will undergo a pre-entry practical exercise

Role Purpose & Judicial Administration Impact

The Supreme Court of Appeal stands as one of the highest judicial bodies in South Africa, adjudicating complex appellate matters from all divisions of the High Court. Within this high-pressure environment, the Office of the President of the SCA dictates the operational pace, ensuring that cases flow seamlessly from filing to final judgment delivery.

The Office Manager serves as the primary strategic gatekeeper and workflow anchor for the President of the Court. This position demands a rare blend of executive secretarial precision, operational human resource management, and acute legal acumen. The incumbent is responsible for filtering and tracking delicate high-level inquiries, ensuring strict adherence to judicial directives, and managing the diaries of appellate leadership.

Crucially, the role extends deep into the core legal output of the court: the Office Manager directly oversees the ingestion of legal petitions, compiles vital case tracking spreadsheets for the Chief Registrar, and performs rigorous proofreading and citation-checking on judgments drafted by appellate judges. By maintaining flawless order in administrative tracks and supervising the court’s secretarial staff, the Office Manager safeguards the institutional integrity and efficiency of the judiciary.

The Judicial Administrative & Legal Workflow Lifecycle

To safeguard the integrity of appellate records and ensure absolute compliance with statutory court timelines, the Office Manager executes a meticulous, multi-tiered operational lifecycle:

1.Ingestion, Tracking & Spreadsheet Logging:Petition Registry.

Receive and log formal petitions filed at the Supreme Court of Appeal. Identify the core details of the parties, case numbers, and specific areas of law, then compile a highly accurate, detailed tracking spreadsheet for timeous submission to the Chief Registrar.

2.Competent Legal Case Synthesis:Legal Summarization.

Review incoming petitions thoroughly to extract the core legal arguments and procedural history. Draft comprehensive, competent, and detailed summaries of these petitions to brief the President of the Supreme Court of Appeal efficiently.

3.Secretarial Supervision & Training Coordination:Staff Coordination.

Supervise the daily routines of the judge’s secretaries and general support staff. Manage court sittings rosters, coordinate tea room rosters, identify technical training needs, and implement formal or informal development tracks to maximize office efficiency.

4.Judgment Proofreading & Case Cite-Checking:Judicial Verification.

Receive draft judgments submitted to the President by Law Researchers or Judges of Appeal. Conduct rigorous, exhaustive proofreading and technical cite-checking of all legal precedents, statutes, and electronic research databases before formal publication.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

1. Executive Office Management & Stakeholder Liaison

Oversee and manage the daily operational functions of the Office of the President of the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Attend to, log, and process all high-level inquiries directed to the President, ensuring prompt feedback and compliance with judicial timelines.
Strategically diarize and manage all corporate appointments, official events, and judicial engagements for the President’s calendar.
Ensure the flawless application of public service regulations, judicial policies, and specific legal directives across all administrative workflows.
Manage and monitor all incoming and outgoing correspondence passing from the President’s secretary to external legal stakeholders and state departments.

2. Legal Research, Editing & Petition Administration

Execute physical and electronic legal research, retrieving vital statutory materials from the physical court library as well as online legal databases.
Evaluate, review, and double-check research folders submitted to the President by the court’s Law Researchers.
Conduct comprehensive proofreading and strict citation verification (cite-checking) on all judgments drafted by the President or other Judges of Appeal.
Extract details of parties, case numbers, and areas of law from filed petitions to compile comprehensive summaries and master spreadsheets for the Chief Registrar.

3. Human Resource Supervision & Support Operations

Provide direct supervisory oversight, leadership, and performance management to all judge’s secretaries and court support staff within the component.
Monitor court sittings allocations and maintain strict administrative control over the daily tea room and official hosting duties of the secretaries.
Proactively identify skills gaps and operational training needs among the support staff, arranging formal workshops or informal peer training to address them.

Minimum Requirements & Skill Architecture

Prerequisite Qualifications & Experience

A recognized three (3) year National Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in Office Administration, Office Management, an LLB degree, or an equivalent qualification registered at NQF Level 6 as recognized by SAQA.
A minimum of three (3) years of relevant experience within a professional office administration or legal environment.
Out of the required three years of experience, at least one (1) year must be at a dedicated supervisory or team leader level.
Added Advantage Metrics: A valid driver’s license and post-qualification Legal Research experience will serve as strong competitive advantages during shortlisting.

Essential Core Competencies

Communication Mastery: Superb written and verbal communication skills to interface confidently with appellate judges, advocates, and senior departmental heads.
Legal Literacy & Research: Familiarity with major legal research databases (Juta, LexisNexis, etc.) alongside impeccable attention to detail for proofreading complex legal documents.
Stress Tolerance: Proven ability to manage tight legal deadlines, work long hours under intense institutional pressure, and exhibit strong self-motivation.
Human Resource Management: Strong leadership capability to guide, discipline, and upskill secretarial personnel while remaining highly reliable and accountable.
Digital Literacy: Advanced computer literacy with specialized proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly advanced functions within Excel for petition tracking.

Application Framework & Assessment Protocol

The Office of the Chief Justice applies strict selection measures to guarantee compliance and operational suitability for this Level 09 post.

Pre-Entry Practical Assessment: In alignment with the technical and generic demands of managing an appellate court office, all shortlisted candidates will be required to undergo a pre-entry practical exercise. This assessment method will directly test your practical editing, spreadsheet creation, research database utilization, and administrative writing skills.

Submission Channels:

Applicants must submit a fully completed, signed, and newly revised Z83 application form, accompanied by a detailed CV featuring active reference contact numbers.

Via Dedicated Email Gateway: 2026/49/OCJ@judiciary.org.za
Direct Technical Queries: Mr VZJ Zwane | Tel No: (051) 492 4696
Direct HR Queries: Ms N. De La Rey / Ms D. Peters | Tel No: (053) 492 4523
Employment Equity Policy: The organization will give preference to qualified candidates in line with its established Employment Equity goals and demographic transformation targets.

👉 Official Career Portal: Apply via the Office of the Chief Justice Vacancy Portal

Explore Additional Public Sector Roles

To anchor your employment search across alternative executive or legal departments within South Africa, explore our dedicated channels:

👉 Browse Office of the Chief Justice Vacancies 2026

👉 Explore Judiciary and Legal Management Jobs in South Africa

👉 View Active Government Openings in the Free State

Post last updated: June 2026 | Reference Number: 2026/49/OCJ | Keywords: Office of the Chief Justice Vacancies 2026, Supreme Court of Appeal Bloemfontein Jobs, Office Manager Level 09, Court Administration Free State, Judgment Proofreading Careers, Petition Spreadsheet Tracking, Z83 Judiciary Form.

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