About the job

Job summary

Immigration Enforcement is responsible for enforcing the government’s immigration laws, tackling illegal migration, removing foreign national offenders and immigration offenders from the UK. It also aims to disrupt the organised criminal groups that exploit the vulnerable for their personal gain. 

Learn more on the Immigration Enforcement careers page.

Job description

What is an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC)?

An IRC is a secure building that holds detained individuals (residents) who are held prior to their removal from the United Kingdom or for nationality and identification purposes.

There are currently six IRCs in England and one in Scotland, with two more planned to open in England soon, Haslar IRC and Campsfield House IRC.

All IRCs are overseen by the Home Office’s Immigration Enforcement Detention Services and are contracted out to private companies who ensure all aspects of the IRC are run safely and securely, adhering to relevant policy, standards, and legislation.

The role of the Operations Manager is dynamic and exciting. You will manage a mix of reactive operational situations as well as the oversight of planned compliance and assurance activity. You will be responsible for leadership and setting direction to the Home Office Compliance Team, made up of compliance and operations managers and operations and compliance officers.

The Compliance Team will be based onsite and monitor a broad range of activity, from checking the quality of cleaning and catering, to monitoring use of force and removal of residents from the IRC onto chartered flights. Always ensuring that people detained are treated humanely and with care whilst being held securely.

Working within the compliance team is both interesting and challenging. The successful candidates will work on various workstreams encompassing changing priorities, making no two days the same. Maintaining high levels of co-operation with our service providers, stakeholders, and other interested parties, and communicating effectively and professionally is a key part of operating the compliance team.

You will be responsible for:

• Providing oversight of a robust monitoring schedule.
• Ensuring robust testing of the contractual compliance of the IRC service provided.
• Providing leadership and guidance on key contractual risk areas.
• Ensuring that the site is run properly and securely in accordance with Detention Centre Rules 2001, Operating Standards, Detention Service Orders and the contract with the private IRC Supplier.
• Providing briefing and advice about the policies and procedures of the centre to senior managers as and when required in response to parliamentary questions and other official correspondence.
• Providing effective management to a team of Senior Operations Officers, whom this role line manages, and Operations Officers, ensuring work is evenly distributed and outputs monitored. Allowing team members to deliver high performance, whilst also developing a learning culture.
• Arranging and host high profile visits and inspections to the IRC establishment.
• Providing out of hours on-call support for the IRC estate nationally, providing support to local teams during incidents.
• Providing “Duty Senior Manager” cover for the IRC estate nationally during evenings and weekends.
• Representing the Home Office at a range of internal and external meetings, including operational strategy meetings, internal and external stakeholder and supplier meetings, daily capacity review meetings.
• Supporting the Service Delivery Manager with their duties - chairing monthly operational review meetings with suppliers and in other duties such as representation at senior management meetings.
• Production of monthly reports that provide essential data and statistics about contract delivery and the population in the centre.
• Occasional travel required for face-to-face meetings with managers from other IRCs.
• Providing oversight in the completion and implementation of action plans from 3rd parties within agreed timescales supporting the Service Delivery Manager.
• Management of information and data, such as litigation, freedom of information requests and subject access requests.
• Leading on areas of risk management, such as risk registers, data protection and trend analysis to ensure compliance from suppliers supporting the operational management of the establishment.
• Assisting in supporting the Service Delivery Manager signing off business cases, tracking projects and have oversight of facilities management within the IRC.
• Supplier audits and self-audits compliance and monitoring.
• Ownership of various annual reports, accuracy checks action plans and tracking.

Please Note: You may be required to carry out other duties within the scope of the grade and within the limits of your skill, competence, and training.

Travel and subsistence allowances will be provided in line with policy, travel will be infrequent.

Person specification

We are looking for strong communicators who can engage with colleagues of various grades and key partners (internally and externally).

You must be able to effectively manage and progress own work, ability to work to targets independently.

We are also looking for someone who can display confidence in chairing meetings, leading on presentations to suppliers and senior managers.

You must be physically fit as you will be required to complete of Personal Protection (SPEAR) training that must be refreshed annually.

Essential Criteria

• Strong interpersonal skills with proven ability to develop good working relationships with a variety of internal and external partners.
• Strong organisational skills with proven ability to plan, organise and manage time to deliver the best quality and efficient service.
• Excellent drafting and report writing skills to present to Senior Management.
• Proven record of managing others (line management or peers).
• Experience of working in a high profile and challenging environment.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of working in a detention or prison environment.
• Understanding of the Immigration system.
• Experience of contract monitoring/audit and assurance.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete: 

• A statement of suitability (personal statement) (maximum 750 words)
• Provide evidence of the lead Behaviour - Leadership (maximum 250 words)

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The statement of suitability should be aligned to demonstrate your skills and experience for the role and how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job description.

For guidance on how to construct your personal statement, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links – Statement

For guidance on how to construct your behaviour examples, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links – Behaviours

The sift will be held on the lead Behaviour - Leadership and the statement of suitability (personal statement).

The statement of suitability will be scored first for all candidates. Those candidates who achieve the minimum pass score for the statement of suitability, will progress to a further sift where the lead Behaviour Leadership will be scored. These candidates will therefore receive a sift score for both elements. Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the statement of suitability will not have their lead Behaviour Leadership scored and will therefore only receive a sift score for the statement of suitability.

However, if a large number of applications are received, the sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability (personal statement) only.

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will be a blended approach of Strength-based questions and Behaviour-based questions on all listed Behaviours.

Strengths are the things that you do regularly, do well and that motivate you. To find out more about strength based questions click here 

For guidance on how to construct your behaviour examples, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links – Behaviours 

Problems during the application process

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application (e.g. you have ticked the incorrect eligibility box), please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk at least two working days before the vacancy closes. After this, we may not be able to reopen your application.

Please note, we cannot make amendments to any part of the application.

Please use the following in the subject line in your email if you need to get in contact with us about your initial application “Please re-open my application – Vacancy Ref 347861 CLOSING DATE 22 April 2024".

For reasonable adjustments queries or requests, please see details with reasonable adjustments section.

Tie break decisions

The strengths and/or behaviours being assessed will be ranked in order of importance to enable us to differentiate between candidates with tied interview scores. Please note that the order in which behaviours are listed in the advert does not necessarily reflect the order of importance.

Sift and Interview dates

Sift is expected to take place week commencing 22nd April 2024.

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 13th May 2024.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however on occasions these dates may change.

Interviews will be carried out via video. Candidates will be required to have access to:

• A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam
• Good internet connection
• Microsoft Teams

Further information

For meaningful checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years if the role requires CTC clearance, 5 years for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.  A lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. 

If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Selecting your locations

Please note you should only list locations where you are prepared to work and can travel to (as you could be offered any of your noted preferences).

When completing your application, you will have the opportunity to select your preferred location(s). Please ensure you select all locations you are interested in on the understanding that you can be posted to any location that you put in your preferences. If you would only like to be posted to one location, please confirm one location only. If you are posted to a location that you have requested and you do not accept that location, you may not be offered another role. Please note, only advertised locations can be offered.

Reserve List

Where a campaign identifies more appointable candidates than there are available vacancies, a reserve list may be held for up to 12 months.

Reserve lists will be managed by locational merit lists, appointing in merit order per location. You may be offered a post at any of your preferred locations.

Whilst on a reserve list we may offer you an alternative similar role in the Home Office. Should you reject an alternative role, you will remain on the reserve list for the role you applied for. If you accept an alternative role, you will be withdrawn from the reserve list.

Please note there are no guarantees that further vacancies will arise in the locations you originally applied for before your time on the reserve list expires.

Candidates Please Note:

Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. All applications are screened for plagiarism and copying of examples/answers from internet sources. If any is detected the application will be withdrawn from the process. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving internal candidates. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.

If you are currently an agency member of staff working within the Home Office, a contractor or contingent worker you can only apply for roles that are advertised externally, i.e.: outside the civil service. If you are eligible to apply for a role, you are required to select yourself as an external applicant and not internal when submitting your application on Civil Service jobs. This will prevent any delays in pre-employment checks should you become successful in being made an offer of employment after the Interview stage.

Annual Hours Working Allowance

We operate 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. This role currently attracts Annualised Hours Allowance of 21%. This is to compensate for working shift patterns including night shifts, early morning starts, late night finishes, weekends, and public holidays.  Shifts can vary in length and can be up to 12 hours. Shifts can be changed or extended according to business need. The rate payable is dependent on location and role and is indicative of the shift pattern you will be required to work.

The higher the AHA, the more flexible you will be required to be. Please note that the allowance is subject to regular review and can go down as well as up.

Age: These are shift working roles and so you must be at least 18 years or over to apply for this role. You will be required to work between 22.00 and 06.00, so this is a legal requirement. For more information visit: https://www.gov.uk/night-working-hours and Child employment: Restrictions on child employment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Training and Development

SPEAR (Spontaneous Protection Enabling Accelerated Response)

These roles can be physically demanding and if successful you will be required to complete and pass specialist training including SPEAR which develops skills in personal safety such as tactical body positioning, breakaway, blocking and parry.

A formal offer will be conditional upon you being physically fit to undertake and pass the training.

You must be prepared to undertake regular refreshers of this. 

Flexible working

These roles are suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office following training.

Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.

We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

For further information please see the attached notes for candidates which must be read before making an application.

Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details.

Transfer Terms: Voluntary.

If you are invited to an interview you will be required to  bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks.

Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.

Any move to the Home Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
• Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.