22917 - Operational Support Grade - HMP Highpoint (Prison Support Role)

Ministry of Justice; Newmarket; On-site; CAD 49,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

Ministry of Justice, HM Prison & Probation Service, is seeking staff for a Prison Support role in the Cambridge area. The position involves a range of physical tasks, extended standing/walking, and night shifts, with full training and a supportive team.

You will perform gate duties, control room tasks, visits, correspondence, reception duties and prisoner supervision. Hybrid working is offered where available, with a 37-hour week and 20% unsocial hours allowance.

Qualifications

• No formal qualifications required for this role.
• Requires good judgement, common sense, responsibility and teamwork.

Responsibilities

• Gate duties: secure entry/exit of staff, visitors, vehicles.
• Control room: operate prison radio, monitor CCTV and report suspicious activity.
• Visits: welcome visitors and escort when needed.
• Correspondence: monitor and log mail, report contraband, preserve evidence.
• Night duties: ensure cell doors are locked and prisoners accounted for.
• Reception: photograph prisoners and process prisoners’ property.
• Prisoner supervision: supervise prisoners and assist escort of prisoners.
• Food delivery: move food trolleys or use electric tug vehicle.
• Driving duties: collect mail from local sorting office and deliver as needed.
• Phone calls: monitor PIN system, log requests and complete records.
• Procedures and protocol: follow national/local policies and respond to incidents.

Job description

Job description

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

An extraordinary job. Done by someone like you.

As part of our prison support team, your work will be varied and help to keep the prison moving. This is an active role where you will be doing a range of physical tasks. These can include lifting and carrying, plus long periods of standing and walking. There will also be periods of lone working whilst undertaking tasks on both day and night shifts.

You will not always be in contact with prisoners, it depends on the prison you work in. You will have full training and a supportive team by your side.

Address
HMP Highpoint, Stradishall, Newmarket CB8 9YG
Salary
£30,491
City / Town
Cambridge
Region
East of England

Travel to Work – Some prison establishments are situated in rural locations with limited public transport options, therefore a driving licence and own transport is beneficial but is not an essential requirement of the role (unless specified*). Please note that shift start and finish times are fixed and it is your responsibility to get to and from your place of work on time for the start of your shift. Please carefully consider the location of this vacancy and your transport options.

Accommodation is not provided.

Life as an OSG

Your job can include:

Gate duties

• ensuring the secure entry and exit of staff, visitors, vehicles.
• carrying out searches of staff, prisoners, visitors and vehicles
• walking around the prison site to escort vehicles and contractors
• issuing and collecting staff keys and radios
• walking around the prison site patrolling and searching perimeter fence areas

Control room

• operating the prison radio system
• monitoring CCTV, ensuring all suspicious activities are reported.

Visits

• welcoming visitors on their arrival
• escort them if needed

Correspondence

• monitoring and logging mail coming into the prison
• reporting any contraband items, preserving evidence where needed

Night duties

• ensuring cell doors are locked and all prisoners are safely accounted for.

Reception

• photographing prisoners
• processing prisoners’ property and parcels coming into the prison.

Prisoner supervision

• sometimes supervising prisoners
• exchanging clothing and property
• helping prison officers escort prisoners around the prison

Food delivery

• walking around the prison delivering and collecting food trollies, or sometimes using an electric tug vehicle

Driving duties

• collecting mail from the local sorting office, which may involve lifting heavy sacks.

Phone calls

• monitoring the prison’s Personal Identification Number (PIN) phone system
• maintaining the log of PIN phone requests from prisoners
• completing relevant records

Procedures and protocol

• understanding and conforming to national and local policies, responding appropriately to incidents and emergencies

You do not need any qualifications to do this job. Helping to keep a prison running smoothly and safely requires good judgement, common sense, responsibility and, above all teamwork.

National - £30,491

The salary figures quoted are for a 37-hour working week inclusive of 20% unsocial hours working allowance which is included in the salary to reflect the requirement to work nights, evening, and weekend shifts.

In addition to your base pay, you will receive:

• annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after 10 years’ service (calculated on a pro-rata basis)
• 9 days bank, public and privilege holidays
• access to the generous Civil Service pension scheme
• season ticket loans, retail discounts, an Employee Assistance Programme, and a Cycle to Work scheme.

Hours

You will work an average of 37 hours per week, and this will include working night shifts, evenings, weekends, and Bank/Public holidays on a rolling shift pattern (these days are added to your holiday allowance) The frequency of night shifts will vary for each Establishment and can be discussed at interview. For an example of the shift times that you could be working please visit our website

Additional Information

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks.

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid. HMPPS welcomes part-time, flexible, and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible, and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the HMPPS’ Flexible Working policy.

If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff.

The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

Please note that whilst tattoos are permitted, including those that are visible, they must not be deemed as offensive, discriminatory, violent or intimidating in any way. Facial tattoos are generally not acceptable, except where this is for cultural, religious, or medical reasons.

Benefits

Annual Leave

The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a nonstandard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment. If you were appointed internally and your leave was previously calculated in days, this will continue to be the case.

Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays

You are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays. These hours are added to your annual leave allowance. There is a requirement to work some public and bank holidays subject to your shift pattern and the operational needs of the establishment.

Pension

The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Work Life Balance

HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) is keen to encourage alternative working arrangements. Work life balance provides greater opportunities for staff to work more flexibly wherever managers and establishments can accommodate requests to do so. HMPPS offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period and NVQ.

Season Ticket Advance

After two months’ service, you will be eligible to apply for a season ticket advance to purchase a quarterly or longer-period season ticket for travel between home and your place of work

Childcare Vouchers

For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers

Networks

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

Training

HMPPS is committed to staff development and offers a range of training and development opportunities, including areas such as Equality and Diversity, Dealing with Challenging Behaviour, Suicide Prevention and Anti Bullying Programmes

There are opportunities to access promotion programmes and HMPPS provides a variety of training appropriate to individual posts

All staff receive security and diversity training and an individual induction programme into their new roles

Eligibility

All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post.

All external candidates are subject to 6 months’ probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS.

All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which the HMPPS considers to be racist.

Interview dates: To Be Confirmed

Closing Date: 15th October 2026, 23:55 hours.