Community Payback supervisor

Ministry of Justice; Ramsgate; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave 25–30 days

LGPS pension

Training and development

Flexible benefits

Family-friendly policies

Parental leave

Sight tests

Job summary

Ministry of Justice seeks a Community Payback Supervisor to lead small teams, supervise unpaid work hours and ensure tasks such as clearing overgrowth, restoring facilities and landscaping are completed to schedule.

You will require a full UK manual driving licence, be prepared to work weekends, and travel across the East Kent region as needed. The role offers progression under the Civil Service pay framework and a competitive starting salary.

Qualifications

• Full UK manual driving licence is required.
• Experience leading and supervising groups is desirable.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead small teams to complete unpaid work hours.
• Supervise and motivate teams to achieve project targets.
• Perform manual tasks such as clearing overgrowth and restoring facilities.
• Plant trees, litter picking and graffiti removal as part of community payback.
• Work weekends and occasional evenings as required.

Skills

People skills

Leadership

Communication

Driving licence

Job description

Location & Working Hours

This role is based in East Kent (Ashford or Ramsgate), we have full and part time options available, with a fixed base location with an expectation that you will travel as Operational delivery requires to other offices within the Region. You will receive travel allowance at the relevant financial year rate and terms of contract). This role will require a flexible approach with start times from 7.00 AM and finish time of 16.45 PM and will include weekend shifts. We currently have flexible full and part time position available with a working pattern must include at least one weekend day with alternative days to be agreed with successful candidate. A typical full time 37-hour week will consist of 4 days at 9.25 hours per day and must include one weekend day and remaining days to be discussed as operational delivery requires. Please note: Interviews for this role will be held in person on Wednesday 4th November at Ashford (Kent) Probation Office. This will be a full-day assessment event, providing an opportunity for you to meet colleagues and gain insight into the role through a visit to a live Community Payback project. You will be required to arrive at 09.45am, with the morning dedicated to the site visit. Your interview will then take place in the afternoon. Please note that interviews will only be conducted on this date. You must be available for the full day, as we are unable to offer alternative dates or reschedule appointments.

Candidate Requirements

• Candidates must hold a full UK Manual Driving Licence when applying for this role, this is a mandatory technical requirement in order to carry out this role. We cannot accept candidates who hold an automatic Driving Licence only.
• A career in community payback gives you the power to make a positive impact on the lives of People on Probation as well as your community. People come from all walks of life to form one team in the Probation Service. It's all about supporting People on Probation on their journey and making your community a better place. Whether that's building benches or cleaning the streets, you're there because you genuinely want to help., The Community Payback supervisor role is accommodated to people on probation who work or have caring responsibilities. Community Payback projects run 7 days a week therefore you will: work frequent weekends, and you may be asked to cover some evenings. You will be paid a higher rate of 50% for weekend days you do work. In this role, the pace of our work means that rest breaks don't always happen in the standard way. When this happens, we make sure your wellbeing is looked after. Your wellbeing really matters to us, so we want to be open about this from the outset. If you're someone who enjoys a varied, active role where no two days are the same, this is a great environment to make a real difference while being fully supported.
• The Community Payback supervisor role is accommodated to people on probation who work or have caring responsibilities. Community Payback projects run 7 days a week therefore you will: work frequent weekends, and you may be asked to cover some evenings. You will be paid a higher rate of 50% for weekend days you do work. In this role, the pace of our work means that rest breaks don't always happen in the standard way. When this happens, we make sure your wellbeing is looked after. Your wellbeing really matters to us, so we want to be open about this from the outset. If you're someone who enjoys a varied, active role where no two days are the same, this is a great environment to make a real difference while being fully supported.

The Probation Service offers the opportunity for annual pay progression through a Competency Based Framework (CBF), which if eligible, will see your pay increase. CBF is designed to enable you to move up through the pay band range as your competence grows. New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band. Probation Service also increase their pay band ranges annually in line with Civil Service Pay guidance, which will also apply an increase to band pay ranges where applicable.

Right to work in the UK

You must have the right to work in the UK and Civil Service (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules).

Skilled Worker visa changes from 22 July 2025

In accordance with current immigration rules, this role is not eligible for a new Skilled Worker visa. From 22 July 2025, the Government introduced changes to the eligibility criteria for Skilled Worker visas. As a result: HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) cannot consider sponsoring you to work as a community payback supervisor unless you have held a Skilled Worker visa prior to the 22 July 2025 changes.

If you have held a Skilled Worker visa continuously, please raise this during your pre-employment checks and your eligibility will be assessed in accordance with the immigration rules and transitional provisions in place.

If you apply to be a community payback supervisor and you have not held a Skilled Worker visa prior to 22 July 2025, you will need to consider your options for obtaining and/or maintaining your right to work in the UK in light of these changes.

If your application is successful, you will need to ensure that you have and maintain the legal right to live and work in the Civil Service and in the United Kingdom. HMPPS will continue to comply with UK Immigration Rules applied in the UK and Civil Service. You can read more about Skilled Worker visas and the eligibility criteria here.

About the Role

Community Payback Supervisors will work with a diverse mix of individuals, so it's important that you're empathetic, a good communicator and happy to take the lead. It's all about supporting offenders on their journey and making your community a better place. Whether that's building benches or cleaning the streets, you're there because you genuinely want to help people. As a Community Payback supervisor, you'll be at the heart of this work, leading small teams to complete their unpaid work hours. You'll supervise and motivate them to complete a range of manual tasks to pay back for the harm they've caused. These tasks could include clearing overgrowth to make public spaces safer, restoring community facilities such as sports halls and playgrounds, planting trees or laying flowerbeds, and litter picking and graffiti removal.

About You

• Excellent people and communication skills
• The confidence to lead, motivate and supervise groups
• A full UK manual driving licence to drive Community Payback minibuses, transport equipment and travel to project sites
• Got practical skills or a trade? Even better. We'd particularly welcome applicants with experience in areas such as painting and decorating, carpentry, gardening, grounds maintenance, construction, landscaping or general maintenance. This is a hands‑on role where you'll help people on probation make a positive contribution to their local communities while developing skills and work habits that support rehabilitation. You may draw on experience from any setting, including employment, the Armed Forces, voluntary work, education, community projects, construction, maintenance, landscaping or other relevant activities.

Eligibility

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

Benefits

The work is varied, challenging and meaningful and comes with job security, great benefits and career progression opportunities – not to mention the chance to make a real difference to people's lives and our communities.

Starting salary will be £28,064, Pro-Rata for Part-Time roles.

• Annual Leave: 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years' service, plus public holidays. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
• Pension: The National Probation Service is covered by the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) run through the Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF). Please visit www.gmpf.org.uk for further information. Any current Civil Servant who is a member of the PCSPS, by accepting an offer of employment to the National Probation Services will be opted out of the PCSPS and auto‑enrolled into the Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Training: The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.
• 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.
• A range of 'Family Friendly' policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
• Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
• For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare.
• Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
• Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order:

• To Transformative Business Services (0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail [e-mail]);
• To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team ([e-mail]);
• To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team. For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.