Contract Support Officer - Homelessness Prevention Team

Ministry of Justice; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ministry of Justice in Manchester is recruiting a Contract Support Officer for a 12-month fixed-term contract to join the Homelessness Prevention Team. The role focuses on coordinating contract delivery, supporting the CAS3 programme, and providing performance information to ensure contractual and funding requirements are met.

Hybrid working arrangements apply where business needs allow. The successful candidate will work with Probation, Local Authorities and accommodation providers,

Qualifications

• Strong organisational and analytical abilities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience with performance data and reporting is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate contract activities and ensure timely delivery against deliverables.
• Support management, monitoring and improvement of the CAS3 programme across Greater Manchester.
• Assist in governance, risk, and assurance activities and contract reviews.
• Gather, analyse and present performance data to support decision making.

Skills

Contract management

Data analysis

Performance reporting

Job description

The Greater Manchester Community Integration Team is seeking to recruit a Contract Support Officer on a 12-month Fixed Term Contract to join the Homelessness Prevention Team (HPT). This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of partnership delivery, supporting accommodation and support services that help people leaving prison secure safe, stable housing and reduce the risk of reoffending. The role plays a pivotal part in supporting the delivery of key regional priorities, ensuring that contractual commitments, partnership objectives and externally funded programmes are delivered effectively and on schedule. Working closely with colleagues across Probation, Local Authorities, accommodation providers and wider stakeholders, you will help maintain the strong collaborative relationships that underpin successful homelessness prevention and community integration initiatives. A key focus of the role will be supporting the management, monitoring and continuous improvement of the Community Accommodation Service Tier 3 (CAS3) programme across Greater Manchester. Acting as a central point of coordination, you will help ensure programme activity remains on track, risks and issues are identified early, governance arrangements are maintained, and contractual deliverables are achieved within agreed timescales. Alongside programme coordination, you will support contract management activity, stakeholder engagement, assurance processes and service reviews, helping to ensure that commissioned services deliver positive outcomes for service users and meet required quality standards. The successful candidate will be confident working with data and performance information, gathering, analysing and presenting intelligence to support decision-making and provide assurance against contractual and funding requirements. This includes producing management information for Performance & Quality reporting, Service Delivery Reviews across all Greater Manchester Local Authority boroughs, and wider contract monitoring and commercial reporting activity. We’re looking for someone who is highly organised, analytical and collaborative, with excellent communication skills and the ability to build effective working relationships with a wide range of partners. In return, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to innovative work that brings together housing, probation and local systems to prevent homelessness, improve rehabilitation outcomes and support safer communities. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to develop their experience in contract management, performance and partnership working while making a meaningful contribution to one of Greater Manchester’s key homelessness prevention programmes. Internal GMPS applicants must obtain written approval from their Head of Function/PDU before applying. 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. The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate’s Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

Annual Leave

• Annual Leave -The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non standard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro‑rated 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

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'll 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.

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.

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. For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.