Detention Custody Officer - HIRC

Mitie Cleaning & Hygiene Services; Greater London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Life Insurance

Free meals on duty

Free onsite parking

Uniform provided

Free gym access

Discount vouchers

Full training on pay

Job summary

Mitie Cleaning & Hygiene Services in the Heathrow area is recruiting a Detention Custody Officer to join our team at the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre. You will help keep residents safe and secure while delivering compassionate care and welfare.

No prior experience is required, as full training is provided on full pay. The role involves 40 hours per week, shift work including days and nights, and benefits such as pension, life insurance, and free meals on duty.

Qualifications

• No previous security experience required; full training provided.
• 5-week initial training course paid.
• Security clearance and background checks required.
• Eligibility to obtain CTC clearance.

Responsibilities

• Maintain security and safety of residents at the IRC.
• Deliver compassionate care and welfare services to residents.
• Work shifts covering days and nights (40 hours per week).
• Collaborate with team to deliver high-quality public services.

Job description

Better places, thriving communities.

Detention Custody Officer - Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre

Care & Custody will be holding assessment centres on the following dates:

Throughout October to November 2026

• £32,848.40 per annum
• 40 hours per week
• Pension
• Life insurance
• Free meals on duty
• Free onsite parking
• Uniform provided.
• Free gym use
• Retail and restaurant discount vouchers
• No experience necessary full training given.

FULL TRAINING GIVEN ON FULL PAY.

Are you looking for a new role where you can genuinely make a difference to people's lives?

Care & Custody is one of the leading providers of outsourced public services in the UK. We're looking for respectful, diligent and caring people to join our team of Detention Custody Officers (DCO).

Specialising in custodial management services we are responsible for managing Europe's largest Immigration Removal Centre (IRC), just outside Heathrow in UB7 0HB. We care for up to 1200 immigration residents providing custody services, welfare, regime and recreational activity.

The Role

Our DCOs work with extraordinary courage and resilience, keeping those in our care safe and secure. You will be joining a team whose job security is high based on delivering essential public services through this critical role.

Working as a DCO within our team will provide you with the opportunity to maintain high standards of security and safety whilst promoting the welfare and decency of residents staying at our immigration removal centre. This is a fast-paced environment where no two days are the same. As you gain experience within this challenging role, we'll support you throughout your time to grow and develop.

• Working Hours: 40 hours per week (shift work covering days and nights)
• Flexibility will be needed to work a mixture of short and long dayshifts.
• The centre is operational 24/7/365 and your rolling roster covering 51 weeks will help you plan your work/life balance.
• You must be eligible to obtain CTC clearance. Which means you hold a valid UK passport, or EU passport with Share Code, or have ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) from a Commonwealth country, you have lived and worked in the UK for 3 years with no extended (more than 3 months) trips overseas, have no criminal conviction or be part of an ongoing police investigation.

Who we're looking for.

Being a DCO demands people skills, patience, resilience, and professionalism to handle an ever-changing day. Those in our care come from a variety of backgrounds and you will need communication skills to support colleagues, work together and deliver an exceptional service to our residents. Previous experience of sensitively dealing with a variety of people who have been agitated, confused or angry would be an advantage.

Training

Once you have passed our selection and vetting process, you'll begin your Care and Custody career by undertaking our 5-week initial training course. Training is paid and is the first day of employment.

Specific Requirements

Please note that all offers of employment are subject to security clearance and enhanced background checks.

Benefits

• Continued personal development with full support given to enhance your career.
• Ability to achieve a work/life balance.
• A benefits package including pension, private medical cover, share and MiDeals discount schemes with over 3000 offers available from your favourite retailers, leisure, and utilities companies.
• Free meals during working hours in addition to use of the IRC's fully equipped gym, free parking is also provided.

Our market-leading offering provides you with benefits that suit your lifestyle.

We have a virtual GP on hand for you and members of your household. So you can get expert advice by video or phone without having to leave your home. We offer financial wellbeing assistance through our Salary Finance scheme. For example, you could access 50% of your earned pay before payday for a small fee. Salary Finance also offers competitive loans.

When you join us, we’ll give you a link to our flexible lifestyle benefits platform, Choices. You might choose to purchase up to five extra days’ holiday each year. You might buy critical illness insurance, seek dental treatment or buy technology products at an affordable cost. There are many choices!

We give you access to high street discounts from thousands of well-known retailers, gyms and more through our MiDeals platform. And we have a cycle-to-work scheme. Life cover of up to four times your salary is available. We also offer enhanced pension contributions, a save-as-you-earn scheme, and a Mitie Matching Share Plan (you could even be awarded free shares in Mitie).

We award our employees with Mitie Stars as recognition for their hard work. There are cash prizes up for grabs each month and at the end of the year there’s a chance to scoop a top prize of £10,000!

Our success is a direct result of the experience and quality of our people. Progressing your career is therefore a top priority for us. We offer a diverse variety of training and development avenues via a wide selection of learning resources to suit you.

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long-term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments, changes or do anything differently during the recruitment process, please let us know by emailing at .

Since 1987, Mitie’s 84,000 employees have been maintaining companies globally. We are the UK’s leading facilities management and professional services company, and our clients range from household names in banking, critical government sites as well as hospitals and schools.

Join our Mitie Team.

Together our diversity makes us stronger.