Detention Custody Operations Manager

Serco USA; Consett; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days’ holiday plus bank holidays

Contributory pension scheme

On-site care parking

Internal courses and apprenticeships

Employee assistance programme

Job summary

Serco is seeking a Detention Custody Manager at the Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre in the UK. You will lead operational teams to deliver safe, secure and respectful services for residents, ensuring welfare, security and performance while mentoring colleagues to reach their best.

This role has real purpose: building trust, care and dignity, developing high-performing teams, and delivering impactful solutions that benefit communities and support a better future.

Qualifications

• Experience leading operational teams in a secure, custodial or regulated environment.
• Strong leadership and communication skills with the ability to influence and inspire.
• Proven ability to make sound decisions and manage incidents under pressure.
• Experience planning resources, workloads and delivering against targets and service requirements.
• Proficient IT skills including MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day management of operational activities to run the centre safely and securely.
• Deploy colleagues to maintain service delivery, contractual compliance and performance.
• Support the Duty Director by coordinating daily operations and reporting incidents clearly.
• Coach and develop Detention Custody Officers and support staff.
• Ensure compliance with centre procedures, welfare, security, and health and safety standards.
• Monitor KPIs and drive continuous improvement across the team.
• Take command during incidents to protect residents, staff and operations.

Skills

Leadership

Incident management

Decision making

Resource planning

Communication

IT literacy

Education

CMI Level 3 or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Serco is seeking a Detention Custody Manager at the Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre in the UK. You will lead operational teams to deliver safe, secure and respectful services for residents, ensuring welfare, security and performance while mentoring colleagues to reach their best.

This role has real purpose: building trust, care and dignity, developing high-performing teams, and delivering impactful solutions that benefit communities and support a better future.