Land Based Activities - Specialist Production Instructor (SPI) - Commercial Horticulture (Ref: [...]

HM Prison and Probation Service; Morton; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A national correctional service in the UK is seeking a skilled individual for horticultural maintenance and prisoner training. The role involves managing crop development, training prisoners in gardening skills, and supervising daily tasks. Ideal candidates must have a Level 3 qualification in horticulture, experience in supervisory roles, and knowledge of health and safety regulations. This position offers a competitive salary of £33,275 with excellent benefits, including a strong pension contribution.

Benefits

Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension

Flexible working options

Diverse working culture

Qualifications

• Must have experience in a supervisory role.
• Conversant with soil husbandry and crop protection.
• Experience using industrial standard machinery.

Responsibilities

• Maintain soil husbandry and crop development.
• Train and induct prisoners in health and safety.
• Assess prisoners’ skills towards national qualifications.

Skills

Soil husbandry

Crop production technology

Communication skills

Supervisory experience

Education

Level 3 qualification in horticulture

PA2 and PA6 pesticide qualifications

Tools

Industrial standard machinery

Job description

The job holder will be responsible for the day‑to‑day maintenance, harvesting and cultivating of the establishment's gardens, ensuring protected cropping is grown and harvested to the highest standards and assess accredited vocational qualifications to prisoners. This is a non‑operational job in an establishment with no line management responsibilities.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

• Maintain correct field‑scale soil husbandry, ensuring all stages of crop development are followed in accordance with good horticultural practice.
• Maintain the growing plant/crop to ensure optimum development and/or cropping, ensuring that the plant's needs are fully met.
• Maintain effective biological pest control measures and any necessary chemical crop protection programmes.
• Resolve any prisoner work issues, setting tasks to match their ability whilst ensuring safety and production are maintained at all times.
• Ensure produce grown on‑site is prepared and packaged appropriately, taking into consideration appropriate labelling, grading and overall presentation.
• Maintain sports fields as per agreed plan with both the Farms and Gardens Manager and PE Department.
• Carry out preventative pest control measures across area of responsibility.
• May participate in the selection process of prisoners for the workshop/area of work.
• Induct prisoners to the workshop/area of work and train them in aspects such as Health and Safety, Control of Substance Hazardous to health (COSHH), machinery and tools usage.
• Provide support for prisoners where required; tailor learning and training requirements to individual needs.
• Set work schedules and manage targets/quality standards, maintaining delivery of contractual arrangements.
• Assess and evaluate skills of prisoners up to national qualification standards.
• Supervise and maintain discipline of prisoners within workshop/area of work, responsible for performance, motivation, discipline, appraisal and development of prisoners.
• Maintain regular communications via radio net in accordance with Local Security Strategy (LSS).
• Open and complete Assessment Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) forms, Violence Reduction Incident Reports (VRIR) and Security Information Reports (SIRs) when required and contribute to Incentive Earned Privileges (IEP) reports.
• Will conduct a metal detector scan or rub‑down search of prisoners attending and leaving their own workshops.
• Provide quality assurance against product specification.
• Log attendance and approve prisoner hours worked and wages including recording piece work where appropriate.
• Carry out fabric and tool checks of workshops and maintain security of areas, logging any tool/equipment faults. Undertake planned maintenance programme on machinery.
• Contribute to prisoner reports including parole and sentence planning.
• Complete regime monitoring information and update prisoner training records.
• Contribute to Health and Safety risk assessments relating to the workshop/work of area and specialist areas.
• Request materials and estimate usage in order to meet work targets.
• Initiate product development reviews to maintain workshop/area of work output levels, and to provide variety of work and experience for prisoners.
• Participate in self‑audit and in achieving Service Delivery Indicators (SDIs).
• Complete administration activities to support the smooth running of the workshop.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re‑examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh. We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Developing Self and Others

Technical skills

• Provide an appraisal of relevant courses and training that supports your suitability to the role.
• Provide your understanding of relevant Health and Safety legislation when it comes to undertaking a role such as this.
• Discuss the importance of planning and projection when it comes to commercial horticultural development and sustainability.

Security

• Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
• People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.

Nationality requirements

• UK nationals
• National of the Republic of Ireland
• National of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• National of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre‑settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• National of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre‑settled status under the EUSS
• Individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

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. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and 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.

Essential Experience

• Must have experience in a supervisory role.
• Must be conversant with soil and growing medium husbandry, crop protection, crop production technology, plant protection technology options, preparation of fresh produce for sale, including grading, labelling and presentation.
• Should have experience of using industrial standard machinery and equipment.

Technical Requirements

• Staff must hold a Level 3 qualification in horticulture or a recognised horticultural industry equivalent, or be trained to the appropriate level within two years.
• Holding PA2 and PA6 pesticide qualifications would be a requirement.
• Must have current knowledge of all relevant Health and Safety and Control of Substance Hazardous to health (COSHH) regulations.
• May be required to be an accredited Assessor.
• Must hold a full current United Kingdom (UK) driving licence to enable tractor and other vehicle driving operations in the course of the post holder's duties, in addition to prisoner instruction duties on farm vehicles.
• When transferring to a Young Persons establishment the job holder will be required to successfully undertake an assessment to demonstrate suitability to work with Young People.

Ability

• IT Skills
• Basic Maths
• Basic English

Benefits

• Alongside your salary of £33,275, HM Prison & Probation Service contributes £9,639 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work‑life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance

For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please visit the Candidate Information Page.