Operational Support Grade

Ministry of Justice; Ford; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Season ticket loans

Retail discounts

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle to Work

Civil Service pension

25 days annual leave (increasing to 30

days after 10 years

Job summary

Ministry of Justice invites applications for an Operational Support Grade to help run a busy prison. The role covers gate duties, CCTV monitoring, prisoner supervision, and reception tasks, with shifts including nights, evenings, weekends and holidays.

You will join a close-knit team ensuring smooth daily operations and compliance with procedures. The position involves 37 hours per week with a 20% unsocial hours allowance included in the salary, reflecting night, evening and weekend work.

Qualifications

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Caring
• English proficiency

Responsibilities

• gate/portal duties: ensure secure entry/exit and carry out searches
• control room: monitor CCTV and radio
• visits: book and process visitors
• night duties: ensure cells are locked and prisoners accounted for
• reception: support property processes and document handling
• prisoner supervision: monitor movement and manage exchanges
• food delivery: trolley delivery and use of a vehicle
• driving duties: transport prisoners
• phone calls: log PIN system and keep audit trails
• adhere to national/local policies and invoke emergency procedures

Skills

Communicating and Influencing

Managing a Quality Service

Making Effective Decisions

Caring

English proficiency

Job description

As an Operational Support Grade, you will look after the day-to-day running of a busy prison, working in a close-knit team to carry out a range of support services - everything from patrol and gate duties, to managing deliveries, supervising visitors, and monitoring phone calls and CCTV. You will work shifts and nights to keep things running., You will work an average of 37 hours per week and this will include working night shifts, evenings, weekends and Bank/Public holidays (these days are added to your holiday allowance) on a rolling shift pattern. The frequency of night shifts will vary for each Establishment and can be discussed at interview. For an example of the shift times that you could be working please visit our website

Responsibilities, activities and duties are likely to include:

• gate/portal duties: ensure the secure entry and exit of staff, visitors, vehicles; carry out searches of staff, prisoners, visitors, contractors and vehicles; issue and collect staff keys/radios
• control room: operate the establishment radio system and monitor CCTV ensuring all suspicious activities are reported
• visits: book visits; identify and process visitors on their arrival, escort them if required
• censors/correspondence: monitor/log mail and report any illicit or contraband items, maintaining the preservation of evidence
• night duties: ensure cell doors are locked/secure and all prisoners are safely accounted for
• reception: assist in supporting appropriate tasks in reception; photograph prisoners; collate documentation for the property process; search/x-ray incoming prisoner property and parcels; receive items for prisoners and check all seals are intact on property storage
• prisoner supervision: supervise prisoners as required; undertake prisoner clothing/property exchange and assist officers with free flow movement
• food delivery: food trolley delivery and collection, which may involve the use of an electric tug vehicle
• driving duties: transport prisoners and their escort to their destination in the cellular vehicle; collect mail from local sorting office
• phone calls: monitor the Personal Identification Number (PIN) system, maintaining the log of PIN Phone requests from prisoners; complete all relevant paperwork keeping an audit trail of conversations; check that legal numbers are registered solicitors
• procedures and protocol: understand and conform to national and local policies, responding appropriately to invoke emergency procedures and the actions required in relation to incidents

At the interview we will assess you against the following Success Profile behaviours -

• Communicating and Influencing
• The job holder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh., Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Caring
• annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after 10 years' service (calculated on a pro-rata basis)
• 9 days bank, public and privilege holidays
• access to the generous Civil Service pension scheme
• season ticket loans, retail discounts, an Employee Assistance Programme and a Cycle to Work scheme
• Salary: £30,491
• The salary figures quoted are for a 37 hour working week inclusive of 20% unsocial hours working allowance which is included in the salary to reflect the requirement to work nights, evening and weekend shifts
• Hours