Operational Support Grade - HMP New Hall (Prison Support Role)

Ministry of Justice; Wakefield; Hybrid; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave 25 days + pro-rata after

9 bank/public/privilege holidays

Civil Service pension scheme

Season ticket loans

Retail discounts

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle to Work

Job summary

Ministry of Justice in Wakefield is recruiting for Operational Support Grade roles. This active position involves varied tasks across facilities, including security duties, driving responsibilities, and shift work including nights and weekends.

You will be supported by a team and receive full training to help keep the prison running safely. There is hybrid working where business needs allow, and successful candidates will operate across HMP New Hall and other sites.

Qualifications

• No formal qualifications are required for this role.

Responsibilities

• Ensure the secure entry and exit of staff, visitors and vehicles.
• Carry out searches of staff, prisoners, visitors and vehicles.
• Walk around the prison site to escort vehicles and contractors.
• Issue and collect staff keys and radios.
• Patrol and search perimeter fence areas.
• Operate the prison radio system; monitor CCTV and report suspicious activity.
• Greet visitors, escort them when needed, monitor mail, report contraband and ensure prisoners are accounted for.
• Photograph prisoners, process prisoners' property, sometimes supervise prisoners, exchange clothing and property.
• Drive duties include transporting prisoners and escorts, collecting mail, monitoring PIN phone system and maintaining PIN logs.

Job description

Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working

20-Aug-2026

Location

Wakefield

AA

Number of jobs available

6

Job ID

20942

Descriptions & requirements

Allstaff have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.The post holder must undertake the appropriate level of training and isresponsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguardingpolicies of the organisation.

PLEASE NOTE Driving duties are an essential part of the OSG role at HMP New Halland therefore candidates are required to hold a full, valid UK driving licence.

Descriptions & requirements

An extraordinary job. Done by someone like you.

As part of our prison support team, your work will be varied and help to keep the prison moving. This is an active role where you will be doing a range of physical tasks. These can include lifting and carrying, plus long periods of standing and walking. There will also be periods of lone working whilst undertaking tasks on both day and night shifts.

You will not always be in contact with prisoners, it depends on the prison you work in. You will have full training and a supportive team by your side.

Address

HMP New hall, 5 New Hall Way, Flockton, Wakefield WF4 4AX

City / Town

Wakefield

Region

Yorkshire and the Humber

Travel to Work – Some prison establishments are situated in rural locations with limited public transport options, therefore a driving licence and own transport is beneficial but is not an essential requirement of the role (unless specified). Please note that shift start and finish times are fixed and it is your responsibility to get to and from your place of work on time for the start of your shift. Please carefully consider the location of this vacancy and your transport options.

PLEASE NOTE Driving duties are an essential part of the OSG role at HMP New Hall and therefore candidates are required to hold a full, valid UK Driving Licence.

Accommodation is not provided.

Life as an OSG

Your job can include:

• ensuring the secure entry and exit of staff, visitors, vehicles.
• carrying out searches of staff, prisoners, visitors and vehicles
• walking around the prison site to escort vehicles and contractors
• issuing and collecting staff keys and radios
• walking around the prison site patrolling and searching perimeter fence areas

Control room

• operating the prison radio system
• monitoring CCTV, ensuring all suspicious activities are reported.

Visits

• welcoming visitors on their arrival
• escorting them if needed
• monitoring and logging mail coming into the prison
• reporting any contraband items, preserving evidence where needed
• ensuring cell doors are locked and all prisoners are safely accounted for.

Reception

• photographing prisoners
• processing prisoners’ property and parcels coming into the prison.
• sometimes supervising prisoners
• exchanging clothing and property
• helping prison officers escort prisoners around the prison
• walking around the prison delivering and collecting food trollies, or sometimes using an electric tug vehicle

Driving duties

• transporting prisoners and their escorts to their destination
• collecting mail from the local sorting office, which may involve lifting heavy sacks.
• monitoring the prison’s Personal Identification Number (PIN) phone system
• maintaining the log of PIN phone requests from prisoners

Procedures and protocol

• understanding and conforming to national and local policies, responding appropriately to incidents and emergencies

You do not need any qualifications to do this job. Helping to keep a prison running smoothly and safely requires good judgement, common sense, responsibility and, above all teamwork.

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.

Benefits

In addition to your base pay, you will receive:

• 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.

Hours

You will work an average of 37 hours per week, and this will include working night shifts, evenings, weekends, and Bank/Public holidays on a rolling shift pattern (these days are added to your holiday allowance) 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

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. 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 the Civil Service Commission (details available here )

Reasonable Adjustment Support

As a Disability Confident employer, the MoJ is committed to ensuring that everyone can demonstrate their skills, talent, and abilities. Offering reasonable adjustment support to candidates when they apply for one of our jobs is just one way we do this.

Before completing online tests or attending an interview, it is essential to arrange reasonable adjustment support. Due to practical and logistical constraints, our assessors cannot accommodate requests on the day. Therefore, we kindly request that you let us know in plenty of time if adjustments are required. This will help ensure the right support is in place for you when you need it.

Applying for reasonable adjustment support has been made simple. Just select ‘yes’ in the application form when it asks if you think you might need it.

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. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff.

The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

Please note that whilst tattoos are permitted, including those that are visible, they must not be deemed as offensive, discriminatory, violent or intimidating in any way. Facial tattoos are generally not acceptable, except where this is for cultural, religious, or medical reasons.

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

HM Prison & Probation Service (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 will 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

For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers

Networks

The opportunity to