Operations Manager - Unpaid Work

Ministry of Justice; Hare Street; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ministry of Justice is seeking an Operations Manager for Unpaid Work (UPW) to lead regional delivery of contracts, manage a dispersed team, and report to the Head of Unpaid Work. The role includes on-call duties and hybrid UK-wide working arrangements.

You will oversee assessment and planning of work placements, ensure health and safety compliance, partner with agencies, and drive performance against contractual targets to support desistance and community reparation.

Qualifications

• Experience of managing staff working with challenging people in a practical work environment.
• Understanding of the Probation Service's role in the Criminal Justice System and multi-disciplinary settings.
• Knowledge of issues faced by victims of crime.
• Experience of risk management and multi-agency procedures.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet demanding deadlines.
• Flexible team player to achieve performance targets.
• Demonstrated change management and quality improvements in service delivery.
• Well-developed IT skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide effective management and leadership to the UPW team and be accountable for quality delivery.
• Ensure safe and effective delivery of court orders and associated risks.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to maximise service awareness.
• Recruit and manage staff development, attendance, and employee relations.
• Oversee project development and represent the Probation Service with partners.

Skills

Staff management

Risk management

Stakeholder engagement

Change management

IT skills

Team leadership

Flexibility

Job description

To implement and manage the strategic direction for Unpaid Work (UPW), ensuring that contract requirements are delivered efficiently and in compliance with specified standards and quality to support the overall objective to reduce reoffending. This role will be regionally based reporting directly to the Head of Unpaid Work for their region. They will have direct line management responsibility for a mobile and dispersed team working across the region. Occasional out of hours working will be required on an on‑call duty rota to ensure that lone working staff have access to management support., To ensure the requirements of the court are delivered through the assessment and planning of a diverse range of purposeful work placements, which meet health and safety requirements and ensure maximised accessibility that meets the diverse needs of people on probation. To work in partnership with other agencies and local stakeholders to ensure the quality delivery and performance of unpaid work services meet contractual targets and the achievements of good outcomes for people on probation to enable them to make suitable reparation to their communities. Overall management of the UPW team to achieve a high standard of service delivery, working efficiently whilst creating a safe working environment for staff and people on probation. Responsibilities, Activities & Duties The UPW Operations Manager may be required to undertake any combination, or all, of the duties and responsibilities set out below.

• To provide effective management and leadership to the team and be accountable for the quality delivery of good practice and team performance.
• To be accountable for the safe and effective delivery of the court order and all associated risks including reputational, organisational, public and staff safety.
• To be accountable for the statutory link with risk management multi-disciplinary forums.
• Work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to maximise awareness of Unpaid Work, for example with court report writers, sentencers and partnership agencies.
• Engage with a range of community partners including the office of the PCC, local authority forums and community safety partnerships to promote the service, negotiate partnership agreements and to generate opportunities for new placements benefiting the local communities.
• To provide management oversight regarding the suitability of offenders for community payback including the placement of high risk offenders and those with specific risk or other needs.
• To recruit and proactively manage staff development, performance, attendance management, employee relations and diversity matters in line with HR policies.
• Oversee the development and assessment of suitable projects and provide a leading role and direction in work with partners and key stakeholders, and represent the Probation Service as appropriate to the role.
• To be accountable for asset and fleet management and equipment, and ensuring the most efficient means of service delivery by aligning resources to demand in a cost effective way whilst achieving the organisation's strategic aims.
• To work with the regional Health and Safety Advisor and Health and Safety Committee and union colleagues to ensure that working practices meet statutory requirements and to investigate any Health and Safety or Information Assurance breaches and introduce necessary improvements.

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.

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.

Interviews due to take place week beginning 30/11/2026, Dates are subject to change in accordance to business need

Behaviours

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

Essential Experience

• Experience of managing staff working with challenging people in a practical work environment.
• Understanding of the role of the Probation Service in the Criminal Justice System and in a multi-disciplinary setting.
• Knowledge and understanding of the issues faced by victims of crime.
• Experience of risk management and assessment - understanding of multiagency risk assessment and management procedures.
• Experience of working under pressure and fulfilling demanding deadlines.
• Experience of working flexibly as a member of a team to achieve performance targets.
• Demonstrable achievements in managing/supporting change and effecting improvements in quality and efficiency.
• Well‑developed IT skills