Operations Manager
Home Office
Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 2nd December 2024
Details
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Contract type
Business area
Type of role
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Job summary
The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, fire, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.
Immigration Enforcement is responsible for enforcing the government’s immigration laws, tackling illegal migration, removing foreign national offenders and immigration offenders from the UK. It also aims to disrupt the organised criminal groups that exploit the vulnerable for their personal gain. Learn more on our careers pages.
The role of the Operations Manager is dynamic and exciting. You will manage a mix of reactive operational situations as well as the oversight of planned compliance and assurance activity. You will be responsible for leadership and setting direction to the Home Office Compliance Team, made up of compliance and operations managers and operations and compliance officers.
The Compliance Team will be based onsite and monitor a broad range of activity, from checking the quality of cleaning and catering, to monitoring use of force and removal of residents from the IRC onto chartered flights. Always ensuring that people detained are treated humanely and with care whilst being held securely.
Job description
Working within the compliance team is both interesting and challenging. The successful candidates will work on various workstreams encompassing changing priorities, making no two days the same. Maintaining high levels of co-operation with our service providers, stakeholders, and other interested parties, and communicating effectively and professionally is a key part of operating the compliance team.
Training
You will receive full training and support to do the job. Training takes place initially in the classroom and then continues on the job with a mentor who supports you until you are fully confident in the role. Even then you are never alone; you work as part of a team where there is always someone around for advice and support. Further information on what the training involves can be found on our website.
Please note: Personal Safety Training course of SPEAR must be completed and refreshed annually. You must be physically capable of training and passing the SPEAR course.
Working pattern
Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis.
Successful candidates will need to be able to attend for all shifts including early starts, late night finishes, and overnight shifts. These shifts may be outside of public transport operating hours.
Key responsibilities
- Providing oversight of a robust monitoring schedule, ensuring robust testing of the contractual compliance of the IRC service provided. This includes providing leadership and guidance on key contractual risk areas and ensuring that the site is run properly and securely in accordance with Detention Centre Rules 2001, Operating Standards, Detention Service Orders and the contract with the private IRC Supplier.
- Providing briefing and advice about the policies and procedures of the centre to senior managers as and when required in response to parliamentary questions and other official correspondence.
- Providing effective management to a team of Senior Operations Officers, whom this role line manages, and Operations Officers, ensuring work is evenly distributed and outputs monitored. Allowing team members to deliver high performance, whilst also developing a learning culture.
- Arranging and host high profile visits and inspections to the IRC establishment as well as providing out of hours on-call support for the IRC estate nationally, providing support to local teams during incidents. This includes providing “Duty Senior Manager” cover for the IRC estate nationally during evenings and weekends.
- Representing the Home Office at a range of internal and external meetings, including operational strategy meetings, internal and external stakeholder and supplier meetings, daily capacity review meetings. You will also be supporting the Service Delivery Manager with their duties - chairing monthly operational review meetings with suppliers and in other duties such as representation at senior management meetings.
- Production of monthly reports that provide essential data and statistics about contract delivery and the population in the centre, and providing oversight in the completion and implementation of action plans from 3rd parties within agreed timescales supporting the Service Delivery Manager.
- Management of information and data, such as litigation, freedom of information requests and subject access requests. This includes leading on areas of risk management, such as risk registers, data protection and trend analysis to ensure compliance from suppliers supporting the operational management of the establishment. Supplier audits and self-audits compliance and monitoring as well as ownership of various annual reports, accuracy checks action plans and tracking are also included.
- Assisting in supporting the Service Delivery Manager signing off business cases, tracking projects and have oversight of facilities management within the IRC.
You may be required to carry out other duties within the scope of the grade and within the limits of your skill, competence, and training.
Travel and subsistence allowances will be provided in line with policy.
Person specification
Essential criteria
- Strong interpersonal skills with proven ability to develop good working relationships with a variety of internal and external partners.
- Strong organisational skills with proven ability to plan, organise and manage time to deliver the best quality and efficient service.
- Excellent drafting and report writing skills to present to Senior Management.
- Proven record of managing others (line management or peers).
- Experience of working in a high profile and challenging environment.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in a detention or prison environment.
- Understanding of the Immigration system.
- Experience of contract monitoring/audit and assurance.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Leadership
Benefits
In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
- In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
- 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
- Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
- Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office.
- This role currently attracts Annualised Hours Allowance (AHA) of 16.58% of salary, which equates to an additional £7,414 per annum based on salary minimum. Further information can be found on our website.
- See more of our benefits on our careers website.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.
1. Application – by 2nd December 2024
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:
- CV. detailing job history and skills.
- Personal Statement (maximum 750 words).
- Evidence of the Lead Behaviour - Leadership (maximum of 250 words per Behaviour).
The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.
For guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV, Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.
2. Sift – commencing 4th December 2024
The sift will be held on the CV, Lead Behaviour - Leadership and the Personal Statement.
Your CV should consist of your career history, including any key achievements and skills for this role. Your CV will be scored and will be used to provide further context on your Personal Statement, and support conversations at interview.
The CV and Personal Statement will be scored first for all candidates. Those who achieve the minimum pass score for the CV and Personal Statement, will progress to a full sift where the Lead Behaviour - Leadership will be scored. These candidates will therefore receive a sift score for both elements. Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the CV and Personal Statement will not have their behaviour scored and will therefore only receive a sift score for the CV and Personal Statement.
However, if a large number of applications are received, the sift will be conducted on the CV and Personal Statement only.
3. Interview – commencing 7th January 2025
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be:
- Behaviours (as listed in the job advert) and Strength based questions.
The interview will take place on MS Teams.
For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.
Problems during the application process
If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.
Reserve list
A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.
Standard
All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.
Additional Security checks
As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, candidates will be subject to a range of additional checks. The range of checks carried out will depend on whether you are a current Home Office employee, existing civil servant or an external new entrant as well as the role requirements. Further details are included in the Notes to Candidates.
Further information
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
If you are invited to an interview, you will be required to bring documentation for the purposes of establishing your identity.
You will need to meet the nationality requirements for this role and obtain the necessary security clearance to take it up. For meaningful security checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. Learn more on our website. Security Checks - Home Office Careers
Visa sponsorship
We do not sponsor individuals via Skilled Worker Sponsorship / Tier 2 (General) work visas.
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
- Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Home Office Resourcing Centre
- Email : HORCCampaignTeamIE@homeoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
