Operational Manager
Home Office
Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 10th February 2025
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.
IRSC was formed in 2023 bringing together Returns Logistics Operations, Escorting Operations and Detention Progression and Returns, alongside Central Operations. These teams are at the heart of Immigration Enforcement’s operational activity to deliver the return of Foreign National Offenders and those with no leave to be in the United Kingdom as part of the wider Returns Directorate.
This is an exciting opportunity for the right candidates to utilise and develop their leadership, people and engagement skills within an extremely busy and high performing team, in a role that is both rewarding and energising.
This is a physically demanding role.
Job description
This post sits within the Detention Engagement Team (DET), which is a dynamic and responsive team working as part of Detention, Progression and Returns to enhance the quality and frequency of engagements between Home Office and the people entering Immigration Removal Centres (IRC).
IRCs are secure buildings that hold detained individuals (residents) prior to their removal from the United Kingdom or for nationality and identification purposes. The DETs are based on-site and interact with residents face-to-face.
You will be the on-site operational lead for the team, responsible for day-to-day delivery, resolution of issues, and escalation as appropriate. You will engage with stakeholders on and off site, IRC contractors, casework teams, wider Home Office teams and healthcare contractors to ensure that vulnerability and risk issues are identified and managed effectively at the earliest opportunity. You will be an escalation point for complex cases across the Home Office.
You will also work with Senior Management Team colleagues to improve operational delivery of the DETs, sharing best practice across the DET network.
We welcome applications from candidates who are able to work independently in a fast paced environment and are confident, resilient self-starters who have an ability to build relationships of trust and work collaboratively as part of a dynamic team.
Key Responsibilities
The successful candidate will be responsible for (but not limited to):
- Managing and supporting the Engagement Officers, dealing with higher level issues and escalations in relation to the wider business
- Leading by example in promoting visibility, both within the administrative and residential working areas
- Carrying out quarterly assurance checks on engagements undertaken within their respective hierarchy
- Working closely with the local service provider to ensure that their welfare team are responding and acting to resolve any areas of concerns of people in Immigration Detention
- Overseeing the operational management of DETs, monitoring contact across multiple routes (face to face, email, telephone and post) ensuring that all contacts are dealt with, enabling business critical Service Level Agreements to be met
- Undertaking proactive workforce management ensuring optimal deployment of resources across business hours, escalating issues, exercising effective financial control in managing resources, ensuring propriety, compliance and value for money
- Overseeing the delivery of DET functions with quality, timeliness and attention to detail, providing guidance and support to your team relating to sometimes complex Immigration Enforcement policy and procedural issues involving those in Immigration Detention
- Be proficient in managing HR issues in line with policy. You will be responsible for line managing approximately 8 members of staff
Working Pattern
Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis.
The DETs operation between 07:30 to 21:00 hours during weekdays, and 08:00 to 19:30 hours on weekends.
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.
Successful candidates will be expected to undertake SPEAR training.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
- Strong interpersonal and leadership skills
- Experience of leading an operational team
- Ability to work in a fast-changing environment
- Experience of working in collaboratively across teams and with external organisations at a senior level
- Experience of engaging and building trust with stakeholders to generate commitment to goals
Desirable Criteria
- Knowledge of Immigration Detention
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Making Effective Decisions
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.
- This role currently attracts Annualised Hours Allowance (AHA) between 11.89% - 19.45% of salary depending on location, which equates to an additional £4,434.97 - £7,449.35 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.
As part of the application process, you will first be asked to confirm your eligibility by providing some basic personal information.
After submission of this first stage, you will be invited to complete the following Civil Service Management Judgement test.
1. Online Test – by 10th February 2025
If you successfully pass the Civil Service Management Judgement test, you will be invited to complete the full application form. Please complete the online test as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended). If you fail to complete the online test or full application before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn.
Guidance for the Civil Service test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The online tests are accessed via the Civil Service Jobs website.
You cannot complete the test on a mobile phone or tablet.
Following successful completion of your test, you will then be asked to complete the full application form.
2. Application – by 10th February 2025
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:
- Personal Statement (maximum 750 words).
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 (Personal Statement), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.
3. Sift – week commencing 10th February 2025
The sift will be held on the Personal Statement.
4. Interview – week commencing 3rd March 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 via Microsoft 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.
Location Preferences
You will only be able to select a single location preference so please ensure this is a location that you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at your preferred location and you decline, your application will be withdrawn.
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.
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 not guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.
Reserve lists will be held for each location and profession. Candidates will be appointed in merit order by location and profession.
Standards
All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.
Integrity Check
As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, you will also be subject to an additional Integrity Check, as part of the pre-employment process, to determine your suitability to work for Border Force or Immigration Enforcement. For further information on what this involves, please visit our website.
Further Information
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.
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
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
principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance
HORecruitment.GRS@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.
