28575 - Operational Support Grade HMP/YOI Downview & HMP Highdown

£22,500
14
12 Months
London
Sutton
HM Prison Downview, SM2 5PD, HM Prison High Down, SM2 5PJ
AA
Band 2
Permanent
Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working
Operational Delivery

Overview of the job    

It takes teamwork to support our prisons.

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. Unlike our prison officers, your contact with offenders is limited, although depending on the particular prison you may interact with offenders occasionally.

You don’t 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.

In addition to your base pay, you will receive:

  • 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after 10 years (calculated on a pro-rata basis)
  • 9 days bank, public and privilege holidays
  • access to a paid Level 2 apprenticeship in customer service
  • access to the generous Civil Service pension scheme
  • access to childcare vouchers, season ticket loans, retail discounts, an Employee Assistance Programme and a Cycle to Work scheme

Outer London - £22,500

The salary figures quoted are for a 37 hour working week inclusive of a 17% unsocial hours working allowance and any additional market supplement payment that will only be paid at certain locations.

Responsibilities, activities and duties

You will be flexibly deployed to perform operational roles across the prison as required. 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, escorting 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 escorts 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

 

How to apply

Stage 1

  1. Tell us about yourself
    Click apply and fill in your personal details on our application form

  2. Take a short online test
    When you apply, you will receive an email with detailed instructions on how to take our online test. This is a game-based assessment that checks you have the right natural strengths and preferences to become an Operational Support Grade. This will take around 40 minutes to complete, but there is no time limit.
    You don
    t need to be a gamer to do well on this test. Were just looking for your natural ability to succeed in the role.

Before you take the real test, we recommend taking a practice assessment through our Firefly Freedom mobile app. This will help prepare you for the real test.
Download the practice test onto your mobile device by clicking one of the below links. You will need the code
ADJT to take the test.


Android Download
iOS Download

Stage 2

If you pass the test, we’ll invite you for an interview.

The interview is the ideal opportunity to tell us more about yourself, your work history or personal experiences, so we can get to know you better and assess how you will be suited to prison work.

 

For more information please visit our website: www.prisonsupportrole.co.uk

 

Job offers: ‘merit’ vacancy

 

This is a ‘merit’ job vacancy. If you are successful at the interview you will be added to a merit list based on your score.

 

When all applicants have completed the interview, the prison will make job offers to those with the highest scores first when positions become available.

 

You can stay on the merit list for 12 months. After this, you’ll need to apply again.

 

Please note - you are applying to a cluster campaign and as such may   be allocated to any one of the prisons listed in this advert.

 

Please be advised that we reserve the right to close this campaign earlier than the stated closing date should we receive a large number of applicants.

The job holder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.
In addition you will receive 17% unsocial workings allowance. This has been inlcuded in the salary figures quoted.
Please see job description.
To be Confirmed

08/09/2019, 23:55 hours.

This application is for a cluster campaign, and as such may be allocated to any on the prisons listed in this advert.

Closing Date 8th September 2019.

Please be aware that we reserve the right to pause or close this campaign at an earlier time than the stated closing date, should a large number of applications be received

If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5359  (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or email Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@sscl.gse.gov.uk Please quote the job reference 28575.

Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.

if you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance

We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.


Application form stage assessments

Interview stage assessments

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.
Behaviours
Communicating and Influencing
Delivering at Pace
Managing a Quality Service
Working Together
Strengths may also be assessed at interview but these are not shared in advance.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

· UK nationals

· nationals of the Republic of Ireland

· nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK

· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

· individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020

· Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

This Vacancy is closed to applications.