43633 - IMB Business Manager

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Overview:

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) and Lay Observer (LO) Secretariat as Business Manager to the IMB. This role is based in a team of 24 staff supporting the work of the IMBs and LOs. You will be a motivated, enthusiastic individual committed to providing excellent customer service to external stakeholders in a fast-paced volunteer environment.

Members of the Independent Monitoring Boards are unpaid public appointees who provide statutory, independent oversight of the treatment and care of detainees and are appointed by the Secretary of State. IMBs operate in prisons and Young Offender Institutions (run by HM Prisons and Probation Service - MOJ), in immigration removal centres, various short-term holding facilities and on repatriation flights for those being removed from the UK (run by the Home Office).

Duties and Responsibilities:

This vacancy is for a permanent Band C (HEO) role in the MoJ IMB and LO Secretariat team. The role of the IMB Business Manager is principally to provide support to the National Chair, Dame Anne Owers and the IMB Management Boards and sub committees. The purpose of the role is also to provide support for the delivery of the IMB business plan, ensuring the Management Board is able to deliver its key deliverables.

The post holders will work closely with key stakeholders in the Secretariat Senior Leaders Team, the National Chair, Management Board and Regional Representatives.

They will act as secretary to the relevant programmes of meetings, to include setting appropriate agendas, compiling pre-meeting reports, detailed accurate minute taking and ensuring that all action points are dealt with in a timely manner. They will also manage the National Chair’s diary appointments.

They will be the first point of contact for IMB Regional Representatives. All complaints will come to the Business Manager in the first instance and they will be responsible for ensuring the process is followed according to the policy.

They will oversee the operation of the prison and immigration estates applications phone lines preparing schedules, producing statistics and being the first point of contact for volunteers.

They will be required to build relationships with key stakeholders and will be responsible for maintaining a comprehensive understanding of the IMB business.

They will have the ability to draft high quality advice and take a solutions-based approach to problems and issues.

This is a demanding and busy role where the job holder will need strong influencing and relation management skills. The job holder will be required to undertake projects and pieces of work on behalf of the IMB and Secretariat.

Other Activities

The job holders will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Ensure the National Chair and Head of Secretariat are informed of priority matters where necessary, are involved in decision making at the appropriate level and have sufficient information and advice to help them operate effectively (including oversight of all papers and correspondence).
• Provide a point of contact for pressing advice and requests e.g. ensuring that the National Chair and Head of Secretariat is apprised of any urgent or emerging issues.   Manage the National Chair’s workload, ensuring that work is prioritised appropriately and that deadlines are met.
• Undertaking work on behalf of the National Chair and Head of Secretariat in order to meet specified timescales and ensuring delivery on time and to the required quality standard.
• Responding direct to emails etc. where it is possible to do so without reference.
• Maintain and develop good relationships and working contacts with the MoJ Sponsorship Team, Ministerial departments and other key stakeholders.
• Assisting with the completion of Freedom of Information and Subject Access Requests where required.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the posts as they are 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.

Experience, Knowledge and/or Qualifications

You will need:

• Ability to engage with a range of stakeholders, and deal with difficult situations
• Ability to work to tight deadlines and under pressure
• Excellent minute taking skills and experience
• Good all-round IT skills and ability to take advantage of emerging technologies
• Ability to gather information from different sources and analyse data and financial information
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work as part of a team

Desirable Experience

• Experience of using information sharing platforms or willingness to learn
• Previous experience of WordPress and MS Access.
• Experience of working with volunteers to deliver a service, or a genuine interest in being involved in such work

Behaviours

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

The jobholder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.