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Location
About the job
Job summary
Job description
An extraordinary job. Done by someone like you.
The OSG role does not attract Sponsorship via the Skilled Worker visa/Tier 2 (general) work visa.
As part of our Prison Support team, your work will be varied and help to keep the prison moving.
This is an active role where you’ll be doing a range of physical tasks. These can include lifting and carrying, plus long periods of standing and walking. There will also be periods of lone working whilst undertaking tasks on both day and night shifts.
You will not always be in contact with prisoners, it depends on the prison you work in. You’ll have full training and a supportive team by your side.
Life as an OSG
Your job can include:
Gate duties
- ensuring the secure entry and exit of staff, visitors, vehicles
- carrying out searches of staff, prisoners, visitors and vehicles
- walking around the prison site to escort vehicles and contractors
- issuing and collecting staff keys and radios
- walking around the prison site patrolling and searching perimeter fence areas
Control room
- operating the prison radio system
- monitoring CCTV, ensuring all suspicious activities are reported
Visits
- welcoming visitors on their arrival
- escorting them if needed
Correspondence
- monitoring and logging mail coming into the prison
- reporting any contraband items, preserving evidence where needed
Night duties
- ensuring cell doors are locked and all prisoners are safely accounted for
Reception
- photographing prisoners
- processing prisoners’ property and parcels coming into the prison
Prisoner supervision
- sometimes supervising prisoners
- exchanging clothing and property
- helping prison officers escort prisoners around the prison
Food delivery
- walking around the prison delivering and collecting food trollies, or sometimes using an electric tug vehicle
Driving duties
- transporting prisoners and their escorts to their destination
- collecting mail from the local sorting office, which may involve lifting heavy sacks
Phone calls
- monitoring the prison’s Personal Identification Number (PIN) phone system
- maintaining the log of PIN phone requests from prisoners
- completing relevant records
Procedures and protocol
- understanding and conforming to national and local policies, responding appropriately to incidents and emergencies
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.
National - £25,626
The salary figures quoted are for a 37 hour working week inclusive of 20% unsocial hours working allowance which is included in the salary to reflect the requirement to work nights, evening and weekend shifts.
In addition to your base pay, you will receive:
- annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after 10 years’ service (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
- season ticket loans, retail discounts, an Employee Assistance Programme and a Cycle to Work scheme
Hours
You will work an average of 37 hours per week, and this will include working night shifts, evenings, weekends and Bank/Public holidays on a rolling shift pattern (these days are added to your holiday allowance) The frequency of night shifts will vary for each Establishment and can be discussed at interview. For an example of the shift times that you could be working please visit our website
Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. HMPPS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they can be accommodated and meet the demands of the role and business needs.
How to apply
Stage 1
- Tell us about yourself
Click apply and fill in your personal details on our application form
Stage 2
1.You will then receive an invitation to book your interview
At the interview we will assess you against the following Success Profile behaviours At the interview we will assess you against the following Success Profile behaviours -
Communicating and Influencing
Managing a Quality Service
The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of behaviours and experience. It will provide 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. Your Strengths will also be assessed at interview, but these are not shared in advance.
Success Profiles
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.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are taking measures to ensure both candidate and staff safety, as a result, some prisons will be conducting live video interviews. All details will be sent to you before your interview.
For more information please visit our website
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 assessment, 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.
If your application is unsuccessful at the sift/Interview stage, a six month waiting period will be applied during which time you will not be allowed to submit any further applications for Operational Support Grade positions.
The jobholder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.
Allowance Details
In addition, you will receive 20% unsocial working allowance which is included to reflect the requirement to work nights, evenings and weekend shifts. The allowance has been included in the salary figures quoted.
Working for the Civil Service
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
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order
1- To Shared Service Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com);
2- To Ministry of Justice Resourcing (resourcing-services@justice.gov.uk);
3- To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)
We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.
Disability support
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.
You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team.
Person specification
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service
Benefits
Working Arrangements & Further Information
Some of MoJ’s, including NOMS, 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 working hours for this post are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid.
Benefits
Annual Leave
The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non standard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment. If you were appointed internally and your leave was previously calculated in days, this will continue to be the case.
Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays
You are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays. These hours are added to your annual leave allowance. There is a requirement to work some public and bank holidays subject to your shift pattern and the operational needs of the establishment.
Pension
The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.
Work Life Balance
The Prison Service is keen to encourage alternative working arrangements. Work life balance provides greater opportunities for staff to work more flexibly wherever managers and establishments can accommodate requests to do so. The Prison Service offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period and NVQ.
Season Ticket Advance
After two months’ service, you’ll be eligible to apply for a season ticket advance to purchase a quarterly or longer-period season ticket for travel between home and your place of work.
Training
In addition to the individual induction programme which will be delivered at the Establishment and will include security and diversity training and you will be required to attend a two week training course which will provide you with the knowledge and skills required to effectively carry out your duties.
The Prison Service is committed to staff development and offers a range of training and development opportunities, including areas such as Equality and Diversity, Dealing with Challenging Behaviour, Suicide Prevention and Anti Bullying Programmes.
There are opportunities to access promotion programmes and the Prison Service provide a variety of training appropriate to individual posts.
Eligibility
All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post
All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within NOMS
All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which the Prison Service considers to be racist.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Additional information Closing Date: 16th April 2024, 23:55pm
Interview Dates: To be confirmed
If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or email Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com Please quote the job reference - 85668
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
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)
- 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
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).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
