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.
Detention Services (DS) is part of Immigration Enforcement (IE) and supports compliance across the immigration system through the detention and removal of individuals who no longer have the right to remain in the UK, and for whom other enforcement approaches have been unsuccessful. DS is responsible for running the immigration detention estate, which comprises of several Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs). We have a responsibility to ensure that men and women in detention are held securely, safely and are treated with dignity and respect.
This post sits within the compliance team within the IRC.
The role of the Senior Operations Officer is dynamic and exciting. You will manage a mix of reactive operational situations as well as planned compliance activity. You will run the Home Office Compliance team, comprising of Operations Officers (EOs), whom you will line manage, and who ensure effective service delivery by the IRC Supplier and provide assurance that the centre is operating appropriately in line with Home Office expectations, legislation and published standards and policies.
The Compliance Team are based onsite to ensure that detained people are treated humanely and with care whilst being held securely. The team monitor a broad range of activities, from checking the quality of cleaning and catering, to monitoring use of force and removal of residents from the IRC onto chartered flights.
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.
Key responsibilities
* Providing oversight of a robust monitoring schedule, testing the contractual compliance of the service provided by the IRC’s Supplier, 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.
* Representing the Home Office at a range of internal meetings, including strategy meetings for difficult removals, daily operational meetings and resident consultative and other meetings as required, chairing weekly contractual meetings, which reviews the contractor’s performances and challenges non-delivery.
* Supporting the Operations Manager (SEO) and Service Delivery Manager (G7) in the completion and implementation of action plans from 3rd parties within agreed timescales.
* Carrying out Immigration Enforcement's statutory duties around the centre, including authorising the use of temporary confinement or removal from association and investigating complaints made against the contractor, when required.
* 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 alongside producing monthly reports that provide essential data and statistics about contract delivery and the population in the centre.
* Facilitating and lead on official visits to the IRC when required.
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.
Working pattern
Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis.
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About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .