Operational Support Grade (Prison Support Role)
HM Prison & Probation Service – Arreton, Isle of Wight
The OSG role does not attract Sponsorship via the Skilled Worker visa/Tier 2 (general) work visa. Travel to Work – Some prison establishments are situated in rural locations with limited public transport options, therefore a driving licence and own transport is beneficial but is not an essential requirement of the role (unless specified).
Please note that shift start and finish times are fixed and it is your responsibility to get to and from your place of work on time for the start of your shift. Accommodation is not provided.
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 will be doing a range of physical tasks, including 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.
Your job can include:
1. 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; patrolling and searching perimeter fence areas.
2. Control room: operating the prison radio system; monitoring CCTV, ensuring all suspicious activities are reported.
3. Visits: welcoming visitors on their arrival; escorting them if needed.
4. Correspondence: monitoring and logging mail coming into the prison; reporting any contraband items, preserving evidence where needed.
5. Night duties: ensuring cell doors are locked and all prisoners are safely accounted for.
6. Reception: photographing prisoners; processing prisoners’ property and parcels coming into the prison.
7. Prisoner supervision: sometimes supervising prisoners; exchanging clothing and property; helping prison officers escort prisoners around the prison.
8. Food delivery: walking around the prison delivering and collecting food trollies, or sometimes using an electric tug vehicle.
9. Driving duties: transporting prisoners and their escorts to their destination; collecting mail from the local sorting office, which may involve lifting heavy sacks.
10. Phone calls: monitoring the prison’s Personal Identification Number (PIN) phone system; maintaining the log of PIN phone requests from prisoners; completing relevant records.
11. Procedures and protocol: understanding and conforming to national and local policies, responding appropriately to incidents and emergencies.
You do not 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.
Salary: National - £27,840. 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.
Benefits: In addition to your base pay, you will receive: annual leave of 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, including working night shifts, evenings, weekends, and Bank/Public holidays on a rolling shift pattern.
How to apply:
1. Tell us about yourself.
2. Click apply and fill in your personal details on our application form.
3. 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 behaviour-based assessment that assesses whether you have the right natural strengths and behavioural preferences to become an Operational Support Grade.
Job offers: ‘merit’ vacancy. If you are successful at the interview, you will be added to a merit list based on your score. You can stay on the merit list for 12 months. After this, you will 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.
Working for the Civil Service: 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.
Reasonable Adjustment Support: As a Disability Confident employer, the MoJ is committed to ensuring that everyone can demonstrate their skills, talent, and abilities. Applying for reasonable adjustment support has been made simple.
Diversity & Inclusion: The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain, and invest in talent wherever it is found.
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