*Operational Manager in Gosport

**Operational Manager

Company: Government Recruitment Service

Salary: £41,750 to £44,250 a year

Hours: Full-time

Location: Gosport

Job type: Permanent

Posting date: 27 Aug 2026

Closing date: 9 Sept 2026

Summary

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, 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. We also aim to disrupt the organised criminal groups that exploit the vulnerable for their personal gain.

International & Returns Services Command was formed in 2023 bringing together Returns Logistics Operations, Escorting Operations and Detention Progression and Returns, alongside Central Operations. These teams are at the heart of Immigration Enforcement’s operational activity to deliver the return of Foreign National Offenders and those with no leave to be in the United Kingdom as part of the wider Returns Directorate.

This is an exciting opportunity for the right candidates to utilise and develop their leadership, people and engagement skills within an extremely busy and high performing team, in a role that is both rewarding and energising.

This post sits within the Detention Engagement Team (DET), a dynamic and responsive team working as part of Detention, Progression and Returns to enhance the quality and frequency of engagement between the Home Office and people entering Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs).

IRCs are secure facilities that hold detained individuals (residents) prior to their removal from the United Kingdom or for nationality and identification purposes. DETs are based on site and interact with residents face to face.

You will be the on-site operational lead for the team, responsible for day-to-day delivery, the resolution of issues, and escalation where appropriate. You will engage with stakeholders both on and off site, including IRC contractors, caseworking teams, wider Home Office teams and healthcare contractors, to ensure that vulnerability and risk issues are identified and managed effectively at the earliest opportunity. You will act as an escalation point for complex cases across the Home Office.

You will also work with Senior Management Team colleagues to improve the operational delivery of DETs, sharing best practice across the DET network.

We welcome applications from candidates who can work independently in a fast-paced environment and who are confident, resilient self-starters with the ability to build trusted relationships and work collaboratively as part of a dynamic team.

Key Responsibilities

• Leading by example and maintaining strong visibility across administrative and residential areas.
• Completing quarterly assurance checks to ensure quality and compliance within the hierarchy.
• Working with the local service provider to ensure welfare concerns for people in Immigration Detention are promptly addressed.
• Overseeing DET operations and multi-channel contact, ensuring all enquiries are handled and Service Level Agreements are met.
• Managing workforce deployment, escalating issues, and exercising effective financial control to ensure propriety and value for money.
• Ensuring high-quality, timely DET delivery and providing guidance on complex Immigration Enforcement policies and procedures.
• Managing HR matters in line with policy, including the line management of approximately eight staff.

You may be required to undertake the same or a similar role within a different team or teams (where possible, at your base location or within reasonable travel distance), depending on business priorities. With appropriate training and support, this will provide opportunities to broaden both your experience and skill set.

Working Pattern

Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis.

Successful candidates will need to be able to attend for all shifts including early starts, late night finishes, and overnight shifts. These shifts may be outside of public transport operating hours.

This position requires 100% office attendance, hybrid working is not available.

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.

This role can be physically demanding and if successful you will be required to complete and pass Personal Safety Training (PST) Level 2 which develops skills in personal safety techniques.

Further information on what the training involves can be found on our website.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.