11468 - Operational Support Grade - HMP Wayland (Prison Support Role)

Job Overview

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). The 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. Please carefully consider the location of this vacancy and your transport options. Accommodation is not provided.

Key Responsibilities

• 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.
• 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 – 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.
• Helping to keep a prison running smoothly and safely requires good judgement, common sense, responsibility and, above all teamwork.

Essential Requirements

• You do not need any formal qualifications to do this job.
• The jobholder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.

Benefits

Annual Leave – 25 days on appointment (pro‑rated) increasing to 30 days after 10 years.
Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays – 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes).
State Pension – Civil Service pension scheme.
Other benefits include paid Level 2 apprenticeship, season ticket loans, retail discounts, Employee Assistance Programme, Cycle to Work scheme.

Working Hours

Standard full‑time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid.
Shift work includes night, evening, weekend, and public holiday shifts on a rolling pattern.

Application Information

Contact: To Shared Service Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 – Monday to Friday 8 am – 6 pm) or email Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com. Alternative contact: Ministry of Justice Resourcing (resourcing-services@justice.gov.uk). Civil Service Commission – details available on the website.
Deadline: 13th November 2025, 23:55 hours.
All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation, internal candidates to 3 months.