Operational Support Grade - HMP Peterborough

An extraordinary job. Done by someone like you. 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. 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 will have full training and a supportive team by your side.

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 trolleys, 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.

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.

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.

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. The frequency of night shifts will vary for each establishment and can be discussed at interview.

How to apply:

• Stage 1: Tell us about yourself. Click apply and fill in your personal details on our application form.
• Stage 2: You will then receive an invitation to book your interview. The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of behaviours and experience.

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)