10441 - Operational Support Grade - HMP Hollesley Bay and HMP Warren Hill (Prison Support Role)

Overview

As an Operational Support Grade, you will look after the day‑to‑day running of a busy prison, working in a close‑knit team to carry out a range of support services – everything from patrol and gate duties, to managing deliveries, supervising visitors, and monitoring phone calls and CCTV. You will work shifts and nights to keep things running.

Salary

£ 29,432 per 37‑hour week inclusive of 20% unsocial hours working allowance. This allowance is included in the salary to reflect the requirement to work nights, evening and weekend shifts.

Hours and shift pattern

You will work an average of 37 hours per week and this will include 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.

Benefits

• Annual leave 25 days on appointment, increasing to 30 days after 10 years of service (pro‑rata)
• 9 days bank, public and privilege holidays
• Paid Level 2 apprenticeship in customer service
• Generous Civil Service pension scheme
• Season ticket loans, retail discounts, Employee Assistance Programme and Cycle to Work scheme

Responsibilities and duties

• Gate/portal duties: ensure secure entry and exit of staff, visitors, vehicles; carry out searches of staff, prisoners, visitors, contractors and vehicles; issue and collect staff keys/radios.
• Control room: operate the establishment radio system and monitor CCTV ensuring all suspicious activities are reported.
• Visits: book visits; identify and process visitors on arrival and escort them if required.
• Censors/correspondence: monitor/log mail and report any illicit or contraband items, maintaining the preservation of evidence.
• Night duties: ensure cell doors locked/secure and all prisoners safely accounted for.
• Reception: assist in supporting appropriate tasks in reception; photograph prisoners; collate documentation for the property process; search/x‑ray incoming prisoner property and parcels; receive items for prisoners and check all seals are intact on property storage.
• Prisoner supervision: supervise prisoners as required; undertake prisoner clothing/property exchange and assist officers with free flow movement.
• Food delivery: food trolley delivery and collection, which may involve the use of an electric tug vehicle.
• Driving duties: transport prisoners and their escort to their destination in the cellular vehicle; collect mail from local sorting office.
• Phone calls: monitor PIN system, maintaining the log of PIN phone requests from prisoners; complete all relevant paperwork keeping an audit trail of conversations; check that legal numbers are registered solicitors.
• Procedures and protocol: understand and conform to national and local policies, responding appropriately to invoke emergency procedures and the actions required in relation to incidents.

Behaviours, interview & merit list

At the interview we will assess you against the following Success Profile behaviours – Communicating and Influencing; Managing a Quality Service.

The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of behaviours and experience. The interview is the ideal opportunity to tell us more about yourself, your work history or personal experiences, so we can get to know you better and assess how you will be suited to prison work.

The job holder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.

Job offers: ‘merit’ vacancy. If you are successful at the interview you will be added to a merit list based on your score. When all applicants have completed the assessment, the prison will make job offers to those with the highest scores first when positions become available. You can stay on the merit list for 12 months. After this you’ll need to apply again.