202601: Prison Officer - HMP Brixton and HMP Wandsworth

Overview

Prison officer – HMP Brixton & HMP Wandsworth

HMP Brixton, Jebb Avenue, Brixton Hill, London SW2 5XF
HMP Wandsworth, Heathfield Road, London SW18 3HU

Starting salary: £41,984 (for a 39 hour week inc 20% unsocial)

City/Town: London
Region: London
Vacancy type: Merit

This role is not eligible for new Skilled Worker visas in accordance with the current immigration rules.

What makes this a unique opportunity

An extraordinary job. In this unique career, you’ll have the opportunity to carry out many different roles in any one day.

Recruitment assessment criteria

During the recruitment process you will be assessed on the following:

• communicating and influencing
• managing a quality service
• making effective decisions
• caring

Requirements to become a prison officer

• be at least 18 years old at the commencement of employment
• meet the Civil Service Nationality requirements
• pass a medical and fitness assessment
• meet the required eyesight standard in both eyes
• for safety reasons, meet a suitable standard of hearing
• tattoos are permitted if not offensive, discriminatory, violent, or intimidating; facial tattoos are generally not acceptable unless for cultural, religious, or medical reasons
• For safety reasons, everyone training to be a prison officer needs a suitable standard of hearing (without the use of hearing aids)
• To work in a high security prison (category A) you must have been a resident in the UK for the last 3 years

How to apply

After you complete your initial application form, you will be invited to complete an online test to assess basic judgement and numerical skills. If you pass, you’ll be invited to an online assessment centre (OAC). Upon successful completion of the OAC and allocation to a vacancy, you will be invited to complete a medical and fitness test, including an eyesight test, hearing test and basic health screening (including a blood pressure check).

Pay and working hours

The initial training is 37 hours a week. After training, you can choose to work 37, 39 or 41 hours a week. Your annual salary will reflect your weekly hours.

• 37 hours a week = £39,493 a year
• 39 hours a week = £41,984 a year
• 41 hours a week = £44,474 a year

All salary figures quoted include any additional allowances. The standard working week of a prison officer is based on a 39 hours per week shift pattern.

Benefits

• 25 days’ annual holiday (rising to 30 days after 10 years’ service)
• paid time off for public holidays and 1 extra privilege day
• Civil Service pension with employer contributions of 28.97%
• cycle to work scheme, travel loans and other benefits

Read more about prison officer benefits

Job offers and merit process

This is a merit vacancy. If you are successful at the online assessment centre, you will be added to a merit list based on your score. When all applicants have completed the assessment centre, the prison will make job offers to individuals 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.

Operational Support Grade (OSG) role

Although a driving licence is not a requirement for the Prison Officer role, driving duties are an essential part of the OSG role at HMP Brixton. Therefore, candidates who are unsuccessful in their Prison Officer application but offered an OSG role instead are required to hold a valid UK driving licence.

Our Online Assessment Centre (OAC) will not only assess you against the key criteria to become a prison officer but will also determine your suitability for appointment as an OSG. If following attendance at your OAC you are unsuccessful in your application to become a prison officer, we may instead offer you an alternative role as an OSG. Operational support grade – Ministry of Justice.

Code of conduct and equal opportunity

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, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission\’s recruitment principles. If you feel the recruitment process has breached the principles you can raise a complaint by contacting Shared Services Connected Ltd: call 0845 241 5358 (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm) or email Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com

Diversity, inclusion and support

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

Reasonable adjustment support: Just tick ‘yes’ when it asks if you think you might need a reasonable adjustment.