22270 - Governor - HMP Belmarsh in London

The role of Governor is a critical and privileged position for any prison where through effective leadership, lives can be transformed and public safety protected. This is a rare and exciting career opportunity for an exceptional candidate with the right blend of skills and experience to lead HMP Belmarsh. HMP Belmarsh is part of the Long-Term and High Security Estate (LTHSE) and has a unique and critical role as both a busy reception prison serving London courts and a Category A prison managing some of the highest risk and complex offenders within HMPPS.

Senior Management - The job holder will be a Senior Manager and is accountable for the provision of leadership, direction, coordination, strategic decisions and risks for a large/complex establishment with managerial responsibility for all staff across their functions. They are accountable for the budgets allocated to functions and the effective and efficient use of resources to ensure the security of establishment. Job holders within this Group Profile will be responsible and accountable for running an establishment which has been defined as complex, providing staff management, risk management, leadership and strategic direction. They will be deploying highly developed operational managerial skills and experience, gained from managing a variety of establishments. The jobholder will be required to deal with political and media attention as the establishment may house prisoners who are considered notorious or in the public interest. These are operational and prisoner-facing roles.

Typical tasks associated with this Group Profile include:

• Accountable for ensuring a safe, decent and secure environment is maintained for prisoners and staff
• Accountable for providing leadership and direction for staff including coaching and mentoring for managers
• Lead on the development and communication of a decency strategy for the establishment that encompasses staff, prisoners and visitors
• Accountable for the promotion of prison service policy in all activities and behaviours by promoting diversity, decency, safety and reducing re-offending agendas
• Accountable for strategic planning and assessing particular needs of establishment prisoner population and making changes to regimes accordingly
• Accountable for ensuring the establishment has effective contingency and emergency plans in place
• Accountable for local employee relations maintaining and building relationships and partnerships where possible to facilitate negotiations with trade unions
• Accountable for the establishment’s overall achievement of Service Delivery Indicators (SDIs) and standards, leading on the performance and delivery of targets relating to the budget and People Plan
• Accountable for the performance and development of the Senior Management Team (SMT), actively addressing underperformance whilst valuing the positive contributions of staff
• Accountable for chairing local grievance appeals, conduct and discipline and capability hearings
• Accountable for the management prioritisation and allocation of resources to deliver the Establishment strategic plan
• Accountable for ensuring key messages are delivered to all staff through appropriate levels of communication e.g. full staff briefings, presentations and staff notices
• Accountable for reviewing and sanctioning impact assessments for policies before local implementation
• Accountable for overall monitoring and control of the establishment budget, prioritising expenditure with budget holders.

The job holder must have either been successfully accredited at the Senior Operational Manager (SOM) assessment or been successfully accredited by passing both the Governor Assessment Centre (GAC) and the Deputy Governor & Governor Incident Management Silver Command (IMSC) Assessment. An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English.

Additional Information

Working Arrangements & Further Information: The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and/or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

Benefits: Annual Leave - The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non-standard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment. Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays - You are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays. These hours are added to your annual leave allowance. There is a requirement to work some public and bank holidays subject to your shift pattern and the operational needs of the establishment.

Pension - The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best. Work Life Balance: HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) is keen to encourage alternative working arrangements. Work life balance provides greater opportunities for staff to work more flexibly wherever managers and establishments can accommodate requests to do so.

Eligibility - All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post. All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS.