Operational Support Grade - HMP Sudbury (Prison Support Role)

Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. HMPPS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they can be accommodated and meet the demands of the role and business needs.

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'll 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'll have full training and a supportive team by your side.

Life as an OSG

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 trollies, or sometimes using an electric tug vehicle


Driving duties

• transporting prisoners and their escorts to their destination


• 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 don't 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., 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 (these days are added to your holiday allowance) The frequency of night shifts will vary for each Establishment and can be discussed at interview. For an example of the shift times that you could be working please visit our website, When you apply, you will receive an email with detailed instructions on how to take our online test. This is a behaviour-based assessment that assesses whether you have the right natural strengths and behavioural preferences to become an Operational Support Grade. You will complete a series of mini tasks that are designed to elicit your natural behavioural preferences (e.g., how you naturally tend to make decisions). Whilst the tasks themselves aren't set in the context of the role; they are designed to observe the behaviours that are most important for the role. This will take around 40 minutes to complete, but there is no time limit.
You don't need to be a gamer to do well on this test. We're just looking for your natural ability to succeed in the role.

Before you take the test, you will have the opportunity to practice and prepare for the real test. You will receive information and a link to access this and the actual test once you apply.

Stage 2

If you pass the test, we'll invite you for an interview.

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. It will provide 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. Your Strengths will also be assessed at interview, but these are not shared in advance., You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team.
The job holder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.
Allowance Details 1
In addition you will receive 20% unsocial working allowance. This has been included in the salary figures quoted.
Additional Information 1, Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.
if you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance
Supporting document 1 1
Band-2-SSO-Operational-Support-Grade-General-JD010-v9.0.pdf - 185KB

We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage., The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

Communicating and Influencing
Managing a Quality Service
Strengths may also be assessed at interview but these are not shared in advance.

National - £25,625

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, 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. If you were appointed internally and your leave was previously calculated in days, this will continue to be the case.

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

The Prison Service 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. The Prison Service offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period and NVQ.

Season Ticket Advance

After two months' service, you'll be eligible to apply for a season ticket advance to purchase a quarterly or longer-period season ticket for travel between home and your place of work.

Training

In addition to the individual induction programme which will be delivered at the Establishment and will include security and diversity training and you will be required to attend a two-week training course which will provide you with the knowledge and skills required to effectively carry out your duties.

The Prison Service is committed to staff development and offers a range of training and development opportunities, including areas such as Equality and Diversity, Dealing with Challenging Behaviour, Suicide Prevention and Anti Bullying Programmes.

There are opportunities to access promotion programmes and the Prison Service provide a variety of training appropriate to individual posts.

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 NOMS

All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which the Prison Service considers to be racist.
Interview dates 1
To be confirmed
Closing Date