Detention Services Senior Operations Officer

Immigration Enforcement is responsible for enforcing the government's immigration laws, tackling illegal migration, removing foreign national offenders and immigration offenders from the UK. It also aims to disrupt the organised criminal groups that exploit the vulnerable for their personal gain. To gain a greater understanding of these exciting and challenging roles please go to the Immigration Enforcement careers page.

What is an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC)?
An IRC is a secure building that holds detained individuals (residents) who are held prior to their removal from the United Kingdom or for nationality and identification purposes.

All IRCs are overseen by the Home Office's Immigration Enforcement Detention Services and are contracted out to private companies who ensure all aspects of the IRC are run safely and securely, adhering to relevant policy, standards, and legislation.

The role of the Senior Operations Officer is dynamic and exciting. You will manage a mix of reactive operational situations as well as planned compliance activity. You will run the Home Office Compliance team, comprising of Operations Officers , whom you will line manage, and who ensure effective service delivery by the IRC Supplier and provide assurance that the centre is operating appropriately in line with Home Office expectations, legislation and published standards and policies.

The Compliance Team are based onsite to ensure that detained people are treated humanely and with care whilst being held securely. The team monitor a broad range of activities, from checking the quality of cleaning and catering, to monitoring use of force and removal of residents from the IRC onto chartered flights.

Working within the Compliance Team is both interesting and challenging. You will work on various workstreams encompassing changing priorities, making no two days the same. Maintaining high levels of co-operation with our service providers, stakeholders, and other interested parties, and communicating effectively and professionally is a key part of operating the compliance team.

Training

You will be required to complete Personal Safety Training (PST) Level 2 that must be refreshed annually.

You will receive full training and support to do the job. Training takes place initially in the classroom and then continues on the job with a mentor who supports you until you are fully confident in the role. Even then you are never alone; you work as part of a team where there is always someone around for advice and support. Further information on what the training involves can be found on our website.

This role is suitable for part-time working hours, with a minimum requirement to work 30 hours per week.,

• Providing oversight of a robust monitoring schedule, testing the contractual compliance of the service provided by the IRC's Supplier.


• Ensuring that the site is run properly and securely in accordance with Detention Centre Rules 2001, Operating Standards, Detention Service Orders and the contract with the private IRC Supplier.


• Providing effective management to a team of Operations Officers, ensuring work is evenly distributed and outputs monitored. Allowing team members to deliver high performance, whilst also developing a learning culture.


• Supporting the Operations Manager and Service Delivery Manager in the completion and implementation of action plans from third parties within agreed timescales.


• Carrying out Immigration Enforcement's statutory duties around the centre, including authorising the use of temporary confinement or removal from association and investigating complaints made against the contractor, when required.


• Providing an out of hours on-call service for Detention Operations - shared with the Operations Officers.


• Representing the Home Office at a range of internal meetings, including strategy meetings for difficult removals, daily operational meetings and resident consultative and other meetings as required.


• Chairing weekly contractual meetings, which reviews the contractor's performances and challenges non-delivery.


• Providing briefing and advice about the policies and procedures of the centre to senior managers as and when required in response to parliamentary questions and other official correspondence.


• Producing monthly reports that provide essential data and statistics about contract delivery and the population in the centre.


• Facilitating and lead on official visits to the IRC when required.


• Occasional travel required for face-to-face meetings with managers from other IRCs.