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. Learn more on our careers pages.

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.

There are currently six IRCs in England and one in Scotland, with two more planned to open in England soon; Haslar IRC and Campsfield House IRC.

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 Detention Services Compliance Team operate within the IRCs, ensuring that our IRC Suppliers provide the required levels of service and care for the residents detained there, as well as oversight of all the operational activity.

This is an exciting opportunity to work in a fast paced and varied role. As an Operations Officer, you will be one of a team who monitor the standards within the IRCs and the performance of the IRC Supplier, ensuring effective delivery of contracted services. This is achieved by regularly walking throughout the IRC, interacting with IRC supplier staff and the detained residents. You will be required to climb and descend stairs.

The successful candidates will be expected to spend some time training and learning the role in other IRCs until Campsfield House is ready to open.

This role requires an element of working out of hours on a rota shared amongst the team.

Training

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.

Please note: Personal Safety Training course of SPEAR must be completed and refreshed annually. You must be physically capable of training and passing the SPEAR course.

Working patterns

Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis. However, job-share and compressed hours are available.

Shift working

Successful candidates will need to be able to attend for all shifts including early starts, late night finishes, and overnight shifts. These shifts may be outside of public transport operating hours., The successful candidates will be responsible for:

• Monitoring contractual compliance, providing regular performance summaries and feedback to the Home Office Compliance Manager, as well as providing high-quality thematic reviews into contract delivery and dip sample reports on a range of areas enabling requisite assurance of contract delivery and adherence to policy.


• Managing the team's shared inbox, responding to enquiries in a timely fashion. This may include assisting in giving advice about the policies and procedures of the IRC to managers, including responses to parliamentary questions and other official correspondence.


• Monitoring and reporting on the transfer of residents from the IRC onto their chartered removal flight.


• Assisting the Senior Operations Officer with the production of monthly reports that provide essential data and statistics relating to the IRC.


• Ensuring Residents within the centre are provided with an effective service in line with Detention Services Performance Standards & Framework. This includes collecting, processing, and auditing complaints in line with the policy, working collaboratively with the complaints department.


• Monitoring the IRC Supplier's compliance with the contract, ensuring that the site is run in a healthy, safe, and secure manner in accordance with relevant legislation.


• Carrying out Immigration Enforcement's statutory duties around the IRC, including authorising the use of temporary confinement or removal from association for residents as necessary.


• Representing the Home Office at a range of meetings that include, planning in the difficult removals of residents, daily operational meetings, resident consultative committees, Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), security, healthcare, and safer community meetings. This will include occasional minute taking at some meetings (shared between the team on rotation).