22193 - Operational Support Grade - HMP Birmingham - 12 Months FTC - (Prison Support Role)

Job summary

Please see the job description.

Job description

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

An extraordinary job. Done by someone like you.

These positions are offered on a 12 month Fixed Term Contract basis working shifts Monday to Fridaybetween the hours of 0645 to 1800.

HMP Birmingham is seeking three Operational Support Grades (OSG) on a fixed‑term basis to support ongoing prison refurbishment and infrastructure projects. The post holder will work alongside the primary contractor (Galliford Try) to ensure all construction activity is conducted safely, securely, and in line with prison security requirements within a live custodial environment.

This is a key operational role, providing access control, contractor escorting, tool accountability, and supervision of vehicle and material movements across the establishment. Staff will be issued and wear at all times while on duty 5 points PPE (Safety Helmet, Glasses, Gloves, Boots and Hi-visibility vest or jacket.

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 will be doing a range of physical tasks. These can include lifting and carrying, plus long periods of standing and walking.

You will not always be in contact with prisoners, it depends on the prison you work in. You will have full training and a supportive team by your side.

Address

HMP Birmingham, Winson Green Rd, Birmingham B18 4AS

Salary

£25,409

City / Town

Birmingham

Region

West Midlands

Travel to Work – Some prison establishments are situated in rural locations with limited public transport options, therefore a driving licence and own transport is beneficial but is not an essential requirement of the role (unless specified*). Please note that shift start and finish times are fixed and it is your responsibility to get to and from your place of work on time for the start of your shift. Please carefully consider the location of this vacancy and your transport options.

Accommodation is not provided.

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

• 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 do not 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.

National - £25,409

The salary figures quoted are for a 37-hour working week.

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 the generous Civil Service pension scheme
• season ticket loans, retail discounts, an Employee Assistance Programme, and a Cycle to Work scheme.

Hours

You will work an average of 37 hours per week, working shifts Monday to Friday between the hours of 0645 to 1800.

How to apply

Tell us about yourself
Click apply and fill in your personal details on our application form

Online test

Take a short online test
When you apply, you will receive an email with detailed instructions on how to take our online test. This online test is a values-based assessment (VBA). We use this assessment to understand how well you demonstrate the values needed to be an effective OSG. On average, if completed in one sitting, the assessment takes up to 20 minutes to complete, but everyone is different and there is no time limit so please complete it at your own pace. The assessment contains a variety of questions styles using different formats. Before you complete the assessment, we recommend you familiarise yourself with the format of the question styles by completing the example questions.

If you were unsuccessful at the online test stage in the last 6 months, you can now re‑apply. You will be invited to complete the new values‑based assessment.

If you pass stage 1 of the application process, we will invite you to an interview.

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.

For more information please visit our website

Job offers: ‘merit’ vacancy.

This is a ‘merit’ job vacancy. If you are successful at the interview, you will be added to a merit list based on your score.

When all applicants have completed the assessment, the prison will make job offers to those with the highest scores first when positions become available.

You can stay on the merit list for 12 months. After this, you will need to apply again.

If your application is unsuccessful at the sift/Interview stage, a six-month waiting period will be applied during which time you will not be allowed to submit any further applications for Operational Support Grade positions.

The jobholder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.

Working for the Civil Service

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