Operational Manager

Job summary

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, fire, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

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.

IRSC was formed in 2023 bringing together Returns Logistics Operations, Escorting Operations and Detention Progression and Returns, alongside Central Operations. These teams are at the heart of Immigration Enforcement’s operational activity to deliver the return of Foreign National Offenders and those with no leave to be in the United Kingdom as part of the wider Returns Directorate.

This is an exciting opportunity for the right candidates to utilise and develop their leadership, people and engagement skills within an extremely busy and high performing team, in a role that is both rewarding and energising. This is also a physically demanding role.

Job description

This post sits within the Detention Engagement Team (DET), which is a dynamic and responsive team working as part of Detention, Progression and Returns to enhance the quality and frequency of engagements between Home Office and the people entering Immigration Removal Centres (IRC).

IRCs are secure buildings that hold detained individuals (residents) prior to their removal from the United Kingdom or for nationality and identification purposes. The DETs are based on-site and interact with residents face-to-face.

You will be the on-site operational lead for the team, responsible for day-to-day delivery, resolution of issues, and escalation as appropriate. You will engage with stakeholders on and off site, IRC contractors, casework teams, wider Home Office teams and healthcare contractors to ensure that vulnerability and risk issues are identified and managed effectively at the earliest opportunity. You will be an escalation point for complex cases across the Home Office.

You will also work with Senior Management Team colleagues to improve operational delivery of the DETs, sharing best practice across the DET network.

We welcome applications from candidates who are able to work independently in a fast paced environment and are confident, resilient self-starters who have an ability to build relationships of trust and work collaboratively as part of a dynamic team.

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be responsible for (but not limited to):

• Managing and supporting Engagement Officers, handling higher‑level issues and escalations across the wider business
• Leading by example to promote visibility within both administrative and residential working environments
• Conducting quarterly assurance checks on engagements undertaken within the relevant management hierarchy
• Working closely with local service providers to ensure welfare teams respond effectively to concerns raised by people in Immigration Detention
• Overseeing the operational management of DETs, monitoring contact across face‑to‑face, email, telephone and post to ensure all enquiries are handled and Service Level Agreements are met
• Delivering proactive workforce management, ensuring optimal resource deployment, effective escalation, financial control, compliance, and value for money
• Overseeing the delivery of DET functions with quality and timeliness, providing guidance on complex Immigration Enforcement policy and procedural matters
• Managing HR issues in line with policy, with line management responsibility for approximately eight staff members

Working Pattern

Due to business requirements, his role is available on a full‑time basis only.

Shift Working

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

The IRCs operate every day of the year, except Christmas Day and New Years Day, between the hours of 7:30am – 9:00pm on weekdays, and 8:00am – 7:30pm on weekends, with bank holidays operating the same as weekends.

Hybrid Working

The flexible working arrangement regarding working partly in the workplace and partly at home is not available for this role due to the requirements of the role.

Training

You will receive full training and support to do the job. Training takes place 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.

These roles can be physically demanding and if successful you will be required to complete and pass Personal Safety Training (PST) Level 2 which develops skills in personal safety techniques. The Harmondsworth and Colnbrook IRCs are multi-level buildings so you will need to be comfortable with using stairs throughout the day, as there are areas where no lifts are available.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills
• Experience of leading an operational team
• Ability to work in a fast-changing environment
• Experience of working in collaboratively across teams and with external organisations at a senior level
• Experience of engaging and building trust with stakeholders to generate commitment to goals

Desirable Criteria

• Knowledge of Immigration Detention

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
• Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
• This role currently attracts Annualised Hours Allowance (AHA) of approximately16% of salary minimum. Further information can be found on our website.
• See more of our benefits on our careers website.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.

As part of the application process, you will first be asked to confirm your eligibility by providing some basic personal information.

After submission of this first stage, you will be invited to complete the following Civil Service Judgement test.

1. Online Test – by 10th March 2026

If you successfully pass the Civil Service Judgement test, you will be invited to complete the full application form. Please complete the online test(s) as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended). If you fail to complete the online test(s) or full application before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn.

Guidance for the Civil Service test(s) will be available when you are invited to take the test(s). The online tests are accessed via the Civil Service Jobs website.

You cannot complete the tests on a mobile phone or tablet.

Our online test supplier will be performing scheduled maintenance between 4 pm. and Midnight on 1st March 2026 and 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on 8th March 2026. You will be unable to access tests during this period.

If you are in the middle of a test when the maintenance begins, your progress will be paused. You will be able to resume your test from where you left off via your application centre once the downtime has ended. Please note that you will not be able to launch any new tests while the system is offline.

Following successful completion of your test/s, you will then be asked to complete the full application form.

1. Application – by 11th March 2026

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• Personal Statement (maximum 750 words).
• Evidence of the Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions (maximum of 250 words per Behaviour).

The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.

For guidance and information on how to construct your application (Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.

1. Sift – week commencing 16th March 2026

The sift will be held on the Personal Statement and Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions.

Should a high volume of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted on the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will then be progressed to a full sift that will consist of all the remaining element, Lead Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions.Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the initial sift will not have their remaining submitted elements scored and will only receive a sift score for what was assessed at the initial sift.

1. Interview – week commencing 6th April 2026

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be Behaviours (as listed in the job advert) and Strength based questions.

The interview will take place on MS Teams.

For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.

Problems during the application process

If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.

Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.

Standards

All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Integrity Check

As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, you will also be subject to an additional Integrity Check, as part of the pre-employment process, to determine your suitability to work for Border Force or Immigration Enforcement. For further information on what this involves, please visit our website.

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs

• Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.

The level of Disclosure and Barring Service check required for this role is Enhanced. We’ll submit your Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service. We know that in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms directly. If you prefer to do that, email Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk with the job reference in the subject line.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Home Office Resourcing Centre
• Email : HORCCampaignTeamIE@homeoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service recruitment principles and you wish to make a complaint, then contact the Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

candidate_information_v16_January_2026 Opens in new window (pdf, 429kB)2025-11-17 Pre-employment Checking - Document Requirements (V17) Opens in new window (pdf, 231kB)