** Operations Officers

Job summary

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, 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. We also aim to disrupt the organised criminal groups that exploit the vulnerable for their personal gain. Learn more on our careers pages.

The Immigration Detention (ID) Compliance Team works within Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) to support the monitoring of supplier performance, ensuring that appropriate standards of service and care are provided to detained residents. The team contributes to the oversight of day-to-day operational activities, gathering evidence, escalating issues where necessary, and supporting colleagues to ensure compliance with contractual and operational requirements.

Job description

An Operations Officer forms part of a Compliance Team responsible for monitoring standards within both Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) at Gatwick, as well as overseeing the performance of the IRC Supplier to ensure the effective delivery of contracted services. This is achieved through regular engagement on-site, including walking throughout the IRCs, interacting with supplier staff and detained residents, and developing a strong understanding of the contractual obligations placed on both the supplier and the Home Office.

You will play a key role in ensuring that all aspects of the IRCs are run safely and securely, with full adherence to relevant policies, standards, and legislation. Working as part of a team, you will monitor the quality and consistency of service delivery, identifying areas of good practice as well as opportunities for improvement. This will involve maintaining a visible presence across the sites and building a comprehensive understanding of daily operations through direct observation and engagement.

The role also involves the collection and analysis of operational data to support performance monitoring and assurance activity. You will be responsible for producing timely and accurate reports, contributing to performance reviews, and providing insight to inform decision-making. In addition, you may support the planning and coordination of removals, ensuring that logistical arrangements are effectively managed where required.

You will have a responsibility to monitor incidents such as use of force, ensuring that appropriate oversight is maintained and that any concerns are identified and addressed promptly. Safeguarding is a key aspect of the role, and you will be expected to recognise, escalate, and support the resolution of any safeguarding issues involving detained individuals.

Alongside core operational duties, you will contribute to wider compliance activity, including participation in thematic reviews and targeted audits across different areas of IRC operations. You will also build and maintain effective working relationships with on-site partners and stakeholders, supporting a collaborative and transparent working environment that enables open communication and continuous improvement.

This is an exciting opportunity to work in a fast-paced and varied role, requiring strong attention to detail, effective communication skills, and the ability to work professionally in a complex operational setting.

Key Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include but aren’t limited to:

• Monitor contractual compliance and provide regular performance summaries, updates and feedback to the Home Office Compliance Manager.
• Oversee the IRC supplier’s compliance with contractual requirements, ensuring the site operates in a healthy, safe and secure manner in line with relevant legislation.
• Produce high-quality thematic reviews, dip sample reports and assurance summaries to assess contract delivery and adherence to policy.
• Ensure residents within the centre receive an effective service in line with Immigration Detention Performance Standards and Framework requirements.
• Carry out Immigration Enforcement’s statutory duties within the IRC, including authorising temporary confinement or removal from association where necessary.
• Collect, process and audit complaints in line with policy, working collaboratively with the complaints department to support effective resolution.
• Provide advice to managers on IRC policies and procedures, including supporting responses to parliamentary questions and other official correspondence.
• Manage the team’s shared inbox, responding to enquiries promptly and professionally.
• Represent the Home Office at a range of meetings, including difficult removals planning, daily operational meetings, resident consultative committees, Independent Monitoring Board meetings, security, healthcare and safer community forums.

You may be required to undertake the same or a similar role within a different team or teams, where possible at your base location or within reasonable travel distance, depending on business priorities. With appropriate training and support, this will provide opportunities to broaden your experience and skill set.

Working Pattern

Due to business requirements, this role is offered 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 overnight shifts. These shifts may be outside of public transport operating hours.

Training

You will receive full training and support to do the job. You work as part of a team where there is always someone around for advice and support.

This role 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 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

• Ability to work effectively with internal and external partners to support timely delivery of work.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to share information clearly and professionally.
• Good organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks and manage time effectively to deliver a quality service.
• Experience using the Microsoft Office suite, including Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel and SharePoint.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of working in a detention or prison environment, with understanding of the Immigration system.
• Experience of contract monitoring/audit and assurance.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

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

• Communicating and Influencing

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 22.82% of salary, which equates to an additional £7,479.71 per annum based on salary minimum. Further information can be found on our website.
• See more of our benefits on our careers website.

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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.

1. Application - by 10 July 2026

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

• Personal Statement (maximum 500 words).
• Evidence of the Behaviour - Communicating and Influencing (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.

2. Sift - 14 July 2026

The sift will be held on the Personal Statement and Behaviour - Communicating and Influencing, as listed in the advert.

3. Interview - 04 August 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 based questions.

The interview will take place on MS Teams.

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.

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.

Breaking Tied Scores

The behaviours, technical skills, experience, and strengths have been ranked in order of importance to enable us to differentiate between candidates with tied interview scores.

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.

Further Information

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct.

If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

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.

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_v17_April_2026 Opens in new window (pdf, 207kB)2025-11-17 Pre-employment Checking - Document Requirements (V17) Opens in new window (pdf, 231kB)