Security and Contract Support 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, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

The Chief Operating Officer Group works closely with the Home Office’s policy and operational commands to enable us together to deliver the department’s priorities. The group is comprised of different teams and professional functions, including Commercial, Finance, People, Portfolio and Project Delivery, Security, Estates and Information and Digital, Data and Technology.

Home Office Security plays a vital role in safeguarding our people, buildings, and assets. We deliver operational security services across the Home Office estate, including manned guarding, CCTV monitoring, and access control, supported by a 24/7 Security Control Room.

Job description

As aSecurity & Contract Manager, you will lead a team of security officers to ensure the safety and integrity of Home Office sites. You will oversee day-to-day operations, manage staff performance, and ensure resources are deployed effectively and within budget. You will also support the management of external security contract staff, ensuring service delivery meets agreed standards and operational requirements across assigned estates and support the national contract delivery and response. This will include travel to other estates across the country and remotely liaising with Security teams and senior business leads.

This is a dynamic role requiring strong leadership, operational oversight, and a proactive approach to continuous improvement in both internal security practices and contractor supplier performance as part of a large and growing contract.

Key Responsibilities:

• Ensure 100% adherence to contract terms, including staffing levels, vetting, and training requirements. Complete monthly compliance audits and all the Contract Schedulers items. Complete site visits, supporting those in other areas [regular travel required] ensuring Service Level Agreements are being complied with and submit contractor performance reports to senior management.
• Maintain up-to-date contract documentation and audit trails as per Contract Schedular.
• Collaborate across with all stakeholders to improve service delivery, promoting consistency, transparency, and cost-effectiveness. Encourage feedback and share lessons learned.
• Proactively support local Senior Officers and Campus Teams with Security items.
• Monitor and report on contract spend against contract budget monthly, as per the billing and invoicing process, liaising with the Contract Manager on all additions or removals
• Oversee day-to-day security operations across the estate, including deployment of resources, monitor and respond to incidents and provide advice on operational security issues.
• Report 100% of serious incidents or breaches to senior management within 24 hours and track and close incident investigations within agreed timeframes.
• Respond to incidents calmly and professionally and maintain up-to-date contingency plans and procedures. Conduct audits and review incident reports for trends, liaising with all relevant stakeholders before, during and post incident for any lessons learnt.

Working Pattern

Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis. 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

• Willingness to complete Contract Management / Finance & Project training as required. Additional training will be required depending on experience, including security mandatory training, dealing with conflict and incident response actions.

Travel

Regular travel to complete site visits across Manchester / the North / UK will be required.

Person specification

Essential:

• Strong leadership and people management skills. Including ability to manage teams over several estates with different requirements.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Knowledge of security systems, policies, and emergency procedures.
• Ability to use IT programmes to present information and data.
• Commitment to continuous improvement and high standards of service.
• Pro-actively dealing with conflict issues / aggressive customers, face to face and during follow up actions.
• Ability to work in a fast paced and high-pressure environment.

Desirable:

• Proven experience in contract management and physical security operations.
• Experience in managing budgets and contracts.

Licences

Due to the nature of the work and/or the geographical area, driving is a key requirement for this role. Applicants must have a full valid UK manual/automatic driving licence.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Leadership

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

• Managing a Quality Service

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.
• Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office.
• This role currently attracts Annualised Hours Allowance (AHA) of 28.84% of salary [£30,900], which equates to an additional £8,911.56 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 and Experience.

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.

1. Application – by 19th April 2026

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

• A CV detailing job history/skills.
• Personal Statement (maximum 750 words).
• Evidence of the Behaviour Managing a Quality Service (maximum of 250 words).

Your CV should consist of your career history and skills/experience, including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will be scored against the experience required for the role as noted within the essential criteria.

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 (CV, Personal Statement and Behaviour), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.

2. Sift – week commencing 21st April 2026

The sift will be held on the CV, Personal Statement and Behaviour Managing a Quality Service.

The CV and Personal Statement will be scored for all candidates. Those candidates who achieve the minimum pass scores for the CV and Personal Statement will then progress to a full sift where the Behaviour Managing a Quality Service will be scored. Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass scores for the CV and Personal Statement will not have their Behaviour scored and will only receive sift scores for the CV and Personal Statement.

3. Interview – from 12th May 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). All behaviours listed in the selection process will be scored at the interview.

Interviews will be in person held at Waterside Court, Leeds. Travel expenses will not be reimbursed. Further details will be provided ahead of interview.

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.

Location Preferences

You will only be able to select a single location preference so please ensure this is a location that you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at your preferred location and you decline, your application will be withdrawn.

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.

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.

Standards

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

Additional Security Checks

As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, candidates will be subject to a range of additional checks. The range of checks carried out will depend on whether you are a current Home Office employee, existing civil servant or an external new entrant as well as the role requirements. The level of Criminal Record Check required for this role is SC. Further details are included in the Notes to Candidates.

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 security 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 – Corporate Enablers
• Email : HORCCampaignTeamCorporateEnablers@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)