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General Information

Salary
£78,587 - £86,446
Working Pattern
Full Time
Does this role attract Excess Fares or PIT/Relocation terms
Excess Fares
Vacancy Approach
Internal
Location
Warrington
Region
North West
Closing Date
01-Dec-2025
Business Unit
Thorn Cross
Post Type
Permanent
Civil Service Grade
Grade 6
Number of jobs available
1
Reserve List
12 Months
Job ID
11948

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

Overview           

Job holders within this Group Profile will be responsible and accountable for running an establishment which has been defined as standard complexity, providing staff management, risk management, leadership and strategic direction.  They will be deploying operational managerial skills and experience, gained from managing in a variety of establishments.     

Will require highly developed leadership and managerial skills applying HMPPS strategic policies. They will have operational skills and experience to run their Prison establishment and be accredited at Senior Operational Manager level deeming them suitable to be in charge.

These roles are operational and prisoner-facing roles.

Characteristics              

Typical tasks associated with this Group Profile include:

            Accountable for ensuring a safe, decent and secure environment is maintained for prisoners and staff

            Accountable for providing leadership and direction for staff including coaching and mentoring for managers

            Lead on the development and communication of a decency strategy for the establishment that encompasses staff, prisoners and visitors

            Accountable for the promotion of prison service policy in all activities and behaviours by promoting diversity, decency, safety and reducing re-offending agendas

            Accountable for strategic planning and assessing particular needs of establishment prisoner population and making changes to regimes accordingly

            Accountable for ensuring the establishment has effective contingency and emergency plans in place

            Accountable for local employee relations maintaining and building relationships and partnerships where possible to facilitate negotiations with trade unions

            Accountable for the establishment’s overall achievement of Service Delivery Indicators (SDIs) and standards, leading on the performance and delivery of targets relating to the budget and People Plan 

            Accountable for the performance and development of the

Senior Management Team (SMT), actively addressing underperformance whilst valuing the positive contributions of staff 

            Accountable for chairing local grievance appeals, conduct and discipline and capability hearings

            Accountable for the management prioritisation and allocation of resources to deliver the Establishment strategic plan

            Accountable for ensuring key messages are delivered to all staff through appropriate levels of communication e.g. full staff briefings, presentations and staff notices

            Accountable for reviewing and sanctioning impact assessments for policies before local implementation

            Accountable for overall monitoring and control of the establishment budget, prioritising expenditure with budget holders.

Job Descriptions relating to this Group Profile The job holder once in post will be in matched to a job description; a sample list is shown below. The post is rotational so the job holder could during their career carry out the role of different job descriptions.

            Governor Standard

            Governor Standard : Centre Manager

            Governor Standard : YP 

Essential Skills/Qualifications/Accreditation/Registration      

The job holder must have either been successfully accredited at the Senior Operational Manager (SOM) assessment or been successfully accredited by passing both the Governor

Assessment Centre (GAC) and the Deputy Governor & Governor Incident Management Silver Command (IMSC) Assessment.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.

Hours of Work and Allowances              

37 hour working week

Required Hours Allowance

This role requires working regular unsocial hours and a payment at the current approved organisation rate will be made in addition to your basic pay to recognise this. Unsocial hours are those hours outside 0700 - 1900hrs Monday to Friday and include working evenings, nights, weekends and Bank/Public Holidays.

Behaviours        

            Delivering at Pace

            Leadership

            Communicating and Influencing 

            Seeing the Bigger Picture

            Managing a Quality Service

            Developing Self and Others

            Making Effective Decisions   

Technical

Requirements N.B these are the technical requirements for the group profile, please check the individual job description relating to this group profile for any job specific requirements and add if required.

• The job holder must have either been successfully accredited at the Senior Operational Manager (SOM) assessment or been successfully accredited by passing both the Governor Assessment Centre (GAC) and the Deputy Governor & Governor Incident Management Silver Command (IMSC) Assessment.


Additional Information

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks.

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid. HMPPS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the HMPPS’ Flexible Working policy.

If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff.

The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

Benefits

Annual Leave

-The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non standard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment. If you were appointed internally and your leave was previously calculated in days, this will continue to be the case.

Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays

-You are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays. These hours are added to your annual leave allowance. There is a requirement to work some public and bank holidays subject to your shift pattern and the operational needs of the establishment

Pension

-The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Work Life Balance

HM Prison & Probation Service  (HMPPS) is keen to encourage alternative working arrangements. Work life balance provides greater opportunities for staff to work more flexibly wherever managers and establishments can accommodate requests to do so. HMPPS offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period and NVQ

Season Ticket Advance

-After two months’ service, you’ll be eligible to apply for a season ticket advance to purchase a quarterly or longer-period season ticket for travel between home and your place of work

Childcare Vouchers

For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers

Training

HMPPS is committed to staff development and offers a range of training and development opportunities, including areas such as Equality and Diversity, Dealing with Challenging Behaviour, Suicide Prevention and Anti Bullying Programmes

-There are opportunities to access promotion programmes and HMPPS provides a variety of training appropriate to individual posts

-All staff receive security and diversity training and an individual induction programme into their new roles

Eligibility

-All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post

-All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS

-All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which the HMPPS considers to be racist

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.

You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.

For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos.

Diversity & Inclusion

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

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit: 
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

Civil Service Nationality Rules

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) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
  • 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) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

Reserve list

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.


Contact Information
MoJ:

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Please quote the job reference

HMPPS

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Please quote the job reference 11948

Allowance

This role requires regularly working unpredictable and unsocial hours and be on call to attend their place of work at anytime. A  20% payment will be paid in addition to your basic pay to recognise this. Unsocial hours are those hours outside 0700 - 1900hrs Monday to Friday and include working evening, nights, weekends and Bank / Public holidays.

This vacancy attracts the following Additional Allowances
Excess Fares

Application form stage assessments

Behaviours
Behaviours Application Form Question Word Limit
250
Leadership
Communicating and Influencing
Developing Self and Others
Making Effective Decisions
Delivering at Pace
Technical
Technical Questions Application Form Question Word Limit
250
The job holder must have either been successfully accredited
at the Senior Operational Manager (SOM) assessment or
been successfully accredited by passing both the Governor
Assessment Centre (GAC) and the Deputy Governor &
Governor Incident Management Silver Command (IMSC)
Assessment

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates
TBC - Expected mid-December 2025
Behaviours
Leadership
Communicating and Influencing
Developing Self and Others
Making Effective Decisions
Delivering at Pace
Strengths
Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here.

Other Assessments

Which assessment methods will be used?
Presentation
Level of security checks required
DBS Standard

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.