**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, 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.

International & Returns Services Command 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.

Job description

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

IRCs are secure facilities that hold detained individuals (residents) prior to their removal from the United Kingdom or for nationality and identification purposes. 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, the resolution of issues, and escalation where appropriate. You will engage with stakeholders both on and off site, including IRC contractors, caseworking 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 act as an escalation point for complex cases across the Home Office.

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

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

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

• Leading by example and maintaining strong visibility across administrative and residential areas.
• Completing quarterly assurance checks to ensure quality and compliance within the hierarchy.
• Working with the local service provider to ensure welfare concerns for people in Immigration Detention are promptly addressed.
• Overseeing DET operations and multi‑channel contact, ensuring all enquiries are handled and Service Level Agreements are met.
• Managing workforce deployment, escalating issues, and exercising effective financial control to ensure propriety and value for money.
• Ensuring high‑quality, timely DET delivery and providing guidance on complex Immigration Enforcement policies and procedures.
• Managing HR matters in line with policy, including the line management of approximately eight staff.

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 both your experience and skill set.

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.

This position requires 100% office attendance, hybrid working is not available.

Training

You will receive full training and support to do the job. Training takes place initially in the classroom and then continues 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.

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.

Further information on what the training involves can be found on our website.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• PPST Level 2 required.
• Visible and confident leadership, with the ability to guide teams, manage performance, resolve escalations and maintain high standards of operational delivery.
• Experience delivering and assuring operational activity, ensuring compliance with policy and procedures while supporting performance through coaching and guidance.
• Strong judgement and resilience, with the ability to make sound decisions, manage risk and adapt to changing operational priorities in a complex environment.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with internal teams and external partners, influencing outcomes and resolving issues collaboratively.
• Experience of stakeholder engagement and people management, including workforce planning, handling sensitive issues and building trust to achieve shared objectives.

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of Immigration Detention

Qualifications

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

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

• Leadership

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 approximately 15.26% of salary, which equates to an additional £6,371 per annum based on salary minimum. Further information can be found on our website.
• See more of our benefits on our careers website.