19797 - Operational Support Grade - HMP Durham (Prison Support Role)

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

An extraordinary job. Done by someone like you.

As part of our prison support team, your work will be varied and help to keep the prison moving. This is an active role where you will be doing a range of physical tasks. These can include lifting and carrying, plus long periods of standing and walking.  There will also be periods of lone working whilst undertaking tasks on both day and night shifts.

You will not always be in contact with prisoners, it depends on the prison you work in. You will have full training and a supportive team by your side.

Address

Salary

City / Town

Region

Travel to Work – Some prison establishments are situated in rural locations with limited public transport options, therefore a driving licence and own transport is beneficial but is not an essential requirement of the role (unless specified*).  Please note that shift start and finish times are fixed and it is your responsibility to get to and from your place of work on time for the start of your shift. Please carefully consider the location of this vacancy and your transport options.

Accommodation is not provided.

Life as an OSG

Your job can include:

Gate duties

• ensuring the secure entry and exit of staff, visitors, vehicles.
• carrying out searches of staff, prisoners, visitors and vehicles
• walking around the prison site to escort vehicles and contractors
• issuing and collecting staff keys and radios
• walking around the prison site patrolling and searching perimeter fence areas

Control room

• operating the prison radio system
• monitoring CCTV, ensuring all suspicious activities are reported.

Visits

• welcoming visitors on their arrival
• escorting them if needed

Correspondence

• monitoring and logging mail coming into the prison
• reporting any contraband items, preserving evidence where needed

Night duties

• ensuring cell doors are locked and all prisoners are safely accounted for.

Reception

• photographing prisoners
• processing prisoners’ property and parcels coming into the prison.

Prisoner supervision

• sometimes supervising prisoners
• exchanging clothing and property
• helping prison officers escort prisoners around the prison

Food delivery

• walking around the prison delivering and collecting food trollies, or sometimes using an electric tug vehicle

Driving duties

• collecting mail from the local sorting office, which may involve lifting heavy sacks.

Phone calls

• monitoring the prison’s Personal Identification Number (PIN) phone system
• maintaining the log of PIN phone requests from prisoners
• completing relevant records

Procedures and protocol

• understanding and conforming to national and local policies, responding appropriately to incidents and emergencies

You do not need any qualifications to do this job. Helping to keep a prison running smoothly and safely requires good judgement, common sense, responsibility and, above all teamwork. 

National - £30,491

The salary figures quoted are for a 37-hour working week inclusive of 20% unsocial hours working allowance which is included in the salary to reflect the requirement to work nights, evening, and weekend shifts.

In addition to your base pay, you will receive:

• annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after 10 years’ service (calculated on a pro-rata basis)
• 9 days bank, public and privilege holidays
• access to a paid Level 2 apprenticeship in customer service
• access to the generous Civil Service pension scheme
• season ticket loans, retail discounts, an Employee Assistance Programme, and a Cycle to Work scheme. 

Hours

You will work an average of 37 hours per week, and this will include working night shifts, evenings, weekends, and Bank/Public holidays on a rolling shift pattern (these days are added to your holiday allowance) The frequency of night shifts will vary for each Establishment and can be discussed at interview. For an example of the shift times that you could be working please   visit our website

How to apply

Tell us about yourself
Click apply and fill in your personal details on our application form

Online test 

Take a short online test
When you apply, you will receive an email with detailed instructions on how to take our online test. This online test is a values-based assessment (VBA). We use this assessment to understand how well you demonstrate the values needed to be an effective OSG. On average, if completed in one sitting, the assessment takes up to 20 minutes to complete, but everyone is different and there is no time limit so please complete it at your own pace. The assessment contains a variety of questions styles using different formats. Before you complete the assessment, we recommend you familiarise yourself with the format of the question styles by completing the example questions.

If you were unsuccessful at the online test stage in the last 6 months, you can now re‑apply. You will be invited to complete the new values‑based assessment.

If you pass stage 1 of the application process, we will invite you to an interview. 

The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of behaviours and experience. It will provide the ideal opportunity to tell us more about yourself, your work history, or personal experiences, so we can get to know you better and assess how you will be suited to prison work. Your Strengths will also be assessed at interview, but these are not shared in advance.

For more information please visit our website

Job offers: ‘merit’ vacancy.

This is a ‘merit’ job vacancy. If you are successful at the interview, you will be added to a merit list based on your score.

When all applicants have completed the assessment, the prison will make job offers to those with the highest scores first when positions become available.

You can stay on the merit list for 12 months. After this, you will need to apply again.

If your application is unsuccessful at the sift/Interview stage, a six-month waiting period will be applied during which time you will not be allowed to submit any further applications for Operational Support Grade positions.

The jobholder must be able to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English or (when specified in Wales) Welsh.

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

• To Shared Service Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com);
• To Ministry of Justice Resourcing (resourcing-services@justice.gov.uk).
• To the Civil Service Commission (details available here) 

Reasonable Adjustment Support

As a Disability Confident employer, the MoJ is committed to ensuring that everyone can demonstrate their skills, talent, and abilities. Offering reasonable adjustment support to candidates when they apply for one of our jobs is just one way we do this.

Before completing online tests or attending an interview, it is essential to arrange reasonable adjustment support. Due to practical and logistical constraints, our assessors cannot accommodate requests on the day. Therefore, we kindly request that you let us know in plenty of time if adjustments are required. This will help ensure the right support is in place for you when you need it. 

Applying for reasonable adjustment support has been made simple. Just select ‘yes’ in the application form when it asks if you think you might need it.

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.

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.

Please note that whilst tattoos are permitted, including those that are visible, they must not be deemed as offensive, discriminatory, violent or intimidating in any way. Facial tattoos are generally not acceptable, except where this is for cultural, religious, or medical reasons.

Benefits

Annual Leave

The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a nonstandard 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 will 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 

Networks

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

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.

Interview dates:         To Be Confirmed

Closing Date:               23rd July 2026, 23:55 hours.

We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.

Supporting document 1  

Band-2-SSO-Operational-Support-Grade-General-JD010-v9.0.pdf

Success Profiles  

Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.

We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.

Application form stage assessments

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

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 are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

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

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

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

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.