Operational Support Officer

Operational Support Officer

HM Prison Oakwood, Featherstone, Nr Wolverhampton

£25,530.88 per annum

Permanent, Full-Time, 40 hours per week

Benefits:  Company Pension, free on-site parking, on-site canteen,ongoing training and development and access to High Street Shop discounts.

HMP Oakwood is an innovative prison which has been highlighted by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons as an “Impressive institution, with a culture of decency and respect. Driven by courageous leadership, excellent peer-led initiatives and outstanding management of learning and skills provisions”.

Within Care and Rehabilitation Services, the philosophy of our prisons is to rehabilitate offenders and equip them to re-integrate into mainstream society on release. We seek to normalise prison conditions as far as possible to reflect life in the outside community. Our aim is to create an environment in which staff and prisoners feel safe and causes of prison stress are minimised. Central to our philosophy is the relationship between staff and prisoners. Our training and operational practices emphasise the need to treat prisoners with dignity and respect and G4S staff build positive and supportive relationships with the prisoners in their care. HMP Oakwood is one of the largest prisons in England and Wales, providing places for up to approximately 2100 Category C male prisoners.

The successful candidates will be required to maintain the security of the prison, by following all relevant procedures, including security instructions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Search vehicles, occupants of vehicles, visitors and their property on access or egress through a prison lock, using technical aids, to ensure the security of the prison is maintained.
• Participate with internal and external vehicle escorts and patrols where necessary, to comply with contractual requirements.
• Monitor and operate CCTV cameras and radio network in line with relevant procedures to maintain prison security.
• Issue keys, tallies and radios to authorised personnel and ensure security keys are not removed from the prison, reporting all discrepancies immediately to the Duty Manager.
• Answer and screen internal and external telephone calls during evenings and weekends, to ensure they are directed to the correct point of contact or messages are taken and passed on to the appropriate person for action or response.
• Issue all authorised visitors with a valid pass before they enter the prison and ensure all necessary paperwork is completed for contractors’ equipment to maintain prison security.
• Monitor and respond to situations as they arise using the appropriate equipment to ensure that situations are dealt with promptly and the appropriate action/response is taken.
• Co-ordinate, control and monitor the movement of staff, prisoners and visitors around the premises to ensure they arrive at the correct destination safely and securely and in a timely and efficient manner.
• Maintain security in the Visitors Centre, ensuring that the building is searched and locked at the end of each session, reporting any unusual occurrence to the Duty Manager.

No previous experience is necessary however knowledge of prison policies and procedures would be an advantage.

If you join us, you can be sure that you’ll find a secure, friendly and professional working environment and be given all the support, training and encouragement you need to build and develop a successful career with us.

Equality and Diversity is an important part of G4S Care and Rehabilitation Services. We actively encourage applications from all backgrounds and are a fully inclusive employer who aims to support all employees to be their true selves. We are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments for either the role or during the recruitment process.

G4S CaRS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children and adults at risk and each employee is expected to support these goals.

For more information about HMP Oakwood please visit https://hmpoakwood.co.uk/

Please note that these vacancies are subject to a 5 year checkable history and the strict vetting standards set by G4S and the Secretary of State for the Home Office and are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

You must be eligible to work in the UK and you will need to provide full details of your employment and education history for the last 5 years as part of the security screening process for this role.

Interviews for this role will be held on 22 July 2025. Those candidates that are shortlisted for interview will be informed of their timeslot by email.