Ministry of Justice

Overview of the job

HMPPS’s efforts to tackle corruption are integral to delivering safe and secure prisons and probation. HMPPS has worked with MoJ to identify that a new approach is needed to ensure we remain resilient to this key operational threat.

HMPPS has developed a future strategy for tackling corruption in HMPPS based on four key objectives:

• ‘Protect’ against corruption by building an open and resilient organisation;
• ‘Prevent’ people from engaging in corruption, strengthen professional integrity;
• ‘Pursue’ and punish those who are corrupt; and
• ‘Prepare’ for corruption, reducing its impacts on our teams.

These objectives will need to be delivered at every level through prisons and probation, in particular, strengthening our resilience on the front line. Security, Order and Counter Terrorism (SOCT) Directorate is taking forward improvements, including restructuring the Counter-Corruption Unit (CCU), to provide senior operational leaders, prisons and probation teams with an improved counter-corruption service.

Summary

The role sits in the newly restructured Counter-Corruption Unit. Its objectives are to support prisons and probation to manage corruption threats, in particular supporting ‘pursue’ activity on corruption cases.

The core service to be provided by the regional CCU is to support prisons and probation to effectively pursue corruption reports to clear, proportionate and timely outcomes. The level of service is to be assessed and prioritised according to policy and guidance, but may include providing prisons and probation with enhanced analytical support, expert advice on how to progress cases, logistical and coordination support. The team will also be responsible for supporting prisons and probation on the effective management of known corruptor prisoners in custody and under supervision in the community to prevent them from corrupting staff.

In line with HMPPS policy, the post holder will be responsible for supporting the relevant Regional Corruption Purse Lead to deliver a high-quality counter-corruption service to prisons and probation in their SOCT region. The RCPM will also be responsible for working in partnership with other regional teams in the Security, Order and Counter Terrorism (SOCT) Directorate, HR services and law enforcement.

The job holder will report directly to the Regional Corruption Purse Lead, who in turn reports to the Head of the Operational Intelligence Team.

The post holder will have line management responsibility for a Corruption Pursue Officer and will be expected to have a close working relationship with the regional counter-corruption analyst.

This is a regional post and will be based in a regional SOCT hub. Frequent travel to prison and probation establishments, regional offices and law enforcement partners’ offices will be required. Occasional travel outside the region (e.g. to London) will be required. 

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Working with the national CCU team to develop a detailed and expert understanding of the corruption evidence based on the nature of the threat, (e.g. drivers of corruption, prevalence, escalation, risk/impact, effective interventions) and using this as a basis for all practice.
• Having a strong and contemporaneous understanding of the operational context in prisons and probation, including pressures, priorities, risks and opportunities to better tackle corruption.
• Having a strong understanding of the relevant legal and policy frameworks relating to corruption, security and HR, and making sure these are followed when providing services to prisons and probation, and that these are shared with and championed when working with delivery partners.
• Under the direction of the RCPL, to support prisons and probation to progress corruption cases in line with policy. This may include supporting RCPLs who lead on most complex and highest profile cases, or independently leading on lower risk cases.
• On the direction of the RCPL, the post holder may also be asked to: support prisons and probation in assessing and understanding their risks to corruption and develop mitigation strategies; work with prisons and probation to understand capability gaps and signpost wider capability opportunities, best practice and guidance, or deliver some briefing sessions as appropriate; and support light touch research to inform our evidence base on corruption, including interviewing former staff who have been convicted of corruption related offences, or other information to support assessing performance.
• Develop close and effective working relationships with key stakeholders, in particular with Security Mangers, Deputy Governors, Governing Governors, Divisional Managers, HR Business Partners and HR.
• Develop and maintain a wider network of stakeholders, including in other SOCT regional teams (e.g. NIU, SOCU, JEXU), law enforcement (local forces and ROCUs), contract managers and contracted providers.
• Supporting the RCPL to understand and manage the case load of the region, including by: maintaining accurate and up to date case records in line with the CCU’s case management system; and, regularly developing reports based on case management data (e.g. number of cases open, length of case) to identify areas for review and intervention.
• Supporting the RCPL to set clear objectives and expectations for the team in line with policy documents and deliver a high quality service, including by: ensuring individual and RCPO’s objectives and activity is aligned and prioritised to the policy and operational risk/need; and contributing to a positive culture of continuous improvement and innovation to improve services.
• Line management of the RCPO.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

Behaviours

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

Experience

• Strong understanding on corruption, security and HR policy and legal frameworks.
• Strong understanding of the operational context of prisons and probation.
• Experience of influencing senior stakeholders internally and externally.

Ability

• Strong communication (written and verbal), leadership and partnership working skills.
• Problem-solving and decision-making skills, with the ability to drive resolution. 

SC or higher security clearances and further internal security checks will be required.

To be eligible for SC clearance, applicants must meet the following requirement:

• Be a UK national or have been a resident in the UK for a minimum of five years.

Hours of Work (Unsocial Hours) Allowances

Unsocial Hours Working to be confirmed by Recruiting Manager.

Unsocial Hours Working

This role requires working regular unsocial hours and a 17% 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 evenings, nights, weekends and Bank/Public holidays.

These are regional posts based in the London & South East region and there may be a requirement to deliver work within other sites in the region based on business need. The post holder may also need to deliver work nationally if requested by the regional lead.

The post holders will be responsible for the following clusters of Prison and Probation sites. The successful applicant  will  be expected to travel to all sites within their cluster on a regular basis for work alongside side some hybrid working.

However, this can be subject to change dependant on the direction of the Regional Counter Corruption Lead.

Post one:

Prison Establishments:

HMP Bullingdon, HMP Huntercombe, HMP Aylesbury, HMP Woodhill, HMP Spring Hill & HMP Grendon, Oakhill Secure Training Centre.

PDU’s Probation Offices Approved Premises:

All that fall within the South-Central region

Post Two

Prison Establishments:

HMP Winchester, HMP Isle of Wight, HMP Lewes and HMP Ford

PDUs, Probation offices and Approved Premises:

All that fall within the Sussex and Surrey region

The post holder will be based at their nearest prison or probation site within their designated cluster. However, you may not be regularly at your base location due to the operational needs across the region. This can be changed on our internal systems at the successful applicant’s request to the nearest site within their dedicated cluster.

The reserve list for this campaign will be managed in accordance with location preference/s, which you will be asked to indicate at application.  We will appoint in merit list order for each cluster outlined in the vacancy, appointing the highest scoring candidate(s) who have selected a location within each cluster.

After appointments have been made using this locational appointment process, any remaining candidates who met the benchmark for the role will remain on a locational reserve list in accordance with their preferences for 12 months. Please only indicate preferences where you are prepared to work. If you are subsequently offered a role from the reserve list for a location preference indicated in your application and decline it, you will be removed from the reserve list for the vacancy, across all locational preferences.