Job Description (JD)
Band 4
Group Profile - Specialist Production Instructor
(SPI)
Job Description - SPI: Commercial Horticulture
Document Ref.
OR-JES-246-JD-B4 : SPI : Commercial Horticulture
v9.0
Document Type
Management
Version
9.0
Classification
Official
Date of Issue
24th April 2025
Status
Baselined
Produced by
Job Evaluation Assurance and Support Team
Authorised by
Reward Team
JD Evidence
OR-JES-246-JD-B4 : SPI : Commercial Horticulture v9.0
Job Description
Job Title
SPI : Commercial Horticulture
Group Profile
Specialist Production Instructor
Organisation
Delivery
Level
Band
4
Overview of the
This is a non-operational instructional job in an establishment.
job
All staff have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the
welfare of children. The post holder must undertake the
appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that
they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the
organisation.
Summary
The job holder will be responsible for the day-to-day
maintenance, harvesting and cultivating of the establishment’s
gardens, ensuring protected cropping is grown and harvested to
the highest standards and assess accredited vocational
qualifications to prisoners.
This is a non-operational job in an establishment with no line
management responsibilities. This role is non-rotational.
Responsibilities,
The job holder will be required to carry out the following
Activities and
responsibilities, activities and duties:
Duties
• Maintain correct field-scale soil husbandry, ensuring all stages
of crop development are followed in accordance with good
horticultural practice.
• Maintain the growing plant/crop to ensure optimum
development and/or cropping, ensuring that the plants needs
are fully met.
• Maintain effective biological pest control measures and any
necessary chemical crop protection programmes.
• Resolve any prisoner work issues, setting task to match their
ability whilst ensuring safety and production is maintained at
all times.
• Ensure produce grown on-site is prepared and packaged
appropriately, taking into consideration appropriate labelling,
grading and overall presentation.
• Maintain sports fields as per agreed plan with both the Farms
and Gardens Manager and PE Department.
• Carry out preventative pest control measures across area of
responsibility.
Undertake other instructor tasks including:
• May participate in the selection process of prisoners for the
workshop/area of work.
OR-JES-246-JD-B4 : SPI : Commercial Horticulture v9.0
• Induct prisoners to the workshop/area of work and train them
in aspects such as Health and Safety, Control of Substance
Hazardous to health (COSHH), machinery and tools usage.
• Provide support for prisoners where required; tailor learning
and training requirements to individual needs.
• Set work schedules and manage targets/quality standards,
maintaining delivery of contractual arrangements.
• Assess and evaluate skills of prisoners up to national
qualification standards.
• Supervise and maintain discipline of prisoners within
workshop/area of work, responsible for performance,
motivation, discipline, appraisal and development of prisoners.
• Maintain regular communications via radio net in accordance
with Local Security Strategy (LSS).
• Open and complete Assessment Care in Custody and
Teamwork (ACCT) forms, Violence Reduction Incident
Reports (VRIR) and Security Information Reports (SIRs) when
required and contribute to Incentive Earned Privileges (IEP)
reports.
• Will conduct a metal detector scan or rub down search of
prisoners attending and leaving their own workshops.
• Provide quality assurance against product specification.
• Log attendance and approve prisoner hours worked and
wages including recording piece work where appropriate.
• Carry out fabric and tool checks of workshops and maintain
security of areas, logging any tool/equipment faults. Undertake
planned maintenance programme on machinery.
• Contribute to prisoner reports including parole and sentence
planning.
• Complete regime monitoring information and update prisoner
training records.
• Contribute to Health and Safety risk assessments relating to
the workshop/work of area and specialist areas.
• Request materials and estimate usage in order to meet work
targets.
• Initiate product development reviews to maintain
workshop/area of work output levels, and to provide variety of
work and experience for prisoners.
• Participate in self-audit and in achieving Service Delivery
Indicators (SDIs).
• Complete administration activities to support the smooth
running of the workshop.
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.
An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence
through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales)
Welsh.
OR-JES-246-JD-B4 : SPI : Commercial Horticulture v9.0
Behaviours
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Developing Self and Others
Strengths
It is advised strengths are chosen locally, recommended 4-8.
Essential
• Must have experience in a supervisory role.
Experience
• Must be conversant with soil and growing medium
husbandry, crop protection, crop production technology,
plant protection technology options, preparation of fresh
produce for sale, including: grading, labelling and
presentation.
• Should have experience of using industrial standard
machinery and equipment.
Technical
• Staff must hold a Level 3 qualification in horticulture or a
Requirements
recognised horticultural industry equivalent, or be trained
to the appropriate level within two years.
• Holding PA2 and PA6 pesticide qualifications would be a
requirement.
• Must have current knowledge of all relevant Health and
Safety and Control of Substance Hazardous to health
(COSHH) regulations.
• May be required to be an accredited Assessor.
• Must hold a full current United Kingdom (UK) driving
license to enable tractor and other vehicle driving
operations in the course of the post holder’s duties, in
addition to prisoner instruction duties on farm vehicles.
• When transferring to a Young Persons establishment the
job holder will be required to successfully undertake an
assessment to demonstrate suitability to work with Young
People.
Ability
• IT Skills
• Basic Maths
• Basic English
Minimum
Please do not alter this box
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 HMPPS consider to be racist.
OR-JES-246-JD-B4 : SPI : Commercial Horticulture v9.0
Hours of Work
37 hour working week (standard).
(Unsocial Hours)
Allowances
Unsocial Hours Working will be confirmed by the Recruiting
Manager and only paid where applicable:
Unsocial Hours Working:
This role requires working regular unsocial hours as part of the
normal shift commitment and a payment at the current
organisational rate will be paid in addition to your basic pay to
recognise this. Unsocial hours are those hours outside 0700 ‐
1900hrs Monday to Friday and including working evenings nights,
weekends and Bank/Public holidays
OR-JES-246-JD-B4 : SPI : Commercial Horticulture v9.0