Central Projects Team Manager- NSD Central Projects Team

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The Probation Service has created a National Security Division, which will provide an enhanced level of management and intervention for the most high-risk, complex and high-profile offenders in the community.

The National Security Division

Operating within the National Security Division (NSD), The Central Projects Team 2 is a discrete team which manages Terrorist Related Offenders (TROs) across a diverse geographical location. A vacancy has arisen for a Band 6 Team Manager within this small specialist team. There will be regular direct work with TROs, both virtually and face to face. Successful candidates will be expected to demonstrate a level of competence with recent practical operational experience and an ability to operate in a complex and challenging environment.

Applications are invited for candidates to join the team at an exciting time of development. This post involves direct line management of practitioners and candidates will be expected to have experience of line management or supporting staff development. Regular travel across the UK is required, with occasional overnight stays. Candidates should have recent operational experience of line managing/support staff with the full range of Probation practice, and an awareness of the associated quality assurance standards. The successful candidate will be required to complete the necessary security clearance. As noted in the Job Description the candidate will be expected to hold day-to-day operational lead for the specific area of work, with some policy development work, with support from Head of Operational function.

Overview of the job

Central Projects Team is formed of two operational functions, with a Team Manager for each of the functions.

One operational function comprises an established team of caseworkers who provide the full range of sentence management for supervised individuals who are living with a threat to their life.

The second operational function comprises a newly formed team who deliver sentence management to terrorist risk offenders, outside of the jurisdiction of England and Wales.

Delivery of both functions of the Central Projects Team present challenges and complexities outside of the usual experience of probation officers. Specifically, staff within the Central Projects Team, operate with a range of protective measures.

The job holder will work to a Head of Operational Function, working to the Deputy Director for National Security Division (NSD), accountable to the Chief Probation Officer.

The work is UK wide and demands that caseworkers are responsible for their own time management, often working remotely, with extensive periods of travel.

The Central Projects Team Manager will have line management responsibilities.

Summary

The job holder is responsible for the day to day delivery of all the operational aspects of their function within Central Projects Team. This requires a high level of operational knowledge of probation work to be able to deal with the effective line management of caseworkers, the management of information and lead responsibility for liaison with operational colleagues in the relevant business areas and other key partners; always mindful of the sensitivities around the cases and the staff managing them.

Within the effective line management of staff this includes ensuring the work produced is of a high standard, which is vital given the level of scrutiny and oversight of the content that includes national security threats and significant threats to staff safety.

Responsibilities, Activities & Duties

The CPT Team Manager will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Responsible for day-to-day management of the caseworkers and oversight of their work.

• Receiving, assessing and allocating all types of appropriate work of the team, in order to ensure that cases are effectively managed regarding risk management and offender management, having regard to public protection and rehabilitation.

• Responsible for the management of the CPT office and for the maintenance of all records held by the CPT up to and including ‘secret’ security

classification. This will include oversight of office security, security of IT systems and equipment and management of security standards across the team.

• Responsibility of ensuring security policy is followed and maintained and will liaise with security officers and consultants as necessary. Ensuring working practices are reviewed and updated in line with changes in good practice in this specialist area of work.

• Ensuring that CPT case records comply with the requirements of Government Marking Scheme and that any ‘secret’ classification material is managed accordingly with security systems routinely monitored to ensure the potential for breaches is minimised.

• Responsible for Health and Safety duties including the adherence to safety procedures of the caseworkers ensuring they operate within ‘safe working’ practices.

• Accountability for safety procedures and health and safety assessments are regularly reviewed, updated and made available to caseworkers, ensuring reporting structure in place for any Health and Safety incidents and near misses, and completing necessary investigations where required.

• Maintain and develop operational liaison with partner organisations. Facilitating and maintaining training and development activity with internal and external stakeholders.

• Operational support to Head of Operational Function, to ensure that all relevant HMPPS Policies are correctly deployed within Central Projects Team; that any gaps are identified, and operational guidance developed to support caseworkers.

• Support the division by ensuring accurate performance data is kept for Divisional reporting, and any cases of concerns are identified and escalated as required. Prepare operational briefing documents for the Head of Operational Function as required.

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

• Leadership

• Making Effective Decision

• Working Together

• Delivering at Pace

• Changing and Improving

• Communicating and Influencing

• Managing a Quality Service

Experience

• Significant experience at middle manager level, including the management of staff.

• Experience of monitoring performance in area of responsibility against predetermined targets, setting local targets and effecting necessary improvements.

• Experience of managing relationships including working with key local and national agencies and stakeholders.

• Evidence of preparing high level written reports to a good standard.

• Experience of working with discreet cohorts of cases using adapted working practices, including covert working.

• Experience in delivering training internally and to external agencies.

• Experience of handling material graded as Secret and giving advice to internal and external parties regarding handling of Secret material.

• Experience of working within criminal justice settings and knowledge of the complexities within criminal justice operational work.

• Evidence of ability to provide a practice perspective on policy development.

• Experience of Health and Safety and Equalities management.

Technical

A qualification in one of the following areas:

• Probation Qualification Framework Graduate Diploma/Honours Degree in Community Justice integrated with Level 5 Diploma in Probation Practice.

• Or, a qualification which was recognised at the time of qualification by the Secretary of State for Justice as per Section 10 of the Offender Management Act 2007. The following qualifications gained in England and Wales were previously recognised as providing such eligibility:

- Diploma in Probation Studies

- Diploma in Social Work (with Probation Option)

- CQSW (with Probation Option)

Upon appointment to post the post holder will be expected to attend and successfully complete specialist course relevant to the team they are managing.