We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.
About Independent Monitoring Boards
Members of Independent Monitoring Boards (IMBs) are unpaid public appointees (volunteers) who monitor places of detention. There are around 1200 IMB members, organised into 127 Boards monitoring prisons and places of immigration detention, each with its own Chair. They are appointed by ministers and operate in prisons and Young Offender Institutions (run by HM Prison and Probation Service - MoJ), in Immigration Removal Centres, various Short-Term Holding Facilities and on repatriation flights for those being removed from the UK (run by the Home Office).
Lay Observers (LOs) are also unpaid volunteers appointed by ministers, whose responsibility it is to check on the welfare of individuals in court custody suites and while they are traveling in the care and custody of escort contractors.
As independent scrutiny bodies, IMBs and LOs have a growing public profile and play an increasingly crucial role in providing assurance to ministers and the public on the conditions and treatment of those held in detention. They are members of the UK’s National Preventive Mechanism, under the UK’s international human rights obligations to prevent torture and other ill-treatment of people in detention. They work closely with HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, who also play a key part in the oversight and assurance of places of detention. The findings of IMBs and LOs are fed into the performance and scrutiny information used by government to contribute to prisons and immigration detention policy and process changes, in line with the government’s commitment to ensuring safe, humane and effective places of detention.
About the role
The post holder will be responsible for the development and provision of policy and research advice and support to the IMB and LO National Chairs and to individual IMBs to maximise the reach and impact of the work of IMBs and LOs.
You will be a motivated, enthusiastic individual with experience of working in a fast-paced environment.
Proposed changes to the organisational structure and governance, along with the increasing profile of the IMBs, make this an exciting time to join the organisation.
We are committed to increasing the diversity of our teams and welcome applications from less represented groups. We do not require you to have experience of working in the immigration detention sector.
Key Responsibilities
Key responsibilities will include, but may not be limited to:
- Drafting presentations, policies, positions, briefing papers and national/thematic reports
- Collating and analysing key issues and themes from various internal and external sources, including IMB annual reports and associated surveys/information
- Collating and analysing numerical data to identify trends and inform policy development
- Supporting research as required for policy and impact work, including proposing an appropriate methodology, analysing data and drafting reports
- Supporting National Chairs, IMB Management Board and LO National Council to develop and manage relationships with key internal and external stakeholders
- Coordinating, managing and drafting IMB/LO responses to external consultations in liaison with individual Boards/members/LOs and National Chairs
- Producing written submissions to relevant parliamentary committee inquiries, collating information from Boards and recent annual reports
- Providing briefings, Q&A and support for parliamentary committee hearings etc, including attending, advising and taking notes
- Providing briefings, Q&A and supporting information for internal and external stakeholder meetings, including functional/subject groups, identifying agenda items, taking minutes and following up actions as necessary
- Briefing the Chair(s) for visits to Boards/courts/establishments/external events
- In conjunction with the Policy Manager, horizon scanning for developments in policy, research or practice affecting the work of IMBs/LOs including identifying opportunities to influence these
- Alongside the Communications and Engagement Lead, organising internal engagement sessions for IMB members and LOs on a range of policy topics, including liaising with speakers, and producing summaries.
- Working collaboratively with the Secretariat team. Performing other job-related duties as assigned.
Skills
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following skills.
Essential criteria
- An understanding of the criminal justice or immigration detention system and/or partner roles, or a willingness to learn
- An understanding of working with volunteers
- Strong inter-personal skills
- Strong organisational skills
- Understanding of the UK National Preventive Mechanisms (Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture – OPCAT) or general human rights related issues
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Excellent research and analytical skills
- Proven ability to work with a range of internal and external stakeholders on multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to make evidence-based decisions and provide senior leaders with timely, accurate advice.
Desirable criteria
- Social research skills
- Experience working with volunteers
- Knowledge and understanding of the IMB.
Civil Service Behaviours
You will be required to provide evidence of the following behaviours:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and influencing
- Working Together
If a high number of applications are received, candidates will be sifted on the ‘Seeing the Big Picture’ behaviour.
Further information about the Civil Service Competency Framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-competency-framework
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