Job Overview
Campsfield IRC is the UK's first all-electric Immigration Removal Centre, managed on behalf of the Home Office by Mitie Care & Custody. We are seeking a diligent and detail-focused Operational Manager to oversee the effective delivery of services at this unique facility.
As an Operational Manager, you will be setting the tone for a safe, respectful, and supportive environment. You will be entrusted with ensuring that every individual in our care is treated with dignity, compassion, and fairness, while consistently upholding the highest standards of security, professionalism, and operational excellence. Your leadership will be instrumental in creating a culture where trust is built, respect is mutual, and wellbeing is prioritised — for both staff and residents.
The role is accountable for ensuring compliance with contractual and Home Office standards in the care and safety of adults in detention, driving operational performance, and maintaining a safe, inclusive and high-performing environment across the cent
Main Duties and Accountabilities
Leadership & Operational Management
Lead, motivate, and support staff to maximise performance, professionalism, and contribution across the centre.
Manage resourcing to ensure operational requirements are consistently met in line with contractual, financial, and company standards.
Oversee day-to-day delivery of safer custody, violence reduction, and risk management strategies.
Cover the Duty Director role when required, taking responsibility for managing incidents and ensuring effective operational response.
As part of this role, you will hold line management responsibilities, overseeing a team to ensure effective performance, development, and support
Safer Detention
Monitor and respond effectively to incidents involving self-harm, bullying or other safeguarding concerns.
Chair multidisciplinary reviews and case conferences for vulnerable individuals.
Ensure robust systems are in place for reporting, recording, analysing, and learning from safety-related data.
Support the Functional Head in ensuring full contractual compliance, adherence to legislation, company policies, inspection frameworks, and financial parameters.
Culture, Staff Development & Wellbeing
Develop and maintain a culture of dignity, respect, inclusion, psychological safety, and resident-centred care.
Champion restorative practices and community-building initiatives across the centre.
Provide coaching and support to staff in managing vulnerable individuals, including post-incident care
Support staff training in trauma-informed care, safeguarding, conflict resolution, and professional development.
Promote and embed health, safety, and wellbeing throughout the operation, ensuring all legal, regulatory, and policy requirements are fully met.
Stakeholder Engagement & Communication
Manage effective communication channels, ensuring accurate and timely information flows internally and externally.
Work collaboratively with Home Office representatives, internal departments (Healthcare, Security, Education), external agencies (Probation, Social Services, Advocacy Groups and Third Sector support agencies), and other stakeholders to maintain high standards of service delivery.
Continuous Improvement & Strategic Contribution
Drive continuous improvement through data analysis, audits, performance reporting, and feedback to identify trends and deliver innovative solutions.
Contribute to strategic planning, policy development, and the achievement of contractual Key Performance Indicators.
Work with the Functional Head and managers to identify opportunities to enhance outcomes and the overall quality of care for residents.
Support delivery of social value commitments, ensuring the centre contributes positively to the environment, staff wellbeing, and the wider community.
Person Specification
You will bring significant experience at managerial level within a custodial, detention, justice, or other complex operational environment, coupled with a strong track record in performance and compliance. The ability to analyse data and use performance reporting to identify trends and drive continuous service improvements will be essential, as will a solid understanding of governance, contractual standards, assurance processes, and risk management.
Equally important will be your ability to lead, coach and motivate teams, creating a positive, inclusive and high-performing workplace culture. You will be a confident communicator with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels, making sound decisions under pressure and managing competing priorities with resilience. Alongside strong organisational and problem-solving skills, you will demonstrate a clear commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and social value, ensuring these principles are embedded across all aspects of your work.
Specific Requirements
Please note that all offers of employment are subject to security clearance and enhanced background checks:
You must be a British Citizen, EU citizen with settled status, or have an ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) from a Commonwealth country.
Bankruptcy history, CCJs, social media activity and criminal convictions will be closely scrutinised.
You must have lived in the UK for the past three years with no significant footprint outside of the UK for no longer than three months.
Salary and benefits:
We value our people and offer a competitive salary and benefits package to support your lifestyle:
Life insurance.
Continued personal development with full support given to enhance your career.
Free Mitie shares.
Access to virtual GP 24/7 for yourself and your family.
MiDeals discount schemes with over offers available from your favourite retailers, leisure, and utilities companies.
Additional benefits available to purchase, including extra holidays, private medical cover and home technology.
You must be eligible for CTC clearance.
You must hold a valid British passport or an EU passport with a share code. Additionally, you must have lived and worked in the UK for at least 3 years, without any extended trips overseas. Applicants must have no criminal convictions and must not be subject to any ongoing police investigations.
#FMM
Our market-leading offering provides you with benefits that suit your lifestyle.
We have a virtual GP on hand for you and members of your household. So you can get expert advice by video or phone without having to leave your home. We offer financial wellbeing assistance through our Salary Finance scheme. For example, you could access 50% of your earned pay before payday for a small fee. Salary Finance also offers competitive loans.
When you join us, we’ll give you a link to our flexible lifestyle benefits platform, Choices. You might choose to purchase up to five extra days’ holiday each year. You might buy critical illness insurance, seek dental treatment or buy technology products at an affordable cost. There are many choices!
We give you access to high street discounts from thousands of well-known retailers, gyms and more through our MiDeals platform. And we have a cycle-to-work scheme. Life cover of up to four times your salary is available. We also offer enhanced pension contributions, a save-as-you-earn scheme, and a Mitie Matching Share Plan (you could even be awarded free shares in Mitie).
We award our employees with Mitie Stars as recognition for their hard work. There are cash prizes up for grabs each month and at the end of the year there’s a chance to scoop a top prize of £10,!
Our success is a direct result of the experience and quality of our people. Progressing your career is therefore a top priority for us. We offer a diverse variety of training and development avenues via a wide selection of learning resources to suit you.
We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long-term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments, changes or do anything differently during the recruitment process, please let us know by emailing Shradha Singh at .