Detention Operations Manager

Serco: Yarl’s Wood IRC, MK44 1FD

Band 6: Permanent, Full Time (Fixed shift pattern of varied shifts including early shifts 07:00 – 19:00, late shifts 10:00-22:00 and night shifts 22:00 – 07:00, including working at weekends and bank holidays - shift patterns average a 4 day working week)

Up to £43,704 per annum + Excellent Benefits

Ready to impact a better future?

As a Detention Operations Manager in our Justice and Immigration team, you’ll play a vital role in leading daily operations within a secure environment, ensuring the safety, care, and wellbeing of residents while delivering contractual excellence. Your work will directly contribute to creating a respectful, secure, and supportive environment that positively impacts lives. 

In this role, you’ll support the delivery of services that matter – helping maintain a safe and decent environment while enabling colleagues to perform at their best. You’ll lead with integrity, build trust, and create impactful solutions that support both operational success and positive outcomes for individuals and communities.

What you’ll do as a Detention Operations Manager

You’ll be entrusted to:

• Oversee the day-to-day management of centre operations, ensuring safe, secure, and effective service delivery
• Lead and coordinate teams, including Detention Custody Officers and support colleagues, to meet operational and contractual requirements
• Manage staff deployment, attendance, and performance to maintain high standards across all functions
• Take command of incidents and ensure appropriate reporting, resolution, and continuous improvement
• Ensure compliance with policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements, maintaining a secure and respectful environment
• Coach, support, and develop colleagues to build capability, drive performance, and foster a culture of trust and accountability

Does this sound like you?

You’ll be a great fit for this role if you have…

• Proven experience in an operational or secure environment, with strong leadership capability
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and build relationships
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to plan, prioritise, and deliver against objectives
• A proactive, solution-focused mindset with the ability to manage complex situations
• Confidence in managing incidents and working within regulated environments

Vetting and checks
An Enhanced DBS check is required for this role. This includes spent and unspent convictions, cautions, and any relevant information held by local police, in accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and safeguarding requirements. You will also complete an Occupational Health Questionnaire to allow us to provide any support needed for you to succeed in the role.

Discover all you need to keep growing

We’re one of the top 1% of international employers, so you can have confidence you’ll be part of a highly supportive culture with leaders you can count on to help you achieve your goals. From mentoring and training to our focus on internal progression, we’re proud to offer clear development opportunities – and the support and tools to help you seize them.

What we offer

• 28 days plus bank holidays

• Up to 6% contributory pension scheme
• Free on site car parking
• Over 1,100 internal courses available, funding for qualifications and apprenticeships (including L3 Team Leader and L5 Operations Manager apprenticeships), mentoring opportunities, and a focus on internal progression
• Employee Assistance Programme, Bupa Anytime HealthLine, wellbeing app, 30% off at Serco-managed leisure centres, and 24/7 access to a virtual GP service
• Discounts across around 1,000 retailers, from food and clothing to days out, entertainment and travel
• Paid volunteering day, tax-free charitable giving through Payroll Giving Scheme, donate your pennies from your monthly pay to the Serco People Fund Charity
• Our networks support inclusion and connection by providing spaces for collaboration, learning, and belonging. They represent and empower all our colleagues including LGBTQIA+ employees, women, parents and carers, people with disabilities, veterans, and people from all cultural backgrounds.

Let’s impact a better future, together. Apply today.

About Serco
At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services.  We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone.

By joining Serco you will have unlimited access to our Global Employee Networks – SercoInspire (Gender), SercoEmbrace (Multicultural), SercoUnlimited (Disability) and In@Serco (LGBT & Networks). Serco Employee Networks, led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging. 

Apply
Please click on the apply button to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment. 

At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. As such we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. We operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly Disability Confident Leader employers and holder of the Gold Inclusive Employer Standard. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.  For help with your application please contact 0345 010 4000.
 

At Serco we support fair access to employment for those with unspent criminal convictions through the ‘Ban the Box’ pledge (some may be exempt due to the nature of the role and the security clearance required). Please contact our recruitment team directly on 0345 010 4000 to discuss.