Area Manager
| Posting date: | 27 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £47,092 to £50,389 per year |
| Additional salary information: | Plus allowance of up to 8% based on salary minimum. |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 06 February 2026 |
| Location: | Horley |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 440795/1 |
Summary
Immigration Enforcement is responsible for enforcing the government’s immigration laws, tackling illegal migration, removing foreign national offenders and immigration offenders from the UK. It also aims to disrupt the organised criminal groups that exploit the vulnerable for their personal gain. Learn more on the Immigration Enforcement careers page.
The Detention Progression and Returns Command (DPRC) serves all detained casework commands including the Immigration Enforcement (IE) National Returns and Progression Command, IE Foreign National Offenders (FNO) Returns command, Detained Asylum Casework, as well as Border Force and Special Cases unit.
The DPRC provides:
- Entry to detention, through the Detention Gatekeeper (DGK).
- Consideration of raised medical practitioner concerns, through the (Detention Centre) Detained Medical Report Team (DMRT).
- Interaction with those in immigration detention, through Detention Engagement Teams (DETs).
- Consideration of last-minute representations, through the Operational Support Certification Unit (OSCU).
- Changes to detained casework processes, through the Detained Casework Oversight and Improvement Team (DCOIT).
As the Area Manager for the Gatwick Detention Engagement Teams, we are offering the opportunity to play a key role in redefining Home Office interactions with our detained population, providing a humane, safe and secure environment for those in detention, whilst the Home Office progresses their case. Detention Engagement Teams are in place in all eight Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) across the UK.
The successful candidate will be responsible for the provision of on-site day to day engagement between Home Office and those in detention, your team will proactively speak and meet with people in the Gatwick IRCs to build robust plans for return, detecting and overcoming current or perceived barriers and concerns.
Key Responsibilities
- Ensuring that engagement with those in detention is robust and meaningful. Monitoring contact across multiple disciplines (face to face, email, telephone and post) ensuring that all contact opportunities enable business critical objectives to be met.
- Identifying risks and seeking continuous improvement opportunities to further shape and develop DETs, ensuring that best practice is shared with colleagues across the network.
- Being the contact for any higher-level issues and escalations connected to the wider business.
- Undertaking a proactive approach to workforce management, ensuring optimal deployment of resources across business hours and raising associated issues, exercising effective financial control in managing resources, ensuring propriety, compliance and value for money.
- Providing guidance and support to managers relating to sophisticated Immigration Enforcement policy and procedural issues involving those in detention.
- Acting as the lead on-site contact point between DETs and a wide range of internal/external stakeholders, in particular across Immigration Enforcement and Detention Services.
- Line management of Higher Executive Officers including managing and reporting on staff performance for those in the assigned management line, address any staff development needs, handle attendance and sickness related absence in line with current policies and procedures.
- Acting on Call oversight for DETs during out of hours and weekends on a Rota basis alongside the wider DET SEO team.
Working Pattern
Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis.
Shift Working
You will need to be able to attend for all shifts including early starts, late night finishes, and overnight shifts. These shifts may be outside of public transport operating hours.
Office hours are between 08:00 and 2100 Monday to Friday and 09:00-1700 for Weekends and Public Holidays.
Training
You will receive full training and support to do the job. Training takes place on the job with a mentor who supports you until you are fully confident in the role. Even then you are never alone; you work as part of a team where there is always someone around for advice and support. Further information on what the training involves can be found on our website.
These roles can be physically demanding and if successful you will be required to complete and pass Personal Safety Training (PST) Level 2 which develops skills in personal safety techniques.
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