Operational Manager
| Posting date: | 20 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £38,419 to £41,109 per year |
| Additional salary information: | Plus allowance of between 16.35%, which equates to an additional £6,281 pa based on salary minimum. |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 04 March 2026 |
| Location: | Glasgow |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 448516/1 |
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 our careers pages.
International & Returns Services Command (IRSC) was formed in 2023 bringing together Returns Logistics Operations, Escorting Operations and Detention Progression and Returns, alongside Central Operations. These teams are at the heart of Immigration Enforcement’s operational activity to deliver the return of Foreign National Offenders and those with no leave to be in the United Kingdom as part of the wider Returns Directorate.
This is an exciting opportunity for the right candidates to utilise and develop their leadership, people and engagement skills within an extremely busy and high performing team, in a role that is both rewarding and energising.
This is a physically demanding role.
This post sits within the Detention Engagement Team (DET), which is a dynamic and responsive team working as part of Detention, Progression and Returns to enhance the quality and frequency of engagements between Home Office and the people entering Immigration Removal Centres (IRC).
IRCs are secure buildings that hold detained individuals (residents) prior to their removal from the United Kingdom or for nationality and identification purposes. The DETs are based on-site and interact with residents face-to-face.
You will be the on-site operational lead for the team, responsible for day-to-day delivery, resolution of issues, and escalation as appropriate. You will engage with stakeholders on and off site, IRC contractors, casework teams, wider Home Office teams and healthcare contractors to ensure that vulnerability and risk issues are identified and managed effectively at the earliest opportunity. You will be an escalation point for complex cases across the Home Office.
You will also work with Senior Management Team colleagues to improve operational delivery of the DETs, sharing best practice across the DET network.
We welcome applications from candidates who are able to work independently in a fast-paced environment and are confident, resilient self-starters who have an ability to build relationships of trust and work collaboratively as part of a dynamic team.
Key Responsibilities (list is not exhaustive)
- Managing and supporting the Engagement Officers, dealing with higher level issues and escalations in relation to the wider business
- Leading by example in promoting visibility, both within the administrative and residential working areas
- Carrying out quarterly assurance checks on engagements undertaken within their respective hierarchy
- Working closely with the local service provider to ensure that their welfare team are responding and acting to resolve any areas of concerns of people in Immigration Detention
- Overseeing the operational management of DETs, monitoring contact across multiple routes (face to face, email, telephone and post) ensuring that all contacts are dealt with, enabling business critical Service Level Agreements to be met
- Undertaking proactive workforce management ensuring optimal deployment of resources across business hours, escalating issues, exercising effective financial control in managing resources, ensuring propriety, compliance and value for money
- Overseeing the delivery of DET functions with quality, timeliness and attention to detail, providing guidance and support to your team relating to sometimes complex Immigration Enforcement policy and procedural issues involving those in Immigration Detention
- Be proficient in managing HR issues in line with policy. You will be responsible for line managing approximately 8 members of staff
Working Pattern
Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis.
Shift Working
Successful candidates will need to be able to attend for all shifts including early starts, late night finishes, and overnight shifts. Please note that the IRC has no public transport links The DET work on a roster system with shifts generally between 7.30am and 9pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, Sundays, 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. The Dungavel IRC is a multi-level building and there is no lift, so you will need to be comfortable with using stairs throughout the day.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme