** Compliance Manager

Job summary

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

Immigration Enforcement is responsible for enforcing the government’s immigration laws, tackling illegal migration, removing foreign national offenders and immigration offenders from the UK. We also aim to disrupt the organised criminal groups that exploit the vulnerable for their personal gain. Learn more on our careers pages.

The Compliance Team's overall purpose is to provide independent Home Office oversight of Campsfield IRC, ensuring the centre is run safely, securely, legally, and humanely while holding the service provider accountable for delivering high standards of care and performance. The team's priorities focus on compliance, assurance, resident welfare, operational risk management, and continuous improvement of detention services.

Job description

The Detention Operations Compliance Team at Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre is responsible for providing Home Office oversight and assurance that the centre is operating safely, securely, humanely and in accordance with legislation, policy, operating standards and contractual requirements. The team works closely with the centre’s service provider, healthcare partners, Home Office colleagues and other stakeholders to monitor performance, drive continuous improvement and ensure that the welfare of detained individuals remains at the heart of service delivery.

As a Compliance Manager, you will play a pivotal leadership role within the Compliance Team, balancing reactive operational decision-making with planned assurance activity in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. You will lead a team of Deputy Compliance Managers, providing support, direction and oversight while ensuring effective monitoring of the contractor’s performance across a broad range of operational areas. You will work closely with senior managers, represent the Home Office in operational and strategic meetings, and contribute to maintaining high standards across the centre. The role requires sound judgement, resilience and the ability to manage competing priorities while building effective working relationships with a wide range of partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of Deputy Operations Managers, ensuring effective workload allocation, performance management, coaching and development to support high-quality service delivery.
• Provide oversight of a comprehensive compliance and monitoring programme, testing the contractor’s performance and ensuring delivery of services in line with legislation, Detention Centre Rules, Operating Standards, Detention Service Orders and contractual requirements.
• Support the Area Manager and Service Delivery Manager in identifying risks, driving continuous improvement and implementing action plans arising from inspections, audits and other assurance activities.
• Exercise statutory responsibilities within the Immigration Removal Centre, including authorising temporary confinement or removal from association, and investigating complaints against the service provider where required.
• Monitor operational performance, resident welfare and security arrangements, ensuring issues are identified promptly, appropriately escalated and resolved in accordance with Home Office policies and procedures.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with contractors, healthcare providers, Home Office colleagues and other stakeholders to support the safe, secure and humane operation of the centre.
• Chair contractual and operational meetings, providing challenge where necessary and holding providers accountable for the delivery of agreed standards and outcomes.
• Participate in an out-of-hours on-call rota and provide operational guidance, advice and decision-making support in response to incidents, emerging risks and urgent operational matters.

Flexible working

You may be required to undertake the same or a similar role within a different team or teams (where possible, at your base location or within reasonable travel distance), depending on business priorities. With appropriate training and support, this will provide opportunities to broaden both your experience and skill set.

Working Pattern

Due to the operational requirements of the role, it is only available on a full-time basis. Compressed hours are available; however, successful candidates must be able to work a rotating shift pattern including early, late, night and weekend shifts, and participate in an out-of-hours on-call rota.

Training

You will receive full training and support to do the job. Training 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.

Successful candidates will receive training and support. Initial training will be delivered at on site at Campsfield IRC followed by structured mentoring and on-the-job development to build competence and confidence in the role.

The role is primarily based at Campsfield IRC in Kidlington, Oxfordshire though occasional travel to other centres and Home Office locations will be required.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, using strong interpersonal skills to influence and achieve positive outcomes.
• Experience of planning, organising and prioritising competing tasks, with the ability to deliver high-quality outcomes in a fast-paced operational environment.
• Proven ability to lead, motivate and support a team, creating a positive and accountable working environment that promotes high performance and continuous improvement.
• Ability to make sound decisions, exercise judgement and manage operational risks effectively, particularly when dealing with complex or sensitive issues.
• Experience of working under pressure, adapting to changing priorities and responding positively to emerging operational challenges while maintaining attention to detail.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present information clearly, provide constructive challenge and tailor messages to a range of audiences.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of working within a detention, prison or other regulated operational environment.
• Experience of managing teams and providing performance, welfare and development support to staff.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Leadership

Benefits

In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
• Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
• Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 80% of their working time in an office.
• This role currently attracts Annualised Hours Allowance (AHA) of 15.77% O of salary, which equates to approximately £6,583 per annum based on salary minimum. Further information can be found on our website.
• See more of our benefits on our careers website.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.

• Application – by 10th September 2026

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• Personal Statement (maximum 750 words).
• Evidence of the Behaviour 'Leadership' (maximum of 250 words per Behaviour).

The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.

For guidance and information on how to construct your application (Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.

2. Sift – 14th September 2026

The sift will be held on the Personal Statement and Behaviour 'Leadership' as listed in the advert.

3. Interview – 5th October 2026

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be Behaviours (as listed in the job advert) and Strength based questions. All Behaviours listed in the selection process will be scored at the interview.

The interview will take place via Microsoft Teams.

For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers .

Problems during the application process

If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website .

Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.

Breaking Tied Scores

The behaviours and strengths have been ranked in order of importance to enable us to differentiate between candidates with tied interview scores.

Standards

All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code , and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Integrity Check

As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance , you will also be subject to an additional Integrity Check, as part of the pre-employment process, to determine your suitability to work for Border Force, Border Security Command or Immigration Enforcement. For further information on what this involves, please visit our website.

Further Information

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check t o Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct.

If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoff