Community Payback Co-Ordinator - Reading - Outcome in a Day (South Central) (Ref: 22153)

Right to work in the UK

You must have the right to work in the UK and Civil Service (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules).

Skilled Worker visa changes from 22 July 2025

In accordance with current immigration rules, this role is not eligible for a new Skilled Worker visa.

From 22 July 2025, the Government introduced changes to the eligibility criteria for Skilled Worker visas. As a result:

HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) cannot consider sponsoring you to work as a community payback co-ordinator unless you have held a Skilled Worker visa prior to the 22 July 2025 changes.

If you have held a Skilled Worker visa continuously, please raise this during your pre-employment checks and your eligibility will be assessed in accordance with the immigration rules and transitional provisions in place.

If you apply to be a community payback co-ordinator and you have not held a Skilled Worker visa prior to 22 July 2025, you will need to consider your options for obtaining and/or maintaining your right to work in the UK in light of these changes.

If your application is successful, you will need to ensure that you have and maintain the legal right to live and work in the Civil Service and in the United Kingdom.

HMPPS will continue to comply with UK Immigration Rules applied in the UK and Civil Service. You can read more about Skilled Worker visas and the eligibility criteria here.

Civil Service recruitment: nationality rules

This guide is intended to assist departments with managing their responsibilities on nationality rules related to Civil Service recruitment.

You can read more about Skilled Worker visas and the eligibility criteria here (https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa)

About Us:

The work is varied, challenging and meaningful and comes with job security, great benefits and career progression opportunities - not to mention the chance to make a real difference to people’s lives and our communities.

About The Recruitment Process

To apply to this role you will be required to complete a short application form and detail responses to two Civil Service Behaviour and one Experience based questions.

Your application will be sifted once the application deadline has closed. You will then receive further instruction on the progress and outcome of your application.

If we receive a high volume of applications, we may assess and progress candidates through the recruitment process in stages (tranches). Candidates who meet the required standard at sift may be held pending future assessment stages rather than progressing immediately. Interview invitations and subsequent offers will be managed in line with the tranche in which candidates are assessed and their position in merit order

If you apply for multiple vacancies for the same role, only one of your applications will be progressed. Any assessment scores achieved will be applied consistently across all applications for that role, this will be valid for 6 months.

Candidates who do not meet the minimum benchmark at either the Sift or Interview stage will not be eligible to reapply for the same role for six months from the date their assessment scores are progressed. There is also no guarantee that you will progress to the next stages of the recruitment process; however, we will keep you informed at each stage.

About The Role

As a Community Payback placement coordinator, you’ll be responsible for establishing and maintaining working relationships with a range of stakeholders – including local authorities and charities – to make sure there are sufficient numbers of Community Payback work placements.

This will include exploring opportunities for people to access on-the-job training and education to develop their skills and increase their chances of employment while they complete their unpaid work hours.

Working pattern

As a Community Payback Placement Coordinator You Will:

• be expected to work weekends when needed to cover for Community Payback supervisors or to visit project sites – such as schools which are not accessible on weekdays
• get paid a higher rate for any weekend days you do work

Please note: Interviews for this role will be held in person on either Thursday 22nd October or Wednesday 28th October at the Reading Office. This will be a full-day assessment event, providing an opportunity for you to meet colleagues and gain insight into the role through a visit to a live Community Payback project. You will be required to arrive at 09:00am, with the morning dedicated to the site visit. Your interview will then take place in the afternoon. Please note that interviews will only be conducted on these dates. You must be available for the full day, as we are unable to offer alternative dates or reschedule appointments.

Please note: Candidates must hold a full UK Manual Driving Licence when applying for this role, this is a mandatory technical requirement in order to carry out this role. We cannot accept candidates who hold an automatic Driving Licence only.

The hours for this role can be worked flexibly across the work week of Monday to Friday but also requires weekend working on a Saturday and Sunday each month.

The post holder will support the CP Manager to ensure that all Community Payback placements meet the policy objectives of the organisation and comply with relevant legislation.

It's all about supporting People on Probation on their journey and making your community a better place.

If this sounds like you, apply now.

If you are successful in the recruitment process to join the Probation Service, your starting salary will be £28,064, Pro-Rata for Part-Time roles.

Please note: Community Payback Placement Coordinators will be expected to work weekends when needed. This may be to cover for CP supervisors, or to visit CP project sites – such as schools which aren’t accessible on weekdays – to complete project risk assessments or meet beneficiaries, for example. You will be paid a higher rate for any weekend days you do work.

Post holders may be required to undertake weekend working as part of their normal pattern of working

The Probation Service offers the opportunity for annual pay progression through a Competency Based Framework (CBF), which if eligible, will see your pay increase. CBF is designed to enable you to move up through the pay band range as your competence grows.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Probation Service also increase their pay band ranges annually in line with Civil Service Pay guidance, which will also apply an increase to band pay ranges where applicable.

As a Community Payback Placement Coordinator You Will:

• be expected to work weekends when needed to cover for