Job Description

Job details

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Responsible to


Head of Security


Location


All Derby Sites


Closing date


Monday 13 October 2025


Salary


39,007 to 41,402 per annum based on a 42-hour week inclusive of a 20% shift allowance (For exceptional performers, there is scope for further progression up to 47,612 per annum)


Job grade


ATOS 5


Reference


0213-25


Contract type


Permanent


Post type


Full-time


Adaptive working type


Onsite

This role will be based on site, primarily in the named location.



About the University
We have one simple promise - to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.



The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.



We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 - making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes.



Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.


About the College/Department
Campus Life is all about the various services that enhance the overall student experience, including sports, recreational facilities and community engagement.



Whereas our Student Living teams ensure the safety, comfort and compliance of the University's residential estates.



Whichever team you become a part of; student experience is our focus!



Our security team are key to the University's success. Generally being the first interaction our customers and visitors will have with us, the service they receive will shape their experience.


About the role
The full-time working hours for this role are 42 hours per week, working a 4 on 4 off pattern. The shifts are 12 hours; 07:00 til 19:00 and 19:00 til 07:00; with a 24/7 rota in place. The salary advertised includes a 20% shift allowance.



You will lead the day-to-day management of a professional, visible, and resilient 24/7 security service across the University and Halls of Residence (DSRL). Your role will be key to ensuring excellent service delivery and pivotal in leading our security teams, overseeing duty security risk management tactics, and ensuring risks are appropriately resolved or escalated to the Head of Security and Incident Management Processes.



You will be responsible for managing staff and resources, leading incident responses, overseeing investigations, and maintaining robust security systems and procedures. The role also involves supporting business continuity planning, coordinating with external agencies, and deputising for the Head of Security when required.



With a strong focus on leadership, continuous improvement, and customer service, you will drive operational excellence, staff development, and the effective delivery of high-quality, value-for-money security services that protect and enhance the University community.


About You
The ideal candidate will be an experienced security professional with a proven track record in supervising teams within a large, multi-site environment. You will hold a full, clean UK driving licence to support operational flexibility and possess excellent communication skills, enabling you to lead from the front and respond calmly and effectively in fast-moving situations.



You will bring strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to motivate, develop, and performance-manage a large team to consistently deliver high standards of customer service. Experienced in conducting investigations and producing clear, accurate reports, you will also demonstrate competence in managing resources and budgets cost-effectively to meet departmental objectives.



In addition, you will have experience in project management and stakeholder engagement, enabling you to drive collaboration and deliver improvements to security systems and operations. Confident in handling conflict and complex situations, you will combine sound judgement with digital proficiency to manage workflows, reporting, and performance data effectively. Above all, you will embody integrity, resilience, and a commitment to safeguarding the University community.


Principal accountabilities
To lead by example, ensuring that team members continually promote University values and behaviours by acting in an exemplary manner at all times, demonstrating excellence in performance, profile, conduct, and customer service at all times.

Lead a high-profile, responsive, and visible security team, ensuring the provision of a professional, effective, and resilient 24-hour security presence across all areas of the University. Serve as the point of contact for security related incidents and provide in-person emergency response when required.

Team Management and Professional Development. Oversee the day-to-day management of the Security team, including, the ongoing supervision, performance management, and continuous professional development of staff. Lead goal setting, skills assessment, training coordination, welfare monitoring, and mentorship to ensure a high-performing and motivated teams.

Operational Decision Making and Incident Command - Take the lead as the senior Security officer, for live incidents and making operational decisions. Supervise and coordinate responses to security incidents, student discipline matters, and welfare-related situations with professionalism, discretion, and urgency. Ensuring that the duty security team have the support, direction and guidance to effectively deal with emerging risks and incidents.

Security Risk Management and Investigation Oversight. Lead investigations into breaches of security, crime, and misconduct. Produce reports with actionable recommendations, contributing to the identification of crime trends and vulnerabilities to reduce security risk.

Deployment and Shift Leadership. Ensure effective staff deployments across all operational areas including control room, patrols, event security, halls of residence. Maintain operational resilience and coverage across all shifts, 24/7, while ensuring compliance with welfare and risk standards.

Stakeholder Engagement and Cross-Agency Coordination. Support the Head of Security to collaborate with Police, government agencies, and other stakeholders in the prevention and detection of crime. Liaise with internal departments to communicate vulnerabilities, submit reports, and drive improvements to safety and security protocols. As required, deputise for the Head of Security at stakeholder and strategic meetings.

Event Security and Operations Planning. Deliver security arrangements for high-profile University events such as Graduation, Open Days, Arrivals Weekend. Contribute to the execution of operational orders for events.

Operational Excellence and Systems Oversight. Ensure the effective functioning of all security technologies, including CCTV systems, access control, alarms, radios, and car park operations. Identify faults promptly and liaise with DS&S and Contractors.

Health, Safety, and Environment Oversight. Champion a culture of safety by monitoring and recording health and safety issues, escalating critical concerns to the Head of Security. Lead initiatives that promote a safe, secure, and inclusive environment for students, staff, and visitors.

Values-Driven Leadership and Customer Excellence. Lead by example, upholding and promoting University values in every interaction. Instil a culture of integrity, accountability, and exemplary conduct within the team. Maintain a high standard of customer service and visible leadership across the division. Conduct initial investigations into any breaches of standards, values and behaviours by the security team.

Training and Compliance Management. Support the Head of Security to design and oversee the training programme for the Security Department, ensuring all mandatory training is completed and that staff are up to date with legislation, procedures, and best practice.

To support the Head of Security to develop and devise security operating procedures (SOP). With regular reviews of SOP's and recommend improvements.

Complete performance reviews for security team members and appropriate staff members.

Emergency and Facilities Management Support. Evaluate the need to activate emergency procedures and contractor call-outs. Maintain building security through key-holder responsibilities, including scheduled locking and unlocking of premises, securing assets, and reducing energy wastage.

Property and Records Administration. Oversee found property procedures, maintain incident logs, and manage security-related data systems to support audit readiness and reporting requirements.

Flexibility and Availability. Demonstrate flexibility in working patterns and availability, adjusting shifts as necessary to meet operational demands or respond to critical incidents.


For full details, please see the attached job description.


Person specification

Essential Criteria

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Qualifications

GCSE in Maths and English (grades A - C) or equivalent qualifications Customer service-related qualification or demonstrable equivalent work-based experience Full and clean UK driving license.
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Experience

Proven experience of supervising and developing a security team in a similar leadership role or previous experience gained within a large multi-site environment Proven experience of providing excellent customer service Proven experience of conducting investigations and compiling written reports
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Skills, knowledge and abilities

Ability to assess resources and costs to meet departmental objectives Excellent all round communicator Ability to handle incidents in a busy and often unpredictable environment Ability to project management and manage stakeholder engagement to improve security operations or deliver key projects Ability to deal with conflict and difficult situations Good digital capabilities, including the ability to produce workflow patterns and spreadsheets. Ability to manage performance of a large team by leading monitoring coaching and continuous appraisal
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Business requirements

Willingness and flexibility to travel and work between University and external sites in a cost effective and timely manner.

Desirable

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Qualifications

IT Qualification SIA Level 2 Door Supervisor Licence SIA CCTV Licence
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Experience

Proven experience of operating large Security related systems
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Skills, knowledge and abilities

Experience of giving presentations Benefits
Generous annual leave entitlement of 38 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata) Local Government Pension Scheme Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family-friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers Discounted onsite gym Cycle to Work scheme A flexible working environment A commitment to personal and professional development

Find out more about rewards and benefitsFind out more about rewards and benefits


Key contact
For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Amer Shams, Head of Security via a.shams@derby.ac.uk


For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk.


Important information####

Visa Sponsorship Eligibility

The University is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers under the Skilled Worker route for this role; however, applications are welcome from candidates who are able to demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.



Please visit visit our website for more information.


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DBS check

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 and is therefore subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.



Any information you provide will be treated in confidence and only used when considering your suitability for the post.



To enable us to process your DBS check please ensure you are able to supply the documentation listed on the DBS website at interview stage.




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Equity, diversity and inclusion

The University of Derby is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion, regardless of age, disability, trans status, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief (or none), sex and sexual orientation.



We are Disability Confident Employers, demonstrating our commitment to disability inclusion, and invite applicants to highlight adjustments they may require to ensure equitable participation in our recruitment processes.



Further, we are committed to ensuring an environment which is trans and non-binary-inclusive for all our staff, students, partners, and visitors, and continuously review our policies, guidance and training.



When applying to join the University, you can choose your preferred title, including the gender-neutral title 'Mx'. We also ask our candidates if they would like to share their preferred pronouns. This is voluntary but demonstrates our commitment to inclusivity for trans and non-binary candidates. Once employed, you can add pronouns and preferred names onto our system.



The University of Derby undertakes anonymised shortlisting during the staff recruitment process. This means that, when shortlisting, panel members will not be able to see an applicant's name and will see an applicant number instead. This demonstrates the practical steps we are taking to remove barriers to recruitment by minimising the possible impact of our unconscious bias.



However you identify, we actively celebrate the knowledge, experience and talents each person brings. Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds; therefore we are particularly interested to hear from applicants who will help our leaders and teams be more reflective of our student population.



For more information on equity, diversity and inclusion at the University of Derby, please visit our website.





A university that celebrates you

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Environmental Sustainability

At the University of Derby, we are passionate about embedding sustainability into everything that we do. We aim to bring environmental sustainability into all aspects of the University, including teaching, research and operational activities. In line with the University's strategic framework, we expect all our staff to embed sustainability into their working practices and support the University's objective to reach net zero carbon by 2050.





Environment and sustainability


Continue your career evolution with us, apply now at University of Derby.