Industry Officer - Kareenga Prison in Lara

Industry staff deliver training and employment capabilities to prisoners whilst meeting commercial and service industry production goals. This is an ongoing, full-time opportunity to work with a high-performing and passionate team in the Victorian Public Service.

About the Business Unit:

Marngoneet Correctional Centre / Karreenga is a medium security facility that houses a mix of sentenced and remand men. The role of the facility is to contain men in custody safely, securely and humanely, focusing on the individual needs of the men with the aim of providing a successful transition back into the community or on their continued journey through the prison system. The facility has a strong focus on achieving positive outcomes and provides a range of engaged services. Our highly skilled workforce provides supervision and case management and are dedicated to enhancing opportunities to strengthen prisoner pathways.

The Vocational Services Team consists of three key portfolios: education, programs, and industries. The role of the team is to prepare prisoners for release and to enhance post-release employment opportunities through prisoner employment, integrated on-the-job training, targeted educational opportunities, and personal development programs and activities.

About the Role:

Senior Industry Officers have a major role to play in ensuring compliance with broader prison procedures as well as specific prison industry procedures, particularly Occupational Health and Safety issues in industry areas. Senior Industry Officers are responsible for the management and delivery of specific functions within a prisoner industry or service industry under the guidance of a Prison Industry Supervisor. The role requires leadership, maturity, sound judgment, and confidence in decision-making, with developed capabilities to coach, mentor, and motivate prisoners, along with highly developed communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.

At Marngoneet Correctional Centre / Karreenga, Senior Industry Officers play a significant role in training and assessing prisoners in relevant accredited trade skill units according to the specific work environment. They will enter data into Oracle as part of monitoring, recording, and managing daily production processes. Industry staff are also responsible for strict adherence to food safety standards in food production areas.

The Industry Officer is part of a multi-disciplinary team and is responsible for training and supervising prisoners in the prison's commercial industries and service areas. The overall objective is to provide training and employment opportunities to prisoners and to meet the commercial and service industry production goals and service requirements.

Custodial duties may include conducting searches, surveillance, observing and assessing prisoner behaviour in the trade areas, and operating a variety of security and industrial equipment, collating information, and preparing reports and management of critical incidents.

Some of your duties will include:

• Supervising a team working to ensure the operational aims of the Marngoneet Correctional Centre / Karreenga Industries are achieved, including commercial production targets and customer expectations.
• Ordering and maintaining control of stock, materials, financial records and providing an industry model-workplace training environment.
• Effectively managing all work areas to ensure the safety and security of prisoners, staff and any visitors.
• Working as part of a team in all aspects of prison industry operations including prisoner training and assessment, case management, program and service knowledge and involvement.
• Delivering performance management targets and undertaking professional development as required.
• Participating in offender management practice, procedures, and the implementation of new initiatives.

About you:

Ability to work as part of a team to monitor and achieve targets in a complex trade or industrial environment, including management of financial budgets, materials and suppliers' records and accounts, while maintaining work production schedules. Demonstrated understanding of processes and procedures in accordance with the Prison Industries practices. Knowledge of Lean manufacturing process.

Qualifications/requirements:

• Trade qualification in Bakery or demonstrated relevant work history is highly desirable.
• Trade qualification in Meat Processing or demonstrated relevant work history is highly desirable.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

CHILD SAFE STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT: The Department of Justice and Community Safety is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. We seek to prevent harm of any kind impacting children and young people and have zero tolerance for racism, child abuse and inequality. We aim to foster a culturally safe and child-friendly environment for all children and young people we have contact with, deliver services to, or are impacted by our work.