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General Information

Working Pattern
Full Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working
Vacancy Approach
Internal
Location
National
Region
National
Closing Date
26-Nov-2025
Post Type
Expression of Interest
Civil Service Grade
SCS 1
Number of jobs available
1
Job ID
11832

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

The Role:

This is a senior leadership position with responsibility for the operational delivery of prison learning across the entire prison estate. The role plays a critical part in shaping the training and development experience of frontline staff, embedding a culture of excellence, innovation, high standards, and inclusion.

It also leads the transition of learning transformation initiatives within HMPPS into sustainable business-as-usual (BAU) operations.

You will lead a geographically dispersed workforce of approximately 300 staff across 42 regional training centres, with strategic oversight of a staffing budget exceeding £16 million. Your leadership will ensure the delivery of high-quality, consistent, and operationally aligned training for prison officers and other operational staff.

Key Responsibilities:

Reporting into the HR Director you will:

  • Providing direction and leadership to a large national team, shaping learning delivery across the estate and driving high performance, professional standards, and inclusive practice.
  • Aligning training provision with resourcing strategies, including new prison builds and expansions, while maintaining sufficient training capacity to support recruitment and mitigate attrition. You will ensure that the design and delivery of training remains current and responsive to operational demand.
  • Building strong and effective relationships with key stakeholders across HMPPS, the Ministry of Justice, and beyond. This includes engagement with ministers, senior leaders, and trade unions to ensure training delivery aligns with strategic goals and operational needs.
  • Overseeing the full lifecycle of learning design and delivery – from needs assessment to evaluation – to ensure the training offer remains of the highest quality and fit for purpose.
  • Ensuring training delivery supports key departmental and ministerial initiatives, including the Enable Programme, the Independent Review of Foundation Training, the Professional Standards Review, the Sentencing Review, and the Prison Build Programme.

Skills & Experience:

  • Proven experience in leading and managing large, and remote multidisciplinary teams within dynamic and complex operational environments and getting the most out of it.
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a track record of building, influencing, and sustaining strategic partnerships across a diverse range of stakeholders.
  • Demonstrates the ability to lead through change, champion innovation, and embed inclusive practices within teams and services and to inspire teams to deliver high-impact outcomes and deliver results.
  • Experience of leading in risk-based environments, with the ability to assess, interpret, and respond to complex strategic and operational risks. Capable of contributing to high-level discussions and decision-making on risk-related matters.

The following Behaviours will be assessed at interview:

  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Leadership
  • Delivering at Pace
  • Making Effective Decisions
Additional Information

Terms of Appointment: This role is being offered on a temporary basis of up to 12 months to cover maternity leave. The role is available on lateral move or temporary promotion for current employees across the MoJ.

Location: National

Eligibility: This opportunity is open to current Ministry of Justice employees.

Application Responsibilities:

To apply for this post, you will need to complete your application no later than 23:55hrs on Wednesday 26th November 2025.  

The application must include:

  • A CV setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant to the person specification for this role, relevant achievements in recent posts, together with reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
  • A Personal Statement (no more than 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role. The sift panel will use the information in your CV and personal statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge.

Failure to send both a CV and Statement of Suitability will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application.

You will then be invited to an interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence.

Please note that we are unable to provide feedback to those candidates who are not shortlisted for interview. Feedback will be made available (on request) to those candidates who attend interview.

If you are on Loan into MoJ (including Executive Agencies): You must obtain the agreement of your home department before applying, as any appointment will remain subject to the terms of your existing loan arrangement.

Contact Information
If you require any assistance please contact us on scsrecruitment@justice.gov.uk. Please quote the job reference in your email to enable us to support you more quickly.

Application form stage assessments

Experience
We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods
CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability
Statement of Suitability
Guidance for the Statement of Suitability
A Personal Statement (no more than 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role. The sift panel will use the information in your CV and personal statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge.
Evidence of Experience
CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates
To be confirmed
Behaviours
Communicating and Influencing
Leadership
Delivering at Pace
Making Effective Decisions
Level of security checks required
Security Clearance (SC)

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.