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Prison Officer

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Prison Officer – HMP Leeds Futures | HM Prison & Probation Service

Salary: £34,928 per year
Location: HMP Whitemoor, initially; permanent role at HMP Leeds after 23 months
Contract: Permanent
Working Pattern: Full-time, part-time, flexible working and job share
Vacancies: 20
Closing Date: 5 November 2026, at 11:55 pm
Job Reference: 485608
Visa Sponsorship: May be available, but applicants requiring Skilled Worker sponsorship are unlikely to be sponsored for this campaign.

Job Overview

Want to become a prison officer with a permanent position at HMP Leeds? HM Prison & Probation Service is recruiting 20 prison officers through its HMP Leeds Futures campaign.

Successful candidates will spend their first 23 months working at HMP Whitemoor before returning to HMP Leeds for their permanent posting. The scheme offers paid training, accommodation support and additional financial benefits to help candidates relocate.

No formal qualifications are required, but applicants must meet the eligibility, fitness, medical and security requirements.

Salary and Relocation Benefits

The advertised starting salary is £34,928 per year for a 37-hour contract, including the unsocial-hours allowance.

Additional benefits include:

  • Accommodation costs covered up to £750 per month for up to 23 months.
  • Reimbursement for one trip home per month between the deployment prison and permanent prison.
  • A £1,500 recruitment and retention payment after 12 months and a further £1,500 after 23 months, as described in the advert.
  • Civil Service pension.
  • 25 days of annual leave, rising to 30 days after 10 years of service.
  • Public holidays and an additional privilege day.
  • Cycle-to-work scheme, travel loans and other employee benefits.

After completing initial training, officers may have the option to increase their weekly hours to 39 or 41.

Key Responsibilities

Prison officers help maintain safety, security and order while supporting prisoners to make positive changes.

Duties include:

  • Maintaining a safe and secure prison environment.
  • Building constructive, professional relationships with prisoners.
  • Communicating effectively and managing challenging situations.
  • Making sound decisions and following prison procedures.
  • Supporting colleagues and working as part of a team.
  • Helping prisoners access support and work towards rehabilitation.

The role involves varied duties and shift patterns, including evenings, some nights, weekends and public holidays.

Requirements and Qualifications

You do not need formal qualifications to apply. The employer places importance on personal qualities and transferable skills.

Applicants should demonstrate:

  • Strong communication and influencing skills.
  • Good decision-making.
  • Commitment to delivering a quality service.
  • Care, understanding and resilience.
  • Teamwork, integrity and confidence in dealing with challenging situations.

You must also:

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  • Be at least 18 when you start employment.
  • Meet the Civil Service nationality requirements.
  • Pass the required medical, fitness, eyesight and hearing assessments.
  • Meet the relevant security-vetting requirements.

Tattoos are permitted if they are not offensive, discriminatory, violent or intimidating. Facial tattoos are generally not accepted, except for cultural, religious or medical reasons.

Driving licence: A driving licence and personal transport may be beneficial because some prisons have limited public transport, but they are not essential for this role unless otherwise specified.

Visa Sponsorship and Right to Work

Important: Skilled Worker visa sponsorship is not guaranteed.

The employer states that sponsorship may be available, subject to eligibility and the UK Immigration Rules. However, candidates who require Skilled Worker sponsorship are unlikely to be sponsored for this campaign because of current immigration requirements and recruitment timescales.

Applicants must ensure they have, and can maintain, the appropriate right to work in the UK. Anyone who needs sponsorship should carefully consider their eligibility and contact the recruitment team before applying.

The campaign also has nationality requirements. Meeting the nationality criteria does not, by itself, guarantee eligibility for visa sponsorship.

Training and Assessment Process

The recruitment process includes several stages:

  1. Complete the initial online application.
  2. Take the first online test, assessing judgement and numerical skills.
  3. Complete the values-based assessment.
  4. Attend the online assessment centre if invited.
  5. Complete the required medical and fitness assessments.
  6. Pass the relevant employment and security checks.

Assessment may cover communication, decision-making, caring, service quality, numerical ability and written and spoken English.

Candidates who meet the required assessment standard may be placed on a merit list for up to 12 months. Job offers are made according to assessment scores and available vacancies.

Working Hours and Security Checks

Prisons operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Officers must be prepared to work shifts that may include evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays.

The HMP Whitemoor deployment requires Counter-Terrorism Check (CTC) vetting. The advert states that applicants must provide proof of UK residency for the three years immediately before applying. Candidates who cannot meet this requirement will not be able to take up the post at HMP Whitemoor.

Enhanced security checks and a medical assessment are also required.

Application and Selection Process

Applications must be submitted through the official HM Prison & Probation Service recruitment website.

Closing date: 5 November 2026 at 11:55 pm.

Before applying, review the full eligibility, right-to-work, sponsorship and residency requirements.

Recruitment enquiries: Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com
Telephone: 0845 241 5358, Monday to Friday, 8 am–6 pm. Quote reference 23262.

Important Information

This vacancy summary is based on the published Civil Service Jobs advert. HM Prison & Probation Service is responsible for the recruitment process, final eligibility decisions and employment terms.

Sponsorship is not guaranteed. Applicants should confirm their individual eligibility directly with the recruitment team before making relocation or financial arrangements.

Source: Civil Service Jobs – HM Prison & Probation Service
Job Reference: 485608
Last checked: 15 October 2026

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