Prison Officer - Residential - Various locations across Scotland

Salary: Starting salary of £34,789 progressing to £40,850 within 3 years, subject to pay progression

Job Purpose  

The Scottish Prison Service is now recruiting for Residential Officers to join us throughout 2025/2026

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS), established in 1993, is an agency of the Scottish Government whose principal objective is to contribute to making Scotland safer by protecting the public and reducing reoffending. The SPS aims to achieve this by ensuring delivery of secure custody, safe and orderly prisons, high quality standards of care, and opportunities for those in custody to build capacity to help them reintegrate into the community on release.

Prison Officers are a principal agent of delivery of the SPS Vision of Unlocking Potential and Transforming Lives as they are a critical point of contact between those in custody and the organisation charged with their safety, security and personal development. Prison Officers have a positive and caring approach towards those in our care and adopt an asset-based approach, fostering effective relationships in order to help those in SPS care to desist from offending and help transform their lives.

The role depends upon Prison Officers embracing the aims and ethos of the SPS Mission and their personal efficacy and professionalism are vital to developing and maintaining essential working relationships with those in our care. The design and delivery of person-centred services, requires staff who not only demonstrate SPS Values, but who believe in change and their ability to affect it. Our values are;

• Belief - belief that people can change
• Respect - have proper regard for individuals, their needs and their human rights
• Integrity - apply high ethical, moral and professional standards
• Openness - work with others to achieve the best outcomes
• Courage - have the courage to care regardless of circumstances
• Humility - recognise that we can learn from others

Newly appointed Prison Officers - Residential will undertake a block of training as part of a new professional development pathway which represents a significant and positive investment in the professional Prison Officer in Scotland. As such, the role requires a strong on-going commitment to personal and professional development.

Prison Officers - Residential will spend the majority of their time in the residential (accommodation) area of the prison. The role can be physically demanding in that it involves walking and standing for a majority of the time and there will be frequent occasions where physical fitness and dexterity will be required to assist in the secure handling of challenging situations. The potentially intense nature of the interactions with those in our care and their families may exert emotional demands on Prison Officers.

Responsibilities

• Encouraging positive behaviours in individuals in engaging with rehabilitation and reintegration initiatives and processes through a supportive, caring and inclusive approach, consistently demonstrating support and respect for equality, diversity and human rights.
• Contributing to the prevention and constructive management of challenging and/or difficult behaviours whilst demonstrating fairness and consistency in order to build positive relationships with individuals in custody.
• Managing individuals’ case work and exercising professional judgement in responding to particular needs and challenges, identifying changes in individuals’ physical and mental health and initiating appropriate responses by others.
• Completion of all administration and communications relevant to the role, in line with local and national requirements and standards. This includes processing, analysing, evaluating and disseminating appropriate and relevant information, as well as production of high quality and accurate report writing and maintenance of paper and electronic records in accordance with SPS policies and relevant legislation.
• Contributing to effective operational risk management by ensuring the safe and secure supervision of those in SPS care ensuring their needs and entitlements are consistently met in line with Prison Rules and Directives, SPS policy, Standard Operating Procedures, and relevant legislation.
• Managing conflict, with a focus on de-escalation, and contributing towards local incident management using established and approved techniques whilst recognising and managing the impact of challenging behaviours on self and others.