HM Prison and Probation Service
202607: Prison Officer - HMP Eastwood Park
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Prison Officer - HMP Eastwood Park
Location Falfield, South West England, GL12 8DB
Starting salary £36,816 (for a 39-hour week including 20% unsocial hours pay)
City/Town Bristol
Region South West
Vacancy type Merit
About the Role
This role is a merit vacancy within HM Prison & Probation Service, part of the Civil Service. Prison officers at HMP Eastwood Park, part of the Women’s Prison Group, play a critical role in protecting the public and empowering transformative change in the lives of women in custody.
Prison officers in women’s prisons work with women who often face traumatic experiences—including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse—which necessitates empathy, resilience, and professional relationships to bring out the best in incarcerated individuals.
Working Environment
- Shift work: Shifts include evenings, nights, weekends, and public holidays.
- Location: Easier access to the role is supported by the possession of a driving licence and private transport (though not an essential requirement unless specified).
- Counselling and mentoring: Officers often work as peacekeepers, counsellors, and educators.
Responsibilities
- Maintain security while acting as a guiding presence: Offer constructive relationships with women who may be at the lowest point in their lives.
- Act with professionalism: Combine active security measures, crisis intervention, rehabilitative work, and safeguarding practices.
- Participate in diverse daily tasks: Roles can shift between managing security, facilitating educational programs, tending to health needs, or leading mindfulness sessions.
- Work in collaboration: Commit to maintaining strong, trusting relationships across staff roles while policing diverse prison departments.
- Promote rehabilitation: Contribute positively to prisoners' aspirations for changing and bettering themselves.
An ability to intuitively address interpersonal conflict without bias or emotional intervention overstepping forms a core part of your responsibilities, along with ensuring order while respectfully addressing needs.
Requirements
Essential Eligibility
To apply for the role of Prison Officer, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old at the point of commencing employment.
- Reside in the UK for at least three years if applying for positions in high-security prisons (cateogory A).
- Meet Civil Service Nationality Requirements, including:
- Be a UK, Republic of Ireland, or Commonwealth national with the right to work in the UK or eligible under EU settled status (EUSS).
- Fulfil hearing, sight, and medical requirements (without hearing aids) and pass a fitness test, including:
- Basic blood pressure check.
- Eyesight test (with and without correction).
- Hearing adequacy therefore it does not require intervention with aids.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
- Ensure visible or hidden body tattoos do not publicly convey expressions of offense, violence, or inappropriate discrimination—that they fall within ethical standards of mourning or cultural significance.
Visa Polytechnic
- Skilled Worker Visa Sponsorship: Subject to eligibility and within the UK Immigration Rules, but due to current requirements, sponsorship is unlikely in the short-term.
- Candidates are strictly advised to confirm eligibility and secure appropriate work rights—access to full information can be made at GOV.UK.
Pay & Hours
Training & Hour Structure
- Initial Training Phase: Working 37 weeks with an expectation of adjusting to:
- 37-hour weeks: Salary of £34,928 per annum.
- 39-hour weeks: Salary of £36,816 per annum.
- 41-hour weeks: Salary of £39,334 per annum.
All salaries include relevant allowances.
Operating Hours & Holidays
- Facilities operate 24/7, so cover is required across night shifts (compensated to your overall schedule).
- Provide 25 days of annual leave increasing to 30 days after 10 employment years.
Benefits
- Privilege Holiday System: Includes public holiday paid time off and 1 extra privilege working day per annum.
- Civil Service Pension Scheme: Employer contribution of 28.97%.
- Additional schemes:
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Travel subsidies and loans
- Promotion and redeploying schemes favoring ex-military veterans or routes for those in processes of redundancy within departments (excluding promotion opportunities).
Assessment Process & Recruitment
Overview
A four-stage assessment process evaluates reinforcement skills and values, incorporating:
- Eligibility Metrics: Medical screening.
- Behavioral Competencies: Online stage assessments.
- Online Assessment Centre (OAC): For strengths and practical skills.
- Medical and Fitness Test.
Average Steps Yourself and Feet
-
Enlist for initial online tests which evaluate:
- Judgment and numerical reasoning abilities (stage 1).
- Integration of values and competency evaluation (stage 2, a values-based test).
-
Online Assessment Centre: Testing competencies like:
- Decision-making
- Communication
- Quality service administration
- Caring for arrested candidates
-
Condition Verification: Vision, Mobility, and Basic Health Checks (submission mandatory if listed active qualifications).
Merit Testing
- Successful candidates are added to a merit list based on formal assessment.
- Placements are prioritized according to your rank within this merit list.
- To enhance placement stability, top-ranked recruits may take a waiting posture for 12 months from recruitment starting before alternative measures fall.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Determination outcomes (compiled from merit tests) to vote for internal or transferable appointments.
Availability and Call Back Check (if Unsuccessful)
If unsuccessful at any sift-assessment evaluation phase, a six-month office closure applies before you re-applies.
Personnel Support Check
- Valid background DPB verification and baseline security checks required before final acceptance.
Working for the Civil Service
Criminal Repercussions, Values & Ethics
Those selected undergo criminal checks, with Civil Service recourse governed by integrity security policies.
As a candidate and potential employee, adherence to Civil Service Vetting Rules (for private sector) will be assessed to maintain impartiality standards for public trust.
Professional Co-Antheses
Must follow and adhere to appointments within boundaries of ethics:
- Audit assistance standards for employees.
- Cultural appreciation to safeguard integrated justice access during cases and dealings, promoting fair justice access pathways and opportunities civil-service standards.
Veterans & Disclosure
Veterans Initiative
Utilizes innovative Accessibility Schemes by implementing a Guaranteed Interview Scheme: For Case completion of promotion and eligibility compliance, MOJ supports veterans potentially.
Disability Confident Scheme
- Employ discretion, consideration, and rehabilitation-related longevity plans for those diagnosed with disabilities.
Additional Notes
-
Query resolution Gateway for generic issues and notes support:
- Open telephone lines: 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Saturday, 8am-6pm)
- Email: Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com (Quote Job reference 19423)
-
Security Screening: Effective collaboration ensures assessment readiness based on national requirement and consistency within recruitment programme progression benchmarks.
Read more regarding assurance efficiency details on exclusive government participant guidelines and job details webpage here. (Required Candidate Information via here).
Closing Date: 7th July 2026
Supporting Documentation: Access Band-3-PO-Safe-Decent-and-Secure-JD (identifier to 19423). Review specific employment law strictly while analyzing premise stipulated safeguarding modules for comprehensive guidance on legal compliance.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills