At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and manage family services at HMP Send, ensuring quality delivery across multiple sites.
- Company: Pact, a respected charity focused on supporting prisoners and their families.
- Benefits: Generous holiday, pension scheme, training opportunities, and a supportive team environment.
- Other info: Equal opportunity employer welcoming diverse applicants, including those with criminal convictions.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in the lives of prisoners and their families while developing your career.
- Qualifications: Experience in service management, strong relationship-building skills, and a commitment to social justice.
The predicted salary is between 40000 - 50000 £ per year.
About the role
We are looking for an experienced Programme Manager to lead the delivery of our family and significant others services at HMP Send, while overseeing service delivery and line managing staff across HMPs Downview, Highdown and Coldingley.
What you will be doing
- You will manage day-to-day operations across your allocated sites, contributing to operating plans and performance monitoring, and providing regular reports to your line manager.
- You will play a key role in ensuring contractual targets are met and that the needs of prisoners, family members and carers are at the heart of everything we do.
- You will lead on recruitment, selection and induction for your teams, and support training and development for practitioners.
- Building strong working relationships will be central to your success – with HMPPS, prime contractors, healthcare providers, and other voluntary sector partners – to strengthen referral pathways and improve continuity of service.
- You will also embed learning into programme delivery, drawing on performance data, frontline experience, lived experience, feedback from families and prisoners, Pact's own research, and relevant external evidence and policy.
What we are looking for
- Experience of managing services and staff across multiple sites, ideally within the criminal justice, social care or voluntary sector.
- A strong understanding of the challenges facing prisoners and their families.
- The ability to build productive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including statutory and voluntary sector partners.
- Experience of performance monitoring, reporting and using data to drive service improvement.
- Confidence in recruiting, inducting and developing staff, volunteers and peer supporters.
- A collaborative approach, with the ability to work across organisational boundaries and share learning and best practice.
- A commitment to involving the voices of people with lived experience in service design and delivery.
Organisation
Pact is a highly respected independent charity, working across England and Wales to develop and deliver a range of innovative services. We provide practical and emotional support to prisoners' children and families, to prisoners and those who have resettled back into the community. Our work is founded on core values, the first of which is a belief in the innate dignity of every human being, and our work focuses on human relationships, family and community. We are committed to achieving high standards of quality in all that we do.
What we offer
Pact offers a range of benefits including a free advice, information and counselling service, contributory pension, corporate eye care scheme, cycle to work scheme and generous holiday entitlement. You will have the opportunity to attend training events to further develop yourself as a professional training and interventions worker. You will undergo a thorough induction process and be supported by a friendly and enthusiastic team.
Additional information
Pact is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all applications including those with a criminal conviction (appointment to post is subject to a risk assessment). This post is subject to a 6-month probationary period, verification of identity and proven right to work in the UK, satisfactory references from previous employers covering a 3-year period, declaration of any unspent criminal convictions (and where appropriate a satisfactory risk assessment), Prison Vetting and a Disclosure and Barring Service check. Please note that being bankrupt or having County Court Judgements may affect your ability to be successfully vetted to work in a prison.
Programme Manager employer: PACT (Prison Advice and Care Trust)
Contact Detail:
PACT (Prison Advice and Care Trust) Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Programme Manager
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect with professionals on LinkedIn. Building relationships can open doors that you didn’t even know existed.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the organisation and its values. Understand their mission and how your experience aligns with their goals. This will help you stand out as a candidate who truly gets what they’re about.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your responses to common interview questions, but keep it natural. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers and showcase your achievements effectively.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up after your interview! A simple thank-you email can leave a lasting impression and show your enthusiasm for the role. Plus, it keeps you on their radar as they make their decision.
We think you need these skills to ace Programme Manager
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Programme Manager role. Highlight your experience in managing services across multiple sites and how you've tackled challenges in the criminal justice or social care sectors.
Showcase Your Relationship-Building Skills: We want to see how you’ve built strong relationships with stakeholders in your previous roles. Share specific examples of how you’ve collaborated with partners to improve service delivery and support for families and prisoners.
Data-Driven Insights: Demonstrate your ability to use performance data to drive improvements. Include any relevant metrics or outcomes from your past experiences that show how you’ve successfully monitored and enhanced service delivery.
Be Authentic: We value lived experience, so don’t hesitate to share your personal insights or motivations for applying. Let us know why you’re passionate about supporting prisoners and their families, and how you can contribute to our mission at Pact.
How to prepare for a job interview at PACT (Prison Advice and Care Trust)
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you understand the role of a Programme Manager in the context of HMP Send and the wider criminal justice system. Familiarise yourself with the challenges faced by prisoners and their families, as well as the services provided by Pact. This knowledge will help you demonstrate your commitment and suitability for the role.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've successfully managed teams across multiple sites. Highlight your experience in recruitment, training, and performance monitoring. Be ready to discuss how you’ve built strong relationships with stakeholders and how you can apply that to strengthen referral pathways at Pact.
✨Data-Driven Mindset
Since performance monitoring and using data to drive service improvement is key, come prepared with examples of how you've used data in previous roles. Discuss how you’ve embedded learning into programme delivery and how you plan to do this at Pact.
✨Emphasise Collaboration
Pact values a collaborative approach, so be ready to talk about your experiences working across organisational boundaries. Share specific instances where you’ve involved people with lived experience in service design and delivery, as this aligns with Pact's core values.