Prison Officer - HMP Berwyn

Overview

This role is for a Prison Officer at HMP Berwyn in Wrexham, Wales. It is a full-time on-site position within HM Prison and Probation Service, and the vacancy is being handled as a merit-based recruitment campaign.

Starting pay is £36,816 for a 39-hour week, which includes the 20% unsocial hours allowance. The role is based at HMP Berwyn, Wrexham Industrial Estate, Bridge Rd N, Wrexham LL13 9QE.

This is a varied, high-responsibility public service role where you will help protect the public while supporting people in prison to make positive changes. The work is fast paced and suited to people who bring integrity, resilience, empathy, confidence and strong communication skills.

Right to work and sponsorship

Applicants must make sure they have, and can continue to maintain, the legal right to live and work in the UK and in the Civil Service. Sponsorship is not assured. Skilled Worker visa sponsorship may be available only if eligibility rules are met, but candidates who need sponsorship are unlikely to be sponsored under this campaign because of current immigration rules and recruitment timelines.

Applicants are advised to review their own right-to-work position carefully before applying.

What the job involves

Prison officers work directly with prisoners in a secure environment. In a single day, the role can involve switching between different responsibilities such as maintaining order, supporting people through difficult situations, and helping to educate or guide them.

The job requires a collaborative approach, because staff must work as one team to keep the prison, colleagues and prisoners safe. Shift work is part of the role, including varied patterns, evenings, some nights, weekends and public holidays. Shift start and finish times are fixed, so reliable travel arrangements are important.

Eligibility

To be considered for this post, you must be at least 18 years old when employment begins, meet the Civil Service nationality rules, and pass medical and fitness checks as part of recruitment. These checks include eyesight standards in both eyes, hearing standards without hearing aids during training, and a basic health screening.

Tattoos are allowed, including visible ones, provided they are not offensive, discriminatory, violent or intimidating. Facial tattoos are generally not accepted unless there is a cultural, religious or medical reason.

If you are applying for work in a high-security prison category A environment, you must have lived in the UK for the last 3 years.

Some prison sites are in rural areas with limited public transport, so having a driving licence and your own transport can be helpful, though it is not always mandatory. For this vacancy, you should carefully consider how you will travel to work on time for fixed shifts.

Nationality requirements

This role is open to UK nationals, Irish nationals, Commonwealth citizens with the right to work in the UK, certain EU, Swiss, Norwegian, Icelandic and Liechtenstein nationals and family members with settled or pre-settled status or a valid application under EUSS, individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020, and Turkish nationals or certain family members who have acquired the right to work in the Civil Service.

Skills and personal qualities

You do not need formal qualifications for this role. What matters most is the ability to communicate well, influence others appropriately, make sound decisions, stay committed to quality, and show care and understanding. The recruitment process also looks for resilience, teamwork, confidence and the ability to handle pressure in a secure environment.

Pay and working pattern

Initial training is based on a 37-hour week. Once training is complete, you may choose to work 37, 39 or 41 hours per week, and your salary will reflect the hours chosen.

• 37 hours per week: £34,928 per year
• 39 hours per week: £36,816 per year
• 41 hours per week: £39,334 per year

All salary amounts include any applicable allowances. Prisons operate 24/7, so the roster can include evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays. Public holidays are added to holiday entitlement. Most sites use a rotating 39-hour weekly shift pattern. Additional paid hours may also be available.

Benefits

• 25 days of annual leave, increasing to 30 days after 10 years of service
• Paid time off for public holidays plus 1 additional privilege day
• Civil Service pension with employer contributions of 28.97%
• Cycle-to-work scheme, travel loans and other staff benefits

Recruitment process

Selection is based on behaviours, strengths and abilities needed to succeed as a prison officer. The process assesses communication and influencing, delivering a quality service, making effective decisions, and caring for others. It also evaluates numerical ability, written English and spoken English.

After the initial application, candidates complete an online test with an initial judgement and numerical skills stage, followed by a values-based stage. If successful, applicants are invited to an online assessment centre, where their behaviours, abilities and strengths are further examined.

If an applicant was unsuccessful at stage 2 within the last 6 months, they may apply again.

Merit vacancy process

This vacancy is managed on a merit basis. Candidates who pass the assessment centre are placed on a merit list in score order. Job offers are then made to the highest-scoring candidates as vacancies become available. The merit list can remain active for 12 months, after which a fresh application is needed.

If an applicant is unsuccessful at the sift or assessment stage, a 6-month waiting period applies before they can submit another prison officer application.

Alternative role possibility

The assessment centre may also be used to consider candidates for an Operational Support Grade role. If a prison officer offer is not made, an alternative OSG role may be offered instead. For that alternative position at this establishment, a valid full UK driving licence is required because driving duties are essential.

Medical and fitness checks

When a vacancy is identified, applicants must attend medical and fitness testing in the UK. This includes eyesight testing, hearing testing and basic health screening, including a blood pressure check. Medical and fitness assessments cannot be arranged outside the UK.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets the standards expected of civil servants, and recruitment is carried out through fair and open competition based on merit. If a candidate believes the recruitment process has not followed the recruitment principles, they may raise a formal complaint through the stated Civil Service channels.

Diversity, inclusion and adjustments

The Civil Service aims to attract, retain and invest in talent from all backgrounds. As a Disability Confident employer, the Ministry of Justice offers reasonable adjustment support to candidates who need it. Requests should be made in advance through the application form before online tests or the assessment centre, because adjustments cannot usually be arranged on the day.

The role holder must be able to handle all spoken aspects of the job confidently in English or, where specified in Wales, Welsh.

Additional information

Additional details are provided in the attached job description. The vacancy reference is 19230. The closing date is 23 July 2026. A supporting document titled Band-3-PO-Safe-Decent-and-Secure-JD048-v8.0 (1).pdf is referenced with the posting.

Veterans

This vacancy supports the Civil Service veteran-friendly initiative, which can provide a guaranteed interview to eligible former members of the Armed Forces who meet the minimum criteria. The initiative is intended to help veterans continue public service and to bring their experience into government roles.