Head of Female Prison

Job Introduction

Do you have what it takes to lead change and shape the future of womens justice services?
We’re looking for an exceptional and experienced leader to step into one of the most pivotal roles within HMP Peterborough - Head of Female Prison. This is your opportunity to lead from the front, drive transformation, and ensure operational excellence in a safe, secure, dignified, and rehabilitative environment

As Head of Female Prison, you will:

• Work with the Prison Director to review, develop and drive the female prison strategy
• Lead a safe, secure and supportive environment that meets the specific and complex needs of female prisoners.
• Provide high-impact strategic and operational leadership, ensuring your team are engaged, values-driven and delivering the vision of a modern, inclusive prison service.
• Champion dignity, decency and rehabilitation, while meeting contractual, performance, and safety obligations.
• Act as the senior operational lead—stepping in for the Director or Deputy Director when needed, and leading on incident command and critical decisions.
• Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with key partners including HMPPS, NHS, Independent Monitoring Boards, local authorities, and voluntary sector stakeholders.

You’ll be instrumental in implementing long-term strategic plans, navigating complex challenges, and driving innovation that improves lives—both for those in custody and the staff who support them.

What You’ll Deliver:

• High-performing operational delivery, aligned to national strategy and local delivery plan.
• A safe, healthy, and inclusive culture that supports desistance and personal growth.
• Compliance with legal, contractual and policy frameworks—delivering on KPIs, budgets, audits and inspections.
• Intelligent risk management—proactively addressing reputational, operational and people-related issues.
• Leadership development and workforce succession, ensuring the prison thrives today and into the future.

Who You Are:
You're a seasoned leader with proven success operating at a senior level—ideally within a womens estate, or similar complex justice/public service setting. You have a deep understanding of what safety, rehabilitation and operational excellence mean in practice—and the strategic agility to make it happen.

Essential Experience & Attributes:

• Proven senior operational leadership, ideally within the female prison estate.
• Strong, authentic leadership with the ability to inspire, engage, and build high-performing teams.
• Silver Command and adjudication training completed with direct experience in incident management.
• Track record of financial accountability, delivering against budgets and driving efficiency.
• Strategic thinker, able to balance policy, legal and operational complexity under pressure.
• Exceptional communicator, influencer, and stakeholder manager at the highest levels.
• Technical knowledge of prison legislation, PSOs, standards, audit, and criminal justice system 
• A deep commitment to equality, inclusion and improving outcomes for women in custody.
• Proven ability to develop mature, productive and meaningful relationships with internal and external service providers, key stakeholders and partners. 

Highly desirable:

• Experience leading transformation or cultural change in a female-focused or trauma-informed environment.

Please review the job description for full details

Package Description 

Alongside an attractive salary and a meaningful career with personal growth, the successful candidate will benefit from: 

• Performance-related bonus
• A flexible benefits fund of £1,300 to utilise a range of benefits, including Private Medical Insurance (PMI), dental, gym memberships, retail / hospitality discounts, etc.
• 20+ Sodexo benefits such as Sodexo retirement plan, private healthcare, discounts to over 1,900 brands to shop online, Gym discount to maintain a healthy lifestyle, a confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme providing independent support to overcome whenever life has its obstacles including emotional support, legal and financial advice. For further details regarding our Sodexo benefits please see attached. 

All offers are subject to MOJ vetting and clearance checks – you will be subjected to an advanced DBS check, a prison security check (level 2) prior to being employed 

Ready to be part of something greater? Apply today! 

About The Company 

 At Sodexo, our purpose is to create a better everyday for everyone to build a better life for all. As the global leader in services that improve the Quality of Life, we operate in 55 countries, serving over 100 million consumers each day through our unique combination of On-Site Food and FM Services, Benefits & Rewards Services and Personal & Home Services.

We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities, and we celebrate diversity. We’re an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be natural, and be the best versions of themselves. We recognise that we’re on a journey with regards to diversity and inclusion and would therefore welcome applications for candidates from underrepresented backgrounds.

We’re a Disability Confident Leader employer. We’re committed to changing attitudes towards disability, and making sure disabled people have the chance to fulfil their aspirations. We run a Disability Confident interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria for the job.

To be considered for an interview you must:

• have a disability defined by the Equality Act 2010
• provide evidence in your application that you meet the minimum criteria in the job description
• meet all of the qualifications, skills or experience defined as essential.