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Prison Officer - HMP

Job in Durham, Durham County, DH1, England, UK
Listing for: Ministry of Justice
Full Time position
Listed on 2026-02-09
Job specializations:
  • Business
    Operations Manager
Salary/Wage Range or Industry Benchmark: 35875 GBP Yearly GBP 35875.00 YEAR
Job Description & How to Apply Below
Position: 202601: Prison Officer - HMP

Prison officer – HMP Durham

HMP Durham Old Elvet Durham DH1 3HU

Starting salary: £35,875 (for a 39 hour week inc 20% unsocial)

City/Town:
Durham

Region:
North East

Vacancy type:
Merit

This role is not eligible for new Skilled Worker visas in accordance with the current immigration rules.

An extraordinary job

In this unique career, you’ll have the opportunity to carry out many different roles in any one day.

During the recruitment process you will be assessed on:
  • communicating and influencing
  • managing a quality service
  • making effective decisions
  • caring
To become a prison officer, you will need to:
  • be at least 18 years old at the commencement of employment
  • meet the Civil Service Nationality requirements
  • pass a medical and fitness assessment
  • meet the required eyesight standard in both eyes
  • for safety reasons, meet a suitable standard of hearing.
  • Whilst tattoos are permitted, including those that are visible, they must not be deemed as offensive, discriminatory, violent, or intimidating in any way. Facial tattoos are generally not acceptable, except where this is for cultural, religious, or medical reasons.
  • For safety reasons, everyone training to be a prison officer needs a suitable standard of hearing (without the use of hearing aids).
  • To work in a high security prison (category

    A) you must have been a resident in the UK for the last 3 years.
How to apply

Once you have completed your initial application form, you will be invited to complete an online test, to see if you have the basic judgement and numerical skills. If you pass the online test, we will invite you to an online assessment centre (OAC). Once you’ve successfully completed the OAC and you are allocated to a vacancy, we will invite you to complete a medical and fitness test.

This will cover an eyesight test, hearing test and basic health screening, including a blood pressure check.

Pay

The initial training is 37 hours a week. After training, you can choose to work 37, 39 or 41 hours a week. Your annual salary will reflect your weekly hours.

  • 37 hours a week = £33,746 a year
  • 39 hours a week = £35,875 a year
  • 41 hours a week = £38,003 a year

All salary figures quoted include any additional allowances.

The standard working week of a prison officer is based on a 39 hours per week shift pattern.

Benefits
  • 25 days’ annual holiday (rising to 30 days after 10 years’ service)
  • paid time off for public holidays and 1 extra privilege day
  • Civil Service pension with employer contributions of 28.97%
  • cycle to work scheme, travel loans and other benefits

Read more about prison officer benefits.

Job offers: merit vacancy

This is a merit job vacancy. If you are successful at the online assessment centre, you will be added to a merit list based on your score.

When all applicants have completed the assessment centre, the prison will make job offers to individuals with the highest scores first when positions become available.

You can stay on the merit list for 12 months. After this, you’ll need to apply again.

Operational Support Grade Role

Our Online Assessment Centre (OAC) will not only assess you against the key criteria to become a prison officer but will also determine your suitability for appointment as an operational support grade OSG. If following attendance at your OAC, you are unsuccessful in your application to become a prison officer, we may instead offer you an alternative role as an OSG.

Operational support grade - Ministry of Justice

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of Civil Servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. If you feel the recruitment process has breached the principles you can raise a complaint by contacting Shared Services Connected Ltd: call  (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or email Moj-recruitment-v

Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

Reasonable adjustment support

Just tick ‘yes’ when it asks if you think you might need a reasonable adjustment.

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