Senior Programmes and Learning Officer

Prison Advice and Care Trust; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous Holiday allowance

Season Ticket loan

Cycle to work scheme

Charity worker discounts

Enhanced maternity package

Wellness, inclusion, and diversity

EAP scheme

Life assurance

Job summary

Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) is seeking a Senior Programmes and Learning Officer to coordinate and deliver high-quality groupwork programmes that strengthen relationships, support parenting, and improve outcomes for children and families. You will work within HMPPS rules to reduce re-offending by facilitating practical, evidence-based interventions in a safe learning environment.

You will design and deliver relationship and parenting courses, recruit participants, build partnerships with

Qualifications

• Background working directly with people with convictions or families under stress is essential.
• Experience in criminal justice is desirable.
• Adult education credentials (Level 3 in Adult Education and Training or PGCE) or equivalent experience are required.

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver relationship and parenting courses plus one-to-one booklet support; keep materials and data current.
• Recruit and assess participants; promote courses across the estate; help develop new content.
• Build partnerships with prison agencies to ensure smooth operation and referrals.
• Support peer learning by developing a Peer working programme and progressing towards Level 2 IAG (NCFE).
• Record and report outcomes; attend meetings; provide timely performance feedback and monthly updates.
• Safeguarding first: follow safeguarding, data security, prison security procedures and confidentiality.

Skills

Facilitation

Presentation

Communication

ICT for data recording

Criminal justice experience

Education

Adult education credentials (Level 3 / PGCE)

Job description

Make a meaningful difference for individuals and families affected by imprisonment

Join us as a Senior Programmes and Learning Officer , where you’ll coordinate and deliver high‑quality groupwork programmes that strengthen relationships, support parenting, and improve outcomes for children and families. Working within His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) rules and regulations, you will help reduce the risk of re‑offending by facilitating practical, evidence‑based interventions and creating a safe, supportive learning environment.

What you’ll do

• Design and deliver PACT relationship and parenting courses, plus one‑to‑one booklet support, ensuring materials and evaluation data are kept current and centrally accessible.
• Recruit and assess participants, promote courses across the estate, and contribute to the development of new content and learning materials that meet women’s needs.
• Build strong partnerships with prison agencies and colleagues to ensure smooth running of the programme and effective referral procedures.
• Support peer learning, helping women in custody to develop a Peer working programme and progress towards Level 2 Information Advice and Guidance (IAG) with NCFE.
• Record and report outcomes accurately, attend key meetings, and provide timely performance feedback and monthly service updates.
• Safeguarding first: adhere at all times to Safeguarding, Data Security, Prison Security Procedures, and confidentiality requirements.

About you

You’re an engaging facilitator with excellent presentation and communication skills, able to remain calm and effective in challenging environments. You can manage a busy workload, work in partnership at both strategic and operational levels, and are confident using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for data and outcome recording. A background working directly with people with convictions, families under stress and/or disadvantaged groups is essential; experience in criminal justice is desirable. Adult training credentials (e.g., Level 3 in Adult Education and Training or PGCE) or equivalent experience are required.

Our offer

PACT provides a free advice, information and counselling service, a contributory pension, corporate eye care scheme, cycle‑to‑work scheme, and generous holiday entitlement. You’ll receive a thorough induction, access to training events to develop as a professional training and interventions worker, and the support of a friendly, enthusiastic team.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

PACT is committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all and to creating a sense of welcome and belonging. We especially welcome applications from people with lived experience. This post is restricted to female applicants to ensure delivery within a women‑only environment; this constitutes a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR) under Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

Pre‑employment and vetting

Employment is subject to verification of identity and the right to work in the UK, qualification checks, satisfactory references covering the previous 3 years, declaration of any unspent convictions (and, where appropriate, a satisfactory risk assessment), Prison Vetting, and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced check. Please note that bankruptcy or County Court Judgements (CCJs) may affect the ability to secure prison vetting. If you have resided overseas for more than 12 months (in the past 10 years while aged 18 or over), we will also require a certificate of good conduct from the relevant Police Force.

Hours

37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday

£34,650 per annum

• Generous Holiday allowance
• Season Ticket loan
• Cycle to work scheme
• Charity worker discounts
• Enhanced maternity package
• Wellness, inclusion, and diversity groups
• EAP scheme
• Life assurance

Pact (the Prison Advice & Care Trust) is a pioneering national charity that provides caring and life changing services to men and women in prison, to people with convictions on release and in the community, and to their children and families.

Pact’s vision is of a society in which justice is understood as a process of restoration and healing, in which prisons are used sparingly and as places of learning and rehabilitation, and in which the innate dignity and worth of every human being is valued. We work for the common good of Society, taking a public health-based approach. We work at the intersection of criminal justice, child and family welfare, mental health, wellbeing provision and health & social care.

Our volunteers and staff can be found in courts, prisons, probation services, and in communities across England & Wales. We are a diverse, inclusive, modern, and collaborative charity. We build effective partnerships and sustainable solutions based on our well‑established understanding of the systems in which we work, and on our historic values and ethos developed through our 120+ years of service delivery.

As an inclusive employer, we welcome requests for job adverts and descriptions in accessible formats (for e.g. larger text) for candidates with disabilities, including those with neurodiversity. Please contact us via [e-mail], if you require any support in engaging in our recruitment process.