Head of College

SPS consistently provides a well-performing and progressive service, thanks to the experience and expertise of our workforce. Where the SPS succeeds, we know it is because of our skilled and compassionate staff, who have learned from their training and from one another. To maintain that reputation, our staff have to manage existing demands while continually responding to new and emerging priorities. This challenge is the reason why supporting the personal and professional development of our staff is a key priority for the organisation; ensuring everyone who works for the SPS has the skills, knowledge and opportunity to drive positive change.

The Head of SPS College is a critical role for SPS and you will be required to be an inclusive leader who will work across all parts of the business to support and facilitate key elements of organisational development including cultural change, development of capability and embedding the right values-led beliefs and behaviours in our leaders and our workforce.  As Head of SPS College, you will lead the team responsible for enabling the continual development of our staff to ensure SPS has the right people with the right skills in the right place at the right time.   As with any senior manager within SPS you will be responsible for positively driving diversity forward, including contributing to the achievement of our Equality Outcomes.  This will be a particular focus of this role given the importance of workforce development in achieving an inclusive organisation. 

SPS College has a diverse remit across a number of teams and work locations, with responsibility for staff development from recruit foundation training up to senior leadership, ongoing core-to-role, operational resilience, digital earning and quality assurance. You will lead an expanding function of Senior Managers, Theme Leads, L&D Managers, facilities and support staff all needed to run a residential college. This includes staff based in SPS College (Polmont), the National Training Centre (Fauldhouse) and establishment based training staff.

The prison estate is currently experiencing a record level of population pressures making robust staff development more important than ever. Within these challenges the college has experienced a significant amount of growth over the past few years with particular attention placed on areas such as leadership development and recruit training. The immediate focus of this role is to further consolidate and embed established staff development approaches within the complexity of current organisational challenges. 

Working collaboratively with senior leaders as well as internal and external stakeholders, you will be responsible for appropriate diagnostic, design, delivery of learning and workforce development strategies and solutions. This will improve employee engagement and business performance, moving from reactive, needs-based training to a proactive, strategic approach, leveraging learning and development as an employee development tool and increasing staff capability. 

You will define and implement strategies which deliver effective workforce development across the organisation, supporting staff through the complexities of the modern prison estate. This includes training in areas such as mental health; substance use; trauma-informed support; staff wellbeing; digital learning approaches. You will work collaboratively with the Workforce Planning function to support effective attraction, recruitment and development of new staff including potential professional pathways and mentoring for operational recruits.  

The SPS College continues to focus on its implementation of accredited training and quality assurance standards. The Head of College should provide subject matter expertise that supports ongoing implementation of training standards to support increased corporate governance. This includes strategic oversight of updated quality assurance processes and external verification frameworks. 

You will undertake the role of Theme Lead on the SPS National Taskforce for Prison Welfare and Safety, providing corporate guidance on training and staff development in line with Scottish Government approved Fatal Accident Inquiry recommendations. You will work closely with relevant internal and external partners and lead a college-based sub-group to strategise and implement appropriate training interventions to tight deadlines. 

You will work collaboratively with the wider Organisational Development leadership team with particular focus on directorate business planning and delivery. You will be an active contributor to the HR Transformation agenda, working to robustly embed learning and development into our new system and the wider staff career journey.

If you have the following, we would like to hear from you:

• Candidates must hold minimum of a post graduate qualification in Learning and Development or Education. (Essential)
• Leadership - Experience of providing leadership and direction to people and teams within a complex environment with evidence of implementing positive corporate outcomes and workstreams. (Essential)
• Learning & Development - Implementation of workplace Learning & Development strategies and approaches with proven experience in successfully working with others in a complex learning environment to shape and deliver common goals in line with specific needs of the business. (Essential)
• Quality & Assurance Frameworks - Experience of working with externally accredited training and national qualification frameworks, ideally, in an operational environment, with evidence of an ability to utilise these to support robust corporate governance. (Essential)
• Transformational Change- Experience of delivering transformational change aligned to corporate vision and mission. Evidence of working across and with the organisation and of overcoming challenges and resistance to implement and deliver positive impact and outcomes. Evidence of enabling and driving cultural change.   

Some of the benefits you can enjoy in role are:

This role lends itself to Hybrid working, in line with policy. While the main office location will be SPS College there may be some travel to establishments.

• Attractive Pension (Civil Service)
• Commitment to your personal and professional development
• Free gym and car parking
• Discounts at high street stores, supermarkets and restaurants through our partners at Blue Light Card, Edenred and Civil Service Sports Council.
• Sick Pay
• Annual Leave - 37 days rising to 42 days

For information on the job, including full job description and person specification, and to apply for these vacancies please visit the Scottish Prison Service website: www.sps.gov.uk. We are committed to your personal and professional development and offer a wide range of career progression opportunities. 

Closing date: 2 February 2026