Prison governor
Lead a team keeping people secure and cared for in a prison, remand centre or young offenders' institution. Help prisoners prepare for life outside prison.
Also known as: operational manager
About the job
What it's like
You would lead and manage a team of prison officers to keep people secure when they are in a prison, remand centre or young offenders' institution.
It would also be your responsibility to make sure that prisoners are cared for and that they get support to prepare for life outside prison.
In order to do this job well you would need to be very assertive and able to deal with unpredictable, and sometimes aggressive, behaviour. However, you would also have to be sensitive to the needs of the prisoners in your care.
Your exact duties would depend on the type of prison, its level of security and the age of the prisoners. Larger prisons can have several governors at different grades.
In general, you would:
Keep the prison secure
Make inspections
Carry out disciplinary actions
Write reports
Manage budgets and resources
Make sure the prison meets government targets, for example on inmate welfare
Work with other professionals, such as doctors and social workers
You might also train prison officers, go to parole board meetings, and chair prisoner admission panels and release boards. There may be opportunities to work in the national headquarters, or within prison service colleges.
Hours
Your hours of work can be long, and may include evenings and weekends. There may be some opportunities for part-time hours.
Environment
Prisons are found all over the country in towns and the countryside. As a governor you could be posted to any establishment in the country.
Travel
You are likely to do some travelling to attend meetings, courses and conferences outside the prison.
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- stakeholder communications
- operations management
- quality analysis
- quantitative data analysis
- change management processes
- shift work
- incident management
- health and safety standards
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- respecting
- cooperating
- attention to detail
- managing resources
- taking initiative
- making decisions
- motivating others
- taking responsibility
- coaching
- resilience
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Business Management
Care
Skills for Work: Uniformed and Emergency Services
Sociology
There are no set qualifications. Many prison governors progress into this role after years of experience as a prison officer.
As a prison officer working for the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), you would have the opportunity to gain management and leadership qualifications to help you progress in the service.
A degree (SCQF Level 9/10) in subjects such as psychology, sociology or business management would be useful but not mandatory.
Direct entry recruitment as a prison governor does not take place on a regular basis in Scotland. When recruitment does take place, entry it is extremely competitive.
Experience in work such as security, police or the armed services.
To work for the Scottish Prison Service you must meet nationality and criminal conviction criteria. You can find this on the Scottish Prison Service website.
You would need to pass a medical examination. In Scotland, applicants are considered up to the age of 63.
You must declare all criminal convictions, and some may prevent you from getting in.
You need to be approved for membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme run by Disclosure Scotland.
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