Job Introduction
Cluster Manager - Prison CIAG Services
About us
At Get Set UK, we help people overcome barriers, build skills and create brighter futures through employment, skills, health and justice programmes that change lives every day.
We're now part of a global group with more than 16,000 colleagues working across more than 90 countries. It's an exciting new chapter for Get Set UK, combining the values and culture that have made us successful with the opportunities, investment and international reach of a global organisation.
We're also proud to be an employee-owned organisation. Our value of Own It isn't just something we say, it's how we work. We believe in giving our people the opportunity to take ownership, make a genuine difference and play their part in our future success.
If you're calm under pressure, structured in your approach, confident leading teams and motivated by work that genuinely changes outcomes, this could be the role for you.
About the role
As Cluster Manager, you will lead Careers, Information, Advice and Guidance delivery across multiple prison sites including Hollesley Bay, Warren Hill & Chelmsford.
This is a leadership role that combines operational accountability, frontline credibility and strong judgement in secure environments. You will manage, coach and develop CIAG Advisors, drive performance against contractual and organisational targets, and ensure services are delivered safely, consistently and to a high standard.
You will also deliver approximately 20% frontline CIAG activity alongside your team, helping to maintain strong practice, understand the reality of delivery and support continuous improvement.
This is purposeful work. It also requires discipline, maturity and resilience. When you are working in a prison, you are working within structured routines, security procedures and high standards of compliance. You will need to be comfortable with regular travel across the cluster and consistent presence on site.
What you will do
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Lead, manage, coach and develop CIAG Advisors across multiple custodial sites.
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Deliver approximately 20% frontline CIAG activity alongside your team.
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Monitor KPIs, contractual performance and service outcomes across your cluster.
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Use performance data to identify trends, risks and areas for improvement.
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Conduct quality reviews, observations and case note checks to ensure consistency of practice.
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Address underperformance constructively, professionally and decisively.
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Ensure CIAG delivery is aligned to required quality standards.
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Represent Get Set UK in prison, stakeholder and operational meetings.
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Build effective working relationships with prison leadership, partners and key stakeholders.
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Ensure compliance with safeguarding, data protection, prison security and MOJ requirements.
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Maintain accurate reporting, governance oversight and audit-ready records.
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Follow up agreed actions and ensure improvements are delivered and sustained.
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Role model Get Set UK’s values and demonstrate the employability standards we support in others, including good attendance, punctuality, professionalism, communication and follow-through.
Our values and standards
At Get Set UK, we are Ambitious, we take Pride in what we do, we are Considerate, we Own It and we Inspire.
We are looking for people who bring these values to life through their behaviour every day, whether they are working with participants, employers, colleagues or partners.
Because we work in employability and skills, we also look for colleagues who can role model positive employability behaviours, including good attendance, punctuality, professionalism, communication, reliability and follow-through.
For this role, we are especially looking for someone who can demonstrate:
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Leadership accountability: you take ownership of performance, standards and outcomes across sites.
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Security discipline: you respect and comply fully with prison procedures, vetting requirements and secure working practices.
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Emotional steadiness: you remain calm, professional and balanced in challenging environments.
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Performance focus: you understand targets and hold teams to consistent standards.
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Quality judgement: you can distinguish between minor issues and material risks.
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Follow-through: you ensure actions are completed and standards are sustained.
Minimum essential criteria
To be considered for this role, you will need to evidence in your CV that you meet the minimum essential criteria below:
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Experience leading teams within employability, offender rehabilitation, careers guidance, skills, education, justice, public services or a related environment.
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Experience managing performance in a target-driven or contractually monitored service.
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Experience coaching, supporting and addressing performance with frontline staff.
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Understanding of safeguarding, confidentiality and compliance within regulated or structured environments.
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Confidence using data, KPIs or management information to monitor performance and drive improvement.
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Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage priorities across multiple sites or workstreams.
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Ability to build effective relationships with internal teams, external partners and senior stakeholders.
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High levels of professionalism, resilience and emotional steadiness when working in challenging environments.
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Excellent communication skills, including the ability to give clear feedback, write accurate reports and represent the service professionally.
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Level 4 IAG qualification, or willingness to work towards this.
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Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.
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Evidence of commitment, reliability and consistently delivering high standards of work.
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Evidence of delivering outcomes, targets, tasks, projects or agreed objectives.
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Ability to explain your employment history clearly, including any gaps or short-term roles.
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Ability to work in a structured environment where quality, compliance and outcomes are monitored.
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Commitment to Get Set UK’s values and to supporting people who may face barriers to work, learning or progression.
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Willingness to complete all required recruitment checks, including right to work, references, enhanced DBS and prison security vetting.
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Right to work in the UK. Please note that we are not able to offer visa sponsorship for this role.
Desirable criteria
It would be helpful if you have:
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Experience working within prison, probation, justice, custodial or secure environments.
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Knowledge of MOJ, prison or custodial service frameworks.
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Experience delivering or managing Careers, Information, Advice and Guidance services.
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Experience conducting quality assurance, observations or case file reviews.
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Experience managing services across multiple locations.
A day in the role
You start the day by reviewing performance across your cluster. You look at the latest data, check progress against targets and identify where delivery is going well and where something needs your attention.
Today, you are travelling to one of the prisons you support. Once through security and on site, you meet with your CIAG Advisors, check in on delivery and discuss any operational issues affecting the team.
You may observe a careers guidance session, review case notes or look at the quality of participant records. Where practice is strong, you recognise it and help the team build on it. Where standards are not being met, you ask questions, understand what is happening and agree clear actions for improvement.
Later, you meet with prison colleagues and stakeholders to discuss service performance, participant needs and any challenges affecting delivery. You represent Get Set UK professionally, build trust and make sure agreed actions are followed through.
Part of your week is also spent delivering CIAG activity yourself. This keeps you close to the service, the people we support and the realities your Advisors experience every day.
Plans can change quickly in a custodial environment. Access may be delayed, prison routines may change or an operational issue may need immediate attention. You stay calm, adapt and keep the team focused on what can be controlled.
You finish the day by checking progress against actions, updating key information and making sure priorities are clear across the cluster.
Not every day will go exactly to plan. Your role is to provide the structure, judgement and leadership that keeps the service moving forward.
What you will get from this role
This role gives you the opportunity to lead services that have a direct impact on people's futures.
You will develop your experience of leading teams across multiple sites, balancing people management with operational and contractual accountability.
You will build strong skills in performance management, quality assurance, service improvement and using data to make informed decisions.
You will gain experience working closely with prison leadership, operational partners and stakeholders in a highly structured environment where trust, professionalism and follow-through matter.
You will strengthen your leadership judgement, learning when to coach, when to challenge and when an issue requires immediate action.
You will also remain connected to frontline CIAG delivery, giving you the opportunity to see first-hand the difference high-quality careers guidance can make for people preparing for life beyond custody.
Most importantly, you will be able to point to real outcomes you have led: stronger teams, improved performance, higher-quality services and people in custody leaving with clearer plans for employment, learning and reintegration.
For the right person, this role can build significant experience in operational leadership, justice services, employability and multi-site service delivery.
Benefits
We want colleagues to feel supported, rewarded and able to do their best work. Benefits include:
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25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, increasing with length of service
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Employee ownership share scheme
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Pension scheme with 5% employee contribution and 3% employer contribution
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Pension salary sacrifice scheme
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Employee Assistance Programme
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Vitality GP consultations
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Mental health support, including CBT and counselling
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Physiotherapy cover
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Vitality health checks
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40% discount on gym memberships
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Free 12-month Headspace subscription
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IncentFit, with the opportunity to earn up to £30 per month
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Discounts and offers with health, wellbeing and lifestyle retailers
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Phone contract discounts, including 20% off selected EE monthly plans
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Access to additional Vitality health cover and cashback benefits after 12 months’ service
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Group life protection after 2 years’ service
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Additional annual leave after 2, 4 and 5 years’ service
Some benefits are subject to role type, eligibility and length of service. The full benefits package will be confirmed during the recruitment process.
Recruitment process
We aim to make our recruitment process clear, fair and engaging for every candidate.
To apply, you must complete your application on our recruitment platform, including a short initial questionnaire. If you apply through Indeed, you will still need to complete this step before we can review your application.
Once submitted, our recruitment team will assess your CV and application against the essential requirements of the role, looking for evidence of relevant experience, communication skills, commitment and achievement.
If shortlisted, you may be invited to complete a further questionnaire and progress through some or all of the following stages:
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Telephone or Teams conversation with our recruitment team
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Online assessment or testing
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Employment history and reference checks
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Hiring manager interview
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Presentation, task or role-based exercise (where relevant)
Any offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory right to work, reference, DBS (where required), safeguarding and other pre-employment checks.
We encourage candidates to engage fully with each stage of the process. Preparation, responsiveness and attention to detail are important and reflect the standards we expect in our work.
Get Set for a better tomorrow. Apply today.
Additional information
We reserve the right to close applications early, so we encourage early applications.
Get Set UK is a Disability Confident and Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals and are committed to supporting physical and mental wellbeing at work. Reasonable adjustments are available throughout the recruitment process if required.
This role is subject to satisfactory recruitment checks and a commitment to safeguarding learners and clients.
Get Set UK does not accept unsolicited CVs from agencies.
