Company: Scottish Prison Service
Location:
Posted: May 5th, 2026
In the role of Theme Lead you will hold responsibility for learning and development aligned to Leadership within the Scottish Prison Service (SPS). You will create and maintain a purposeful learning environment in line with the organisational objective of becoming a learning organisation. You will hold responsibility for the staff learning and development aligned to your theme within the SPS. This will include designing and delivering development offerings and creating CPD opportunities at all levels across the organisation.
You will work collaboratively with the other Theme Lead: Leadership and the Senior Talent Manager to continue to develop the learning offering for your theme aligned to the organisational Leadership Strategy and contribute to organisational strategy in relation to your theme.
Your role will include designing development materials and resources, supporting participant development, and developing the supporting infrastructure. You will use a range of delivery approaches to engage and enthuse learners and work alongside other Theme Leads to ensure a cohesive portfolio of CPD activities, tools, products, resources, and services for staff, assuring overall organisational capability for the SPS.
You will be one of eight Theme Leads and will share management for Learning and Development Managers within the Leadership Development team. As Leadership Theme Lead you will hold responsibility for all leadership and management development within SPS. This includes contributing to strategic work to continually refine and develop the leadership culture in SPS and embedding our identified approaches of relational and values-led leadership.
This work has a wide range from providing support to our most Senior Managers to working with those in non-management roles identifying their personal leadership.
This is a non-operational post; however, any successful operational applicant would be supported to maintain and develop their operational competence as part of ongoing CPD.
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) operates in a fascinating, complex and rapidly changing environment. Our vision is to help build a safer Scotland by unlocking potential and transforming lives. To enable us to successfully deliver our vision, we are committed to nurturing and investing in our greatest strength and resource: Our People.
We are proud to employ a diverse range of people; each contributing their own unique experiences and skills to enhance the service we deliver. Whatever the role, you will find your SPS experience both challenging and rewarding. You will be committed to helping us to achieve our goals and in return we will be committed to helping you to achieve yours.
We employ approximately 5,000 staff across our prisons, headquarters, college, and training and storage facility. The hard work of our staff is the most critical component in the successful delivery of Scotlands prison system.
We need professional, capable and motivated individuals who reflect Scotlands diversity to deliver effective and efficient activities and services to achieve our Mission and realise our Vision.
Whatever SPS profession you embark upon, you will be a valued member of the team, helping us build a Safer Scotland for the communities we serve. We are committed to your personal and professional development and offer a wide range of career progression opportunities.
Civil Service Values
All Civil Servants, and therefore anyone employed by the Scottish Prison Service, must be able to fully comply with the requirements of the Civil Service Code. Everyone is expected to carry out their role with dedication and uphold the core values of the Civil Service: Honesty, Integrity, Objectivity and Impartiality.
The Civil Service Commission
Our recruitment is conducted in line with the Civil Service Commissions Recruitment Principles and external competitions are regulated by the Civil Service Commission. While the legal requirement to follow these Principles applies specifically to external appointments, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) recognises these standards as best practice. Accordingly, SPS fully adopts these principles as the foundation for all recruitment activity, including internal recruitment and selection processes.
External competitions: if you believe that the requirement for selection for appointment on merit based on fair and open competition has not been met, you have the right to raise a complaint. Further information on the Commissions complaints procedure is available at: https://www.civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/.
Internal competitions: if you believe that the requirement for selection for appointment on merit based on fair and open competition has not been met, you can raise a complaint to your HR Business Partner.