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Work as a prison officer at HMP Manchester

About HMP Manchester

HMP Manchester is a category A long term high security prison in Manchester, North West England. 

It has a capacity of 651 adult male prisoners who are on remand awaiting trial or serving long prison sentences. 

Working as a prison officer at HMP Manchester – at a glance

  • A category A high security prison in North West England
  • You will need Counter Terrorism Check Clearance
  • Earn £33,746 to £38,003 a year

Getting to Manchester Prison

The prison has good public transport links, with a number of bus and tram routes stopping near the prison. But please bear in mind that, as a prison officer, you will need to work shifts and some unsocial hours and public holidays when public transport may not be running. 

The closest railway station is Manchester Victoria, which is about a 5 to 10 minute walk from the prison.  Manchester Piccadilly station is 10 minutes from Manchester Victoria by tram or taxi. 

There is free onsite parking for prison staff. 

How long will it take you to get there? (postcode search opens in a new window)

For example, SW1A 1AA

Eligibility to work in a category A long term high security prison

To work as a prison officer at HMP Manchester, you must: 

  • Have Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) security clearance. For this, you must have been resident in the UK for the last 3 years.   
  • Complete enhanced pre-employment screening checks. 

What’s it like working in a long term high security prison?

You will need great communication skills and an ability to build rapport with people who are serving long sentences.

Find out more about working as a prison officer and the skills you need.

We’re not currently recruiting prison officers at Manchester Prison

We can let you know when vacancies open.

Register your interest

Inside HMP Manchester

Manchester Prison is committed to providing a safe and educational environment where prisoners convicted of serious offences can make positive use of their time in prison. Prisoners have access to education and training opportunities, including: 

  • basic Maths and English 
  • English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) 
  • personal development opportunities 
  • vocational training including courses in industrial cleaning, baking, catering, and waste management

To help them change their thinking, attitudes and behaviours which may lead them to reoffend, prisoners also engage in a range of behaviour change interventions. 

Pay and benefits

As a prison officer, you will start on a 37 hour a week contract until you have completed your initial training. You can then choose to increase your hours to 39 or 41 hours. This means you can earn between £33,746 and £38,003 as a prison officer at HMP Manchester.

Take a look at the full starting salary information for HMPPS prisons.

As an employee of Manchester Prison, you will have access to a range of facilities and employee benefits including: 

  • extensive free onsite parking 
  • use of a free onsite gym 
  • access to a range of staff clubs, including volleyball and chess 
  • excellent training and career progression opportunities 

This is in addition to the great benefits you get from being a part of HM Prison and Probation Service.