National Director of Justice and Health Services

Location:Hybrid/Remote homeworking, with ability to attend central office weekly
Salary: £80,000 per annum
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Contract Type: Permanent

Help Us Write the Next Chapter…

Are you ready to make a meaningful impact in the world of Public Health and Justice? Pact, a charity with a 125-year legacy, is seeking a visionary and compassionate leader to join our Senior Leadership Team as our National Director of Justice and Health Services. This role is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of our organisation as we expand our reach and deepen our impact for those caught in the criminal justice system and their families.

About Us

Pact has a proud history of innovation in family support and relationship-based interventions within the justice system. We are known for our pioneering work in prison visitor services, family casework, and unique relational/bio-psycho-social models of support. Our work has evolved from its original foundations, now embracing Public Health and Health commissioning to enhance health and wellbeing outcomes for people affected by the justice system.

Our mission is rooted in compassion and integration, joining up justice, health, and social work systems to reduce health inequalities and support families of those with convictions. As we move into this next phase, we seek to deepen our influence and continue building impactful, quality services.

About the Role

This position represents a significant moment in Pact’s history. Our current Director of Services, after many years of dedicated leadership, will be retiring. We are looking for an individual who will not only fill their shoes but bring fresh energy, relevant expertise in health or psychological therapies, and a collaborative spirit to help us continue our journey.

Responsibilities Include:

Leading and inspiring our delivery teams, supporting them in providing effective, compassionate services in the face of challenges and growth.
Driving systems integration initiatives across Justice-Health-Family-Social Work sectors to improve multi-disciplinary collaboration and health outcomes.
Championing the voices of those we serve, particularly the families and significant others of people in the justice system, to foster patient and public advocacy.
Working closely with HMPPS and NHS Justice-Health commissioners and providers to ensure the inclusion of families and caregivers in the system.
Supporting Pact’s growth plans, managing an expanding budget (from £7m in 2022 to £11m today, with projections of £13m by 2027), and ensuring financial sustainability and operational excellence.

What We’re Looking For

We seek a candidate with:

Recognised and relevant professional qualification, post-graduate, and up to date registration in a related healthcare field (e.g., forensic, counselling, and/or clinical psychology, nursing, or occupational health)
A passion for social justice, a commitment to reducing health inequalities, and experience with multi-agency collaboration.
Strong leadership skills, with the ability to build and sustain high-performing teams and cultivate a supportive work culture.
Vision to help shape the next chapter of Pact’s legacy, bringing innovative ideas and solutions to an evolving landscape.

Why Join Pact?

This role is more than a job; it’s a calling. You’ll be part of a growing organisation with ambitious goals and a compassionate mission. Pact offers a supportive environment where you can make a tangible difference, helping us achieve five strategic goals that include strengthening our impact, financial sustainability, workforce stability, and inclusivity.

If you’re ready to be a part of something greater and help us continue our important work, we’d love to hear from you. Join us in writing the next chapter of Pact’s story and make a difference that lasts.

How to apply:

If you feel that you meet the requirements of this exciting new role please complete an application form by clicking the `apply now` button

* We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Other information:

Pact is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all applications including those with a criminal conviction (appointment to post is subject to a risk assessment).

This post is subject to a 6-month probationary period, verification of identity and proven right to work in the UK, satisfactory references from previous employers covering a 5-year period, declaration of any unspent criminal convictions (and where appropriate a satisfactory risk assessment), and a basic Disclosure and Barring Service check.

First Interviews are scheduled to be conducted on 27th and 28th November.

This post is subject to a 6-month probationary period, verification of identity and proven right to work in the UK, satisfactory references from previous employers covering a 3-year period, declaration of any unspent criminal convictions (and where appropriate a satisfactory risk assessment), a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced check, and a Counter-Terrorism Check (CTC). Please note the successful applicant will need to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Security Check for this post. Please note that being bankrupt or having County Court Judgements may affect your ability to be successfully vetted to work in a prison. The post holder will be expected to comply with any requirements of their registration/professional body to maintain their registration and good standing including continuing professional development, appraisal and revalidation where appropriate.

Pact (the Prison Advice & Care Trust) is a pioneering national charity that provides caring and life changing services to men and women in prison, to people with convictions on release and in the community, and to their children and families.

Pact’s vision is of a society in which justice is understood as a process of restoration and healing, in which prisons are used sparingly and as places of learning and rehabilitation, and in which the innate dignity and worth of every human being is valued. We work for the common good of Society, taking a public health-based approach. We work at the intersection of criminal justice, child and family welfare, mental health, wellbeing provision and health & social care.

Our volunteers and staff can be found in courts, prisons, probation services, and in communities across England & Wales. We are a diverse, inclusive, modern, and collaborative charity. We build effective partnerships and sustainable solutions based on our well-established understanding of the systems in which we work, and on our historic values and ethos developed through our 120+ years of service delivery.

As an inclusive employer, we welcome requests for job adverts and descriptions in accessible formats (for e.g. larger text) for candidates with disabilities, including those with neurodiversity.

You may have experience in the following: Director of Health Services, Justice Services Manager, Head of Public Health and Justice, National Programme Director, Director of Family and Social Work, Public Health Advisor, Head of Charity Programmes, Senior Manager of Criminal Justice Services, Director of Integrated Health and Justice, Senior Social Justice Consultant, Justice-Health Integration Lead, Forensic Services Director, Mental Health Services Director, Rehabilitation Services Manager, Community Health Director, Advocacy and Support Director, etc.

REF-(Apply online only)