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Careers at the CPS

Start your Crown Prosecution Service journey today

We at the CPS are passionate about ensuring that we are a top-performing organisation and a great place to work. We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer and creating a culture where everyone can bring their whole self to work and individuality is truly appreciated. Find Your Purpose: join the CPS and have a future that matters.

View our vacancies and apply today

Working at the CPS

Photo of a smiling woman with grey hair - she is sitting at a table with a mug of tea in front of her.

We want to ensure all our employees can thrive at work and home and offer a range of support to achieve a balance.

Where possible we offer flexibility of working hours, flexibility to support caring responsibilities and a flexible approach to locations.

It means that where you work (a court, an office, or remote setting such as your home) is based on the kind of work you are undertaking.

Benefits of working at the CPS

We offer a wide range of benefits including:

  • Civil Service pension
  • Cycle2Work scheme
  • 25 days leave, rising to 30 days after 5 years’ service
  • 1 extra privilege day entitlement to mark the King’s birthday
  • Competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave
  • Childcare vouchers.

The role of the CPS

The CPS prosecutes criminal cases that have been investigated by the police and other investigative organisations in England and Wales. The CPS is independent, and we make our decisions independently of the police and government.

Our duty is to make sure that the right person is prosecuted for the right offence, and to bring offenders to justice wherever possible.

Top tips for applying

Photo of a man in a dark blue suit with a white shirt and lighter blue tie

Thinking of applying to join us at the CPS? Here are some top tips to help with your application.

  • Tell us specific examples of your work and use headings to let us know which behaviour each example relates to.
  • In each example, outline the situation, the task, the action you took and the result of your work. 
  • For legal roles, legal work experience is useful, but not always essential. Relevant experience can come from other things you've done and other work you've undertaken.
  • GCSE and A-Level results won't hold you back. We know that some people find their skills and passions when they leave school, so we won't take these into account.

Current vacancies

 

Level 3 Crown Advocate - March 2024

Legal
Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Eastleigh, Exeter, Ipswich, Leicester, London, Mold, Norwich, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, St Albans, Stoke-on-Trent, Swansea, Swindon, Winchester
Salary: £64,800 - £68,400 (National) £69,750 - £73,650 (Eastleigh, Portsmouth, Chelmsford, Reading) St Albans (+£1, 050 RRA) London (+£3,150 RRA) - Please see candidate pack for full salary breakdown by location
Closing date:

Senior Crown Advocate (March 2024)

Legal
Birmingham, Bristol, Carlisle, Eastleigh, Exeter, Leicester, London, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, St Albans, Stoke-on-Trent, Swindon, Winchester
Salary: £70,800 - £76,100 (National) - £73,900 - £79,200 (Eastleigh, Portsmouth, Reading) London (+£3,150 RRA) St Albans (+£1,050 RRA) - Please see candidate pack for full salary breakdown by location
Closing date:

Senior Strategic Communications Advisor - CPS HQ Communications (1 post)

Communications / Marketing
Any CPS Area (England and Wales)
Salary: £40,700 - £46,050 (National) / £42,360 - £48,280 + £3,150 RRA (London Pay)
Closing date:

Principal Research Officer (Evaluation and Benefits) - CPS Strategy & Policy Directorate (1 post)

Policy, Social Research, Strategy
Any CPS Area (England and Wales)
Salary: £54,200 - £63,280 (National) / £58,360 - £68,970 + £3,150 RRA (London)
Closing date:

Deputy Head of Architect Cyber Security - CPS Digital Technology Services (1 post)

Digital, Security
Any CPS Area (England and Wales)
Salary: £54,200- £63,280 (National)/ £58,360- £68,970 + £3,150 RRA (London)
Closing date:

NB: RRA = Recruitment and Retention Allowance

Recognition for the CPS

Disability Confident Leader

Disability Confident logoAt CPS disabled people and those with long-term health conditions have opportunities to fulfil their potential, and we play a leading role in shifting attitudes towards disability.

We’re one of just 10 government departments with leader status.

Carer Confident

Carer Confident kitemarkOur Level 2 Carer Confident certificate identifies us as accomplished in providing support to staff who are carers to make the most of the talents they bring to the workplace.

Our Carers Passport and Carers Charter have been highlighted as examples of best practice.

Social Mobility Employer Index

Social Mobility Foundation Emblem: Employer index 2022, Social Mobility Foundation Top 75 EmployerWe are ranked 36th in the Social Mobility Employer Index 2022, the leading authority on employer best practice.

We show continuing commitment to supporting social mobility and improving the way we find, recruit and develop all our people.

Working Families

Logo - reads: '2023 top 10 employer for working families'We’re one of the top 10 employers for working families 2023.

This benchmark allows us to measure our flexible and family-friendly policies and activities against current practice, and to identify areas where we should be targeting future activities.

The Good Recruitment Charter

Good Recruitment Campaign logoWe aspire to nine key good recruitment practice principles that help us acquire the talent we need to perform and grow.

This charter allows us to provide great candidate experiences and helps ensure that the UK workforce is used to its full potential.

Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers

Top 100 apprenticeship mplyers logoWe have been recognised in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers rankings 2023.

These rankings help future apprentices, parents and careers advisers to identify apprenticeship opportunities at the country’s leading employers.

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