Tom's Story

From the prison service to leadership
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Since joining Serco in 2016, Tom Walton has climbed through a diverse range of roles — starting as a Prison Custody Officer and rising to become Head of Technical Field Operations for one of our contracts. His journey proves how far you can go when you match hard work with the right support.

After completing a Law degree, Tom began his Serco career at HMP Doncaster, where he was quickly immersed in one of the most demanding areas of the prison: the Young Offender wing. “Once I’d completed my training, I was straight onto the wing and had to adapt fast,” he recalls. The steep learning curve gave Tom valuable frontline experience early on: “It was a challenging start, but a really good one. I learned so much in those first months.” His commitment and adaptability soon stood out, and within two and a half years, he was promoted to Custodial Operations Manager.

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Later, Tom was promoted to Assistant Director for Safer Custody, during a time when the prison was facing some complex challenges around resident wellbeing. Seizing the opportunity to make a real difference, he led the development and delivery of a comprehensive safety and support plan aimed at improving the environment for both residents and staff.

Working closely with colleagues across the prison, Tom helped embed a more proactive and joined-up approach to safer custody — focusing on early intervention, support systems, and long-term culture change. The impact was clear: the plan received strong praise from external agencies, recognising the significant improvements made to resident safety, care, and overall custodial standards. “That prison experience gives you a really good platform for any career… you’re not quite as fazed by things because you’ve built up resilience. It stays with you as you move forward.” 
What we offer
A sense of mutual respect and mindfulness permeates our culture-in fact, it’s the key to our success.
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With a desire to keep developing, Tom’s next step led him into a head office roles, first as a Project Manager in Serco UK’s central HR team, where he helped launch the Serco People Fund — a charity supporting colleagues in times of hardship. His work expanded the initiative internationally across Serco, leading to Tom becoming a trustee in the UK and a director for the North America branch of the charity. “As part of the trustee board, we meet regularly to hear and assess applications for support from the Fund. Without a doubt, my involvement with the Serco People Fund has to be one of the most rewarding parts of my career so far.”
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“That prison experience gives you a really good platform for any career… you’re not quite as fazed by things because you’ve built up resilience. It stays with you as you move forward.”

Tom
Head of Technical Field Operations
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Tom’s hunger for growth continued with a career shift into Resourcing, where he helped drive the talent strategy for major contract bids, as well as embedding continuous improvement programmes. It was a stretch beyond his comfort zone, but exactly what Tom was looking for: “It was a really good opportunity to broaden my understanding of the wider business.”

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In 2023, Tom took on a secondment supporting a contract in our Justice division, which led to his current role as Head of Field Technical Operations, managing a team while overseeing a fleet of 600 vehicles and 65,000+ assets. “I went from managing 0 people to leading 50 across three teams. It was a big step — but the right one.”

Alongside all this, Tom has been working towards a Serco-funded MBA, with a focus on senior leadership. “It’s busy,” he admits with a smile, “but the opportunities Serco offers — whether through learning, secondments or leadership — are just incredible.”
What we offer
A sense of mutual respect and mindfulness permeates our culture-in fact, it’s the key to our success.
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“My advice for future joiners? If you want a career where you can truly progress and develop, take the opportunities. They’re there — you just have to be willing to put the work in.”

Learn more about Prison Officer careers.

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