Head of Care & Security 80 - 100%

Publication date:10 December 2025
Workload:80 – 100%
Place of work:Zürich

Job summary

Join the largest correctional facility in Switzerland, JVA Pöschwies. This role offers a dynamic work environment and meaningful impact in the community.

Tasks

Oversee the care and security operations of the facility.
Ensure compliance with safety protocols and risk management.
Lead staff recruitment and development for effective operations.

Skills

Requires a degree and security qualification with 5 years of leadership experience.
Strong communication and conflict resolution abilities.
Innovative problem-solving and strategic thinking skills.

Is this helpful?

About the job

Head of Care & Security 80 - 100%

The Pöschwies Correctional Facility (JVA) is the largest closed correctional facility in Switzerland for male offenders, with 399 places. It stands for a secure, lawful, and professional correctional system and fulfills a central mandate in the canton of Zurich. The JVA Pöschwies is a complex institution with a 24/7 operation, high public attention, and a broad professional spectrum. The legal mandate of reintegration is fulfilled interdisciplinarily with modern correctional work. For this and for a safe and stable correctional environment, the employees commit themselves daily with dedication, responsibility, and high professionalism.

As Head of Care & Security, you are a member of the management of the JVA Pöschwies and lead the largest and operationally most important area of the institution. You have 11 directly subordinate managers assigned to you, with a total of around 160 employees. You are responsible for both the operational design of the correctional system and all security-relevant concerns of the institution and shape its strategic development.

Your contribution with us
- Overall responsibility for the Care & Security area, including organization, leadership, and further development
- Design and regulation of daily correctional operations in all departments as well as ensuring a professional penal and measures execution
- Responsibility for the security situation of the institution (procedural, dynamic, passive security) as well as for holistic risk management
- Further development of security and correctional concepts in close cooperation with internal and external partners
- Leadership, development, and recruitment of employees, including ensuring a contemporary leadership and training culture
- Active participation in the management, including on-call and incident service at the management level (for this, you must be able to reach the JVA Pöschwies within one hour)

What you bring
- University degree and an additional qualification in the security field
- At least 5 years of leadership experience, ideally from the army or an emergency service organization, as well as proven experience in project management
- Strong social skills, clear communication, assertiveness, and high de-escalation ability
- Experience dealing with heterogeneous groups and challenging situations in security-relevant environments
- High resilience and stress tolerance, ability to act calmly, professionally, and decisively even in critical situations
- Innovative, solution-oriented, and networked thinking personality that confidently combines leadership role, operational responsibility, and strategic development

What to expect with us
- Work in a socially highly relevant and interdisciplinary field and the opportunity to play a significant role in its further development
- In addition to comprehensive and professional introduction to your new activity, you benefit from a diverse internal and external training offer
- The workplace is conveniently accessible by public transport as well as by car, parking spaces are available
- You also benefit from catering options in the restaurant of the JVA Pöschwies

How to become part of the JVA Pöschwies
1. Application via our online tool by January 9, 2026
2. Online assessment
3. Virtual introduction with the line and HR
4. Full-day, behavior-based assessment
5. Personal introduction and panel interview at the JVA Pöschwies
6. Final decision

We would like to inform you that the selection process will unfortunately be slightly delayed due to the holidays. You will receive feedback on your application from January.

We sincerely thank you for your understanding and patience. We wish you happy holidays and a good start to the new year!

Further questions?

Do you have any questions about the position? Andreas Naegeli, Director of the JVA Pöschwies, is happy to assist you at 043 257 16 06.

Questions about the application process can be answered by the Recruitment & Assessment team at 043 257 61 49.

More information about our recruitment process and employment at JuWe can be found at Working at JuWe | Canton Zurich (zh.ch).