(a) Principal office.--The department shall provide offices for the board. The board shall appoint and employ such number and character of officers, agents, clerks, stenographers and employees as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter. The salaries of persons so appointed and employed by the board shall be fixed by the board.

(b) District offices.--The department shall divide the Commonwealth for administrative purposes into a suitable number of districts, not to exceed 10, in each of which shall be a district office which shall have immediate charge of the supervision of cases of probation and parole arising in the courts of the judicial districts embraced within its territorial limits, but, as occasion may require, the supervision of particular parolees may be transferred by the department to other appropriate parole districts.

(d) Consideration for fixing compensation.--In fixing compensation for its officers, clerks and employees under the provisions of this chapter, the department shall have regard to the kind, grade or class of service to be rendered, and, whenever any standard compensation has been fixed by the Executive Board for any kind, grade or class of service or employment, the compensation of all persons appointed or employed by the department in the same kind, grade or class shall be fixed by it in accordance with such standard.