Higher Psychologist

Job summary

Government Skills, formally Government Skills and Curriculum unit, was created in 2020 to improve the coherence and quality of learning and development in government through better training, knowledge and networks. It is the backbone behind The Campus, a term used to unite all the locations, on and offline, where over 450,000 Civil Servants across Government develop the skills, knowledge and networks they need.

The aim was to accelerate the development of the skills, knowledge and networks of all civil servants, reaching across the wider public sector and delivering better public services for citizens across the country.

As we move into a new era under a new Government the aim is to reduce the cost of learning and improve the quality of outputs by moving to a new operating model.

This is an exciting time of growth for Government Skills with new positions being created to support the future operating model.

The Fast Stream and Emerging Talent (FSET) team is part of Government Skills, where this role is positioned.

FSET activities include:

• Delivering the Fast Stream, the government’s flagship graduate leadership programme, for approximately 2,000 Fast Streamers. This includes a high quality and end-to-end training programme and assessment framework.
• Delivering other emerging talent programmes including Apprenticeships and Beyond Boundaries.

Job description

This role will be responsible, in particular, for supporting the design, delivery and evaluation of the Fast Stream assessments, which assessed over 60,000 applicants last year. The Civil Service Fast Stream is a highly prestigious graduate programme designed to develop the next generation of leaders in the UK civil service. It aims to attract and nurture talented individuals with diverse backgrounds, equipping them with the skills and experience needed to tackle complex policy and operational challenges. As the Higher Psychologist, you will work collaboratively with other psychologists and HR specialists, supporting colleagues across a varied portfolio of work, to support the fair and inclusive assessment of candidates. You will support colleagues to scope and deliver defined projects and pieces of work, and act as the main point of contact for allocated work.

You can find more information about the Fast Stream on our GOV.UK page:

https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/fast-stream/

This post is part of the widerGOPP, the largest Occupational Psychology community in the UK. With over 250 members across major government departments, agencies and arms-length bodies, the GOPP offers an unparalleled environment for professional growth. Your career in the GOPP will develop both your technical and consultancy capabilities, providing ample opportunities to connect with fellow professionals. We encourage you to sign up to the profession upon joining the Civil Service.

Key responsibilities:

• Supporting the scoping and designing of recruitment, learning and development and assessment solutions including psychometric tests, assessment centre exercises and evidence-based sifting tools.
• Researching and evaluating the effectiveness of assessments through quantitative and qualitative methods (with support from Senior Occupational Psychologists), including statistical analysis and data interrogation to evaluate reliability, validity and fairness of assessments (e.g., adverse impact analysis).
• Researching new and emerging assessment methods/processes.
• Working on projects concurrently across all stages of the consultancy cycle.
• Liaising closely with the wider Fast Stream and Early Talent team, working as part of a multi-disciplinary team to meet client needs and deliver projects to required timescales.
• Presenting and communicating evidence-based findings verbally and in writing.
• Supporting the design and delivery of comprehensive training packages to train assessors, interviewers and role players.
• Providing Occupational Psychology support for information gathering exercises such as surveys and focus groups, and providing activities to support organisational development.
• Providing professional Occupational Psychology advice and guidance to clients and senior leaders to ensure adherence to industry best practice and the highest ethical standards.
• Working with team members to represent the Occupational Psychology profession at working groups, committees and other forums across government to inform policy and operations.

Person specification

• Relevant experience in an assessment and selection role following successful completion of an MSc in Occupational Psychology.
• Supporting the delivery of key projects throughout the consultancy cycle, taking personal responsibility for allocated tasks and ensuring agreed deadlines are met.
• Collaborating with senior colleagues to engage with clients, assist in diagnosing issues, and contribute to developing strategies for change.
• Relationship building skills with stakeholders and teams, to influence and collaborate.
• Conducting data analysis (quantitative and qualitative methods), including statistical analysis and data interrogation, to evaluate reliability, validity and fairness of assessments (e.g., adverse impact analysis).
• Supporting the designing of a wide range of assessment and selection methods, including interview, assessment centre exercises and psychometric tools and ability tests.
• Experience of conducting a variety of assessments including interviews, assessment centre exercises and psychometric tests.
• Experience of designing or delivering training, especially for assessors or interviewers.
• Promoting Occupational Psychology concepts/ recruitment best practice and guidance to non-expert stakeholders (e.g. different teams, customers).
• An understanding of applying reasonable adjustments for candidates at different stages of the assessment journey.

Skills

We will assess the technical skills listed in theGovernment Occupational Psychology Skills & Standards at Higher Psychologist level (p16 – 23):

• Professional Skill: Knowledge Base
• Professional Skill: Research & Evaluation
• Professional Skill: Consultancy.

Additional information:

Cabinet Office policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. Requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Licences

Following probation, you will be required to enrol on a qualification to achieve Registered Occupational Psychologist status. (Your line manager will tell you the appropriate qualification that you will be enrolled on.) NB. Chartered Psychologist status is not required at this grade.

Qualifications

•MSc Occupational Psychology (or equivalent titled course) approved as Stage 1 by the British Psychological Society.
•Enrolled OR Eligible to enrol on the British Psychological Society Q