Senior Occupational Psychologist

Job summary

The Senior Occupational Psychologist (SOP) role is part of the Occupational Psychology and Psychometric Services (OPPS) Team.

OPPS is within the newly formed OneGov Delivery Agency and is currently led by Alice Clark (Head of Service) and Tina Gardner (Deputy Director).

OPPS acts as the provider for cross-Civil Service centralised tests and assessments. We collaborate with government departments, functions and professions to develop and deliver solutions grounded in occupational psychology. We place ourselves at the forefront of assessment innovation, and are actively creating a growing range of evidence-based psychological assessment tools.

Your Professional Home: The Government Occupational Psychology Profession (GOPP)

This post is part of the wider Government Occupational Psychology Profession (a recognised government specialist profession). The profession comprises over 250 members across all the major government departments and many agencies and arms-length bodies – which makes us the largest Occupational Psychology community in the U.K. We are a vibrant community with a long history in government going as far back as, at least, World War II, as shown in the Fifty Years of Occupational Psychology in Britain. The Head of the Government Occupational Psychology Profession is Dr Antonia Dietmann.

Building on the foundation of skills that you developed in your Masters degree, your career in the Government Occupational Psychology Profession will develop both your technical and consultancy capabilities. We welcome people from a range of different backgrounds as this helps to increase the diversity of thought and perspectives when developing solutions. Collaborating across departments and sharing learning is key to how we work. Throughout the year there will be many opportunities to connect with other members of the profession and build the relationships that will make the most rewarding occupational psychology career. Upon joining the civil service you are encouraged to sign up to the profession.

Job description

As a Senior Occupational Psychologist at the Cabinet Office, you will play a critical role in supporting our growing business offer. You will frequently be working with other members of the team on large programmes of work, but you will also be given the freedom to lead on projects independently, covering the entire consultancy cycle. You will be adaptable, flexible and dependable, with an ability to effectively prioritise and manage your time.

Some of the exciting projects you could be involved in:

• Researching and developing a suite of new leadership assessments for Senior Civil Service recruitment;
• Leading on the research of new and emerging assessment methods and processes;
• Working alongside psychometricians to build, customise and update psychometrics for use in the broader civil service;
• Amending our existing assessments to align with new Civil Service frameworks and standards;
• Conducting different validations and impact assessments to best improve our tests;
• Considering Best Practice guidance and the latest reasonable adjustments research, and implementing this in our suite of psychometric tests and assessments;
• Working across the government with other Occupational Psychologists in the GOPP on a wide range of exciting projects.

You will be joining a high performing multi-disciplinary team of occupational psychologists, psychometricians and digital experts who use evidence-based practice to put the client and user at the heart of what they do. We are a team that embraces innovation to deliver better results, improved efficiency and added value, with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Person specification

• Acting as a subject matter expert, providing up-to-date, impartial, best practice recruitment and assessment advice to stakeholders;
• Scoping and designing assessment solutions including psychometric tests and evidence-based sifting tools;
• Using online assessment platforms to implement and support delivery of assessment solutions; working with digital, data assurance, and diversity colleagues to ensure new assessments are compliant, fair, and meet customer and user needs;
• Supporting Principal Occupational Psychologists in their role as programme leads for Civil Service wide different test and assessment products;
• Researching new and emerging assessment methods/processes and setting up and conducting detailed studies to explore their impact and efficacy;
• Managing multiple projects concurrently across all stages of the consultancy cycle;
• Act as a subject matter expert providing expert advice on recruitment, use of assessments and wider occupational psychology areas;
• Facilitating training for stakeholders to ensure their understanding of our supplier online test platform;
• Researching and evaluating the effectiveness of assessments through quantitative and qualitative methods, including statistical analysis and data interrogation to evaluate reliability, validity and fairness of assessments (e.g. adverse impact analysis);
• Presenting and communicating evidence-based findings verbally and in writing;
• Representing the Occupational Psychology Profession at working groups, committees and other forums across government to inform policy and operations;
• Providing reasonable adjustment expert advice for assessments in line with the Equality Act 2010 and disability recruitment principles;
• Undertaking appropriate activities to maintain HCPC registration and remain CPD compliant;
• Supervising candidates on the Qualification in Occupational Psychology (BPS QOP Stage 2), if relevant. If not already registered on the Register of Applied Practice Psychology Supervisors (RAPPS), work towards RAPPS eligibility within a reasonable timescale.

Key Skills and Experience

• Experience of working with assessments and recommending the most appropriate tests to use depending on the situation;
• Taking ownership and accountability for decisions and promises/agreements;
• Consulting with and managing relationships during project delivery;
• Designing new assessments where relevant and suggesting opportunities for future assessment development;
• Conducting evaluation research including collecting, cleaning and analysing quantitative and qualitative data (e.g. survey design, statistical analysis, adverse impact analysis);
• Presenting assessment concepts, best practice and research findings to a range of non-expert audiences (e.g. internal staff, customers);
• An understanding of, and experience of, applying reasonable adjustments for candidates at different stages of the assessment journey.

Additional Information

An Enhanced DBS check is required for this role.

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Licences

- Registered Occupational Psychologist with the Health & Care Professions Council with no sanctions or restrictions on your registration (or immediately eligible to join).

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