JOB PROFILE

Job Title / Group / Directorate

Head of Occupational Psychology, MoJ Chief Psychologist & Head of Profession for Occupational Psychology

Reports To

Zoe Sweet (Divisional Director - Our People Our Future, HR Capability, Organisational Effectiveness, Occupational Psychology, Leadership & Line Management), Centre of Expertise Directorate, People Function, MoJ

Location & Terms of appointment

This is a permanent post based in any National MoJ location.

Salary and Grade

This post is Band Grade 6.

New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range.

Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules.

Overview of the role:

Due to the nature of this role, there is a requirement to travel for business needs.

The job holder will provide professional accountability and leadership for the occupational psychology expert service in the Centre of Expertise Directorate for People Function, MoJ. The role provides centre of excellence service through advice, expertise, and delivery across the MoJ family at a senior level, which includes Boards, Deputy Directors, Directors, Executive Teams, and Chief Executives directly as required.

The job holder will lead on occupational psychology expert services across the MoJ family and manage and lead the Occupational Psychology Centre of Expertise in the Centre of Expertise Directorate, People Function, MoJ. The job holder will also be the MoJ’s Chief Psychologist and Head of Profession for Occupational Psychology.

The job holder will form part of the wider MOJ People Function working arrangements and will work in partnership with senior colleagues, representing and deputising for the Divisional Director as necessary and actively making connections through each strategic business deliverable, project, or programme of delivery. The job holder will have decision making responsibilities for their professional area and will use their expertise to bring challenge and rigour to all aspects of People Function delivery.

The job holder will be accountable for supporting the development and delivery of the Centre for Excellence Directorate, enabling system wide effectiveness and efficiency with specific focus on enabling expertise, skills, and knowledge to ensure delivery of the People Function’s strategic objectives. The job holder will provide insight and leadership contributing as a Head of Occupational Psychology to how the Occupational Psychology Centre of Expertise delivers and champions the culture, leadership, processes, structure, and skilled people to deliver the People Function vision on Enabling Reform, Growing Confidence and Building Capability.

The job holder will work closely with wider Government Partners, such as the Government Occupational Psychology Profession: About us - Government Occupational Psychology Profession - GOV.UK to ensure effective value for money, impactful business delivery, excellent working relationships and contribution to professional development. Ensuring that the occupational psychology resource in the MoJ is appropriately connected to wider Government Occupational Psychology activity and strives for excellent standards in line with the wider Professional Skills and Standards: occupational-psychology-profession-skills-and-standards-july-2024.pdf.

Summary:

The Ministry of Justice is a major government department at the heart of the justice system. We deliver some of the most fundamental public services including courts, tribunals, prisons, legal services, youth justice, probation services, and attendance centres.

The organisation works together with other government departments and agencies to bring the principles of justice to life for everyone in society. From our civil courts, tribunals and family law hearings to criminal justice, prison, and probation services. We work to ensure that sentences are served, and offenders are encouraged to turn their lives around and become law-abiding citizens. We believe the principles of justice are pivotal and we are steadfast in our shared commitment to uphold them.

Our vision is to deliver a world-class justice system that works for everyone in society.

Our four strategic priorities to deliver our vision are:

• A prison and probation service that reforms offenders.

• A modern courts and justice system.

• A Global Britain that promotes the rule of law.

• A transformed department that is simpler, smarter, and more unified.

For more information on who we are and what we do, please visit: About us - Ministry of Justice - GOV.UK

About the People & Capability Function:

The people who work for the Ministry of Justice are responsible for its success; and the role of the Ministry of Justice People Function is to support the organisation by enabling our people to be the best that they can be.

We operate as a cluster of HR/People services working seamlessly to provide expert support, advice, and delivery throughout the employee lifecycle. From the time people join the organisation, to the point at which they leave, we strive to make a positive contribution to their work experience. We want everyone who works for the Ministry of Justice to feel confident in their skills, ambitious for the future and fulfilled by their work and relationships with their colleagues.

About the Service & Directorate

Each HR/People service area is led by a Divisional Director and Head of Service who is responsible for managing their services. The purpose of the occupational Psychology Centre of Expertise is to deliver for Ministry of Justice as a People Function service within the Centre of Expertise Directorate.

The Centre of Expertise Directorate in People Function, MoJ provides a range of HR/People services across the MoJ, such as Organisation Design & Development, Leadership, HR Policy, this also includes Occupational Psychology. The Occupational Psychology profession is concerned with the performance of people at work.

The Occupational Psychology Centre of Expertise applies best practise principles and evidence-based research to provide innovative, business critical services such as recruiting diverse talent, researching, and evaluating pertinent workforce issues and driving organisational aims and objectives.

The service also can provide support in job analysis and success profile design, selection processes and assessment tools design including evaluation, cultural audits and train the trainer.

About the Government Occupational Psychology Profession

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 MSc, 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.

Responsibilities and duties:

The Head of Occupational Psychology, MoJ Chief Psychologist & Head of Profession will lead, manage, and deliver activities across the Occupational Psychology Centre of Expertise and contribute to the delivery and leadership of the wider function and directorate.

• Lead high performing and geographically dispersed teams in the delivery of end-to-end occupational psychology services, interventions, and projects. Effective resourcing, workforce management and effective deployment of specialists.

• Lead a team of expert occupational psychology practitioners in providing professional advice and expertise in scoping, developing, and delivering an expert occupational psychology service.

• Accountability for professional practice (encompassing legality, safety, standards, ethics) and setting professional standards across all people processes (including recruitment, professional qualifications, and continued professional development) of MOJ occupational psychology service delivery in accordance with requirements of the British Psychological Society and the Health & Care Professions Council. Ensure appropriate systems, policies and processes are in place to maintain these professional practice standards.

• Decision-maker on psychologists’ self and organisational referrals to the HCPC regarding MOJ’s Registered Occupational Psychologists’ fitness to practice (findings of unfit to practice can lead to sanctions on or termination of their their HCPC registration).

• Role-modelling excellent management and leadership.

• Strong consultancy skills with a track-record of delivering customer-centric occupational psychology solutions for a wide range of clients.

• Knowledge of models of psychological service delivery in a policy and operational context and knowledge of supervision models and application in policy and operations.

• Horizon scan across the occupational psychology profession, bringing knowledge, expertise and direction grounded in notable practice supporting the Centre of Expertise Directorate.

• Understanding of occupational psychological evidence base and concepts, particularly in 1) psychological assessment at work and 2) learning, training & development.

• Working with the organisations clients/customers and colleagues to understand where occupational psychology interventions can address existing issues and future risks within the business.

• Coach and develop team members, and to encourage, enable and support them to reach their potential.

• Strong professional integrity, standards and ethics including upholding standards to deliver a safe, ethical, and legally compliant occupational psychology service in line with British Psychological Society and Health & Care Professions Council requirements.

• Working with senior peer groups across People Function to ensure consistency of service delivery, in particular where several People Function teams may work together on a single programme or project.

• Representing the MOJ Occupational Psychology Profession, the Centre of Expertise Directorate, People Function and the Ministry of Justice at cross-Government forums, Boards and Network Groups.

• Chartered Psychologists and Registered Occupational Psychologists are required to supervise Trainee Occupational Psychologists on the qualification to achieve Registered Occupational Psychologist status. This role might take on direct supervision of Trainees if required, but will be a ‘supervisor of supervisors’ for the approved superivsors in the MOJ. If not already registered on the Register of Applied Practice Psychology Supervisors (RAPPS), work towards RAPPS eligibility within a reasonable timescale.

• Head of Profession role: In line with expectations in the Government People Group’s Professions Best Practice Framework and the Government Occupational Psychology Board’s job description for a departmental Head of Profession, responsible for the development of the Occupational Psychology Profession within DWP through delivery of: workforce planning; strategic use of the profession and directing business delivery; pay and reward strategy; learning & development; partnerships, visibility and engagement with other professions and functions; acting as a senior advisor; cultivating talent management; being visible and engaged, championing learning and development; and building professional skills.

Memberships

• Essential - Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society.

• Essential - Full Member of the Division of Occupational Psychology, British Psychological Society.

• Desirable - registered on the Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors

Licences

• Essential - Registered Occupational Psychologist with the Health & Care Professions Council with no sanctions or restrictions on your registration or eligible to immediately become registered with the Health & Care Professions Council.

• Desirable - Qualification in Test Use - Ability and Personality

Qualifications

• Essential - MSc Occupational Psychology (or equivalent titled course) approved as Stage 1 by the British Psychological Society.

• Essential - British Psychological Society Qualification in Occupational Psychology Stage 2 or have completed Part 1 and Part 2 of a professional doctorate in occupational psychology, which confers Chartered Member with the BPS (see Memberships) and Registered Occupational Psychologist with the HCPC (see Licences).

We may consider any evidence within the application form that demonstrates meeting the desirable criteria as set out in the job description. This will only be after essential criteria is scored and where there is a need to differentiate between closely scored candidates.

Checks

Enhanced DBS check will be required for this post due to the supervision requirement.

Application Process

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework.

Sift: You will be asked to provide:

• An anonymised CV

• 750 word statement of suitability detailing how your previous experience enables you to deliver the responsibilities of the role.

• 250 word example of the lead behaviour, Leadership

In the event of a large volume of applications being received, an initial sift will carried out on the lead behaviour of Leadership.

Interview: Candidates invited to interview will be assessed on the Behaviours (listed below), and Strengths. Interviews will be held virtually via MS Teams.

• Leadership (lead behaviour)

• Changing and Improving

• Working Together

• Managing a Quality Service

You will be asked to give a 10 minute presentation (further details will be sent to candidates invited to interview).

With reference to the Government Occupational Psychology Skills & Standards (occupational-psychology-profession-skills-and-standards-july-2024.pdf) at Chief Psychologist level (p16 - 23), we will also assess the following at interview:

• Technical skills - Knowledge Base, Consultancy, Research & Evaluation

• Behaviour - Ambassador

• Ethics & Conduct

Attachments

Government Occupational Psychology Skills & Standards

Government Occupational Psychology Employee Value Proposition (when available).