Band 8a Principal Clinical Psychologist
Posted 1 day 20 hours ago by NHS
Permanent
Full Time
Temporary Jobs
Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom, CO1 1
Job Description
Overview Go back Ministry of Defence (Defence Medical Services)
Band 8a Principal Clinical Psychologist The closing date is 23 September 2025
We are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity for a Band 8A Clinical Psychologist to join our team at the Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH), based at Merville Barracks in Colchester.
This is a unique and rewarding role where you will deliver high-quality, trauma-informed, client-centered occupational mental health care to serving military personnel across the East of England. You will also have opportunities to contribute to the psychological care of military personnel detained at the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC).
What we offer:
Working in a unique clinical setting supporting the mental health and operational readiness of military personnel.
Being a key member of a supportive and forward-thinking multi-disciplinary team including Clinical Psychologists, Consultant Psychiatrists, CBT therapists, EMDR practitioners, Mental Health Nurses, and Social Workers.
Engage with a diverse range of clinical presentations, from mild to complex, spanning multiple conditions
Benefit from a strong Clinical Psychology culture with expertise in:
Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Schema Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT)
Systemic and Narrative approaches
Being part of a distinctive organisation working to provide a meaningful impact to enlisted personnel
About us Our success depends on our people our Whole Force regular and reservist military, civil servants and contractors, all working as one, working together seamlessly to deliver for us.
Our civil servants are a central part of this Whole Force, developing strategy, making policy, supporting ministerial decision-making and Parliamentary processes. In fact, with over 2,000 different roles working across 650 sites around the world, now really is an excellent time to join one of the largest, most exciting departments in government.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to attracting and retaining people from across the full range of backgrounds and enabling flexible ways of working as the norm. We offer maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks full pay followed by 13 weeks of statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid, and paternity leave of 2 weeks full pay.
In return, you can expect a department that helps you learn and develop that recognises your expertise and contribution, both as an individual and part of a team.
If youve ever wanted to do more, see more, go further or be better, we have roles in more professions and vocations than ever before. Let's see where your future will take you, together.
Job responsibilities Responsibilities include and are not limited to:
What Were Looking For
We welcome applications from Clinical Psychologists who are:
If you're passionate about delivering impactful psychological care in a unique and supportive setting, we'd love to hear from you.
Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification document for additional duties.
Selection Process
At application stage you will be assessed against the following:
CV:
At interview you will be assessed against the following:
Behaviours:
Please see the link to our YouTube channel for advice preparing your best responses with some hints and tips on answering behaviour-based questions. Hints and tips such as: Your behaviours can be based on situations from work, volunteering or home; match your situation to the behaviour requested and how to use your 250-word limit.
The sift will be completed within 10 working days of the vacancy closing date. Interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed.
Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
There will be no reimbursement for any travel expenses for the interview.
Requests to work flexibly and/or part time will be considered, taking into account business needs. Please note the salary will be pro-rata where part time hours are undertaken.
All employees joining Ministry of Defence who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a 6-month probation period (unless otherwise advised) effective from the employment start date.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.
Access to the NHS pension scheme is available to the successful candidate.
If found successful for this position, you will be required to provide evidence of your immunity to Hepatitis B. Please note that evidence of your vaccination is not a proof of your immunity, but your serology levels will be required. Failure to provide sufficient evidence may result in the offer of employment being withdrawn.
To be considered for this role, qualifications and memberships detailed must be held in full, prior to submitting your application.
There is no requirement to deploy as this is met by our uniformed personnel, but you will form the continuity of care required by our patients when based at home.
The post does NOT offer relocation expenses (move of home, excess fares or temporary transfer). Non-Standard move applicants will be eligible for the full package . click apply for full job details
Band 8a Principal Clinical Psychologist The closing date is 23 September 2025
We are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity for a Band 8A Clinical Psychologist to join our team at the Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH), based at Merville Barracks in Colchester.
This is a unique and rewarding role where you will deliver high-quality, trauma-informed, client-centered occupational mental health care to serving military personnel across the East of England. You will also have opportunities to contribute to the psychological care of military personnel detained at the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC).
What we offer:
- 2.5 Privilege Days a year, in addition to AFC Annual Leave / Bank Holiday allowance (pro-rata) plus wellbeing initiatives
- Opportunities for hybrid working (minimum 60% of time in office)
- Professional Registration fees (e.g., HCPC) reimbursed
- Personal annual CPD budget, plus monthly in-house CPD programme
- Access to specialist modality specific supervision groups
- Quarterly events with Clinical / Counselling Psychologists working in defence UK-wide
- Free parking
- Access to an on-site gym and swimming pool
- Friendly team with regular team and social events
Working in a unique clinical setting supporting the mental health and operational readiness of military personnel.
Being a key member of a supportive and forward-thinking multi-disciplinary team including Clinical Psychologists, Consultant Psychiatrists, CBT therapists, EMDR practitioners, Mental Health Nurses, and Social Workers.
Engage with a diverse range of clinical presentations, from mild to complex, spanning multiple conditions
Benefit from a strong Clinical Psychology culture with expertise in:
Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Schema Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT)
Systemic and Narrative approaches
Being part of a distinctive organisation working to provide a meaningful impact to enlisted personnel
About us Our success depends on our people our Whole Force regular and reservist military, civil servants and contractors, all working as one, working together seamlessly to deliver for us.
Our civil servants are a central part of this Whole Force, developing strategy, making policy, supporting ministerial decision-making and Parliamentary processes. In fact, with over 2,000 different roles working across 650 sites around the world, now really is an excellent time to join one of the largest, most exciting departments in government.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to attracting and retaining people from across the full range of backgrounds and enabling flexible ways of working as the norm. We offer maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks full pay followed by 13 weeks of statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid, and paternity leave of 2 weeks full pay.
In return, you can expect a department that helps you learn and develop that recognises your expertise and contribution, both as an individual and part of a team.
If youve ever wanted to do more, see more, go further or be better, we have roles in more professions and vocations than ever before. Let's see where your future will take you, together.
Job responsibilities Responsibilities include and are not limited to:
- Provide highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation, and intervention for serving personnel, including offering advice and consultation to non-psychologist colleagues, line managers and carers.
- Provide psychological therapy for complex cases, with flexibility to offer up to 30 treatment sessions.
- Work collaboratively with the MDT and collaborate with internal and external agencies to ensure joint up safe and effective care.
- To clinically supervise other therapists and other professionals
- To develop and deliver training in areas relevant to practice for multi-disciplinary staff
- Utilising research skills for audit, policy and service development / quality improvement initiatives
- Providing clinical and professional supervision to trainees undertaking Doctoral training
- Working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the service
What Were Looking For
We welcome applications from Clinical Psychologists who are:
- Experienced in working with complex mental health presentations, particularly where there are comorbid conditions and complex trauma presentations.
- Skilled in trauma-informed care and applying evidence-based psychological therapies to complexity.
- Keen to work as part of a team and to collaborate with others to ensure high standards of clinical care and practice
- Interested in working within a unique occupational health context.
If you're passionate about delivering impactful psychological care in a unique and supportive setting, we'd love to hear from you.
Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification document for additional duties.
Selection Process
At application stage you will be assessed against the following:
CV:
- Please provide information of how you meet the criteria set out in the Job Description. You may wish to further include examples of how you have tackled similar tasks or demonstrated the skills outlined in the job advert.
At interview you will be assessed against the following:
Behaviours:
- Leadership
- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
Please see the link to our YouTube channel for advice preparing your best responses with some hints and tips on answering behaviour-based questions. Hints and tips such as: Your behaviours can be based on situations from work, volunteering or home; match your situation to the behaviour requested and how to use your 250-word limit.
The sift will be completed within 10 working days of the vacancy closing date. Interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed.
Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
There will be no reimbursement for any travel expenses for the interview.
Requests to work flexibly and/or part time will be considered, taking into account business needs. Please note the salary will be pro-rata where part time hours are undertaken.
All employees joining Ministry of Defence who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a 6-month probation period (unless otherwise advised) effective from the employment start date.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.
Access to the NHS pension scheme is available to the successful candidate.
If found successful for this position, you will be required to provide evidence of your immunity to Hepatitis B. Please note that evidence of your vaccination is not a proof of your immunity, but your serology levels will be required. Failure to provide sufficient evidence may result in the offer of employment being withdrawn.
To be considered for this role, qualifications and memberships detailed must be held in full, prior to submitting your application.
There is no requirement to deploy as this is met by our uniformed personnel, but you will form the continuity of care required by our patients when based at home.
The post does NOT offer relocation expenses (move of home, excess fares or temporary transfer). Non-Standard move applicants will be eligible for the full package . click apply for full job details