Job summary We are looking to welcome nine new Work Psychologists to the DWP Work Psychology Service, joining a vibrant and diverse community of nearly 100 practitioners who make a real difference every day.
As a Work Psychologist, you will use evidence-based occupational psychology tools and techniques to support DWP customers (people receiving benefits through Jobcentre services) to move closer to and into employment. Many of the customers you will work with live with health conditions, disabilities, or other significant challenges that can make accessing work more difficult. You will make a positive impact through one-to-one assessments and group-based interventions with customers, and by building the capability of Jobcentre colleagues to apply psychological principles in their work. You will have the opportunity to transform the lives of those who often find themselves marginalised from employment and wider society.
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 communitywith 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 Under the professional supervision of a Senior Work Psychologist:
- Design and deliver one-to-one interventions to assess the employment related support needs of job seeking customers who are socially excluded, vulnerable or otherwise disadvantaged. The assessment might, for example, focus on the identification of suitable work goals, work solutions or technological support to help customers find, sustain and progress in work.
- Develop and facilitate work-focused group interventions to help job seeking customers build work search skills, positive beliefs about work and make informed employment decisions.
- Facilitate case conferences which are a structured conversational approach with a group of frontline colleagues who are seeking advice on how to progress complex customer cases towards work or other positive life change.
- Provide individual caseload management support to help colleagues effectively support jobseekers assigned to them and to work towards achieving appropriate work-focused outcomes.
- Design and deliver interventions to help colleagues increase their knowledge and skills of job-relevant topics (e.g. mental health and employment) and skills areas (e.g. coaching skills).
- Actively promote the Work Psychology service at all levels of the organisation through collaboration with non-psychologist colleagues, for example through networking with internal and external partners and delivering awareness presentations.
- Use the consultancy cycle to explore issues, implement, evaluate and report effectively the outcomes of bespoke evidence-based interventions to support senior leaders to develop their teams and progress jobseekers.
- Work collaboratively with your line manager to reach an achievable balance between your continuous professional development and job training obligations and frontline business priorities.
- Following probation, you will be required to enrol on and actively work towards a qualification to achieve HCPC Registered Occupational Psychologist status, which is currently the BPS Qualification in Occupational Psychology Stage 2. Your line manager will tell you the appropriate qualification that you will be enrolled on. Post holders will be given some work time to support completion of the qualification. You will receive an allocation of four days per month (pro-rata for non-full time working patterns).
- Chartered Psychologists and Registered Occupational Psychologists are required to supervise Trainee Occupational Psychologists on the qualification to achieve Registered Occupational Psychologist status. If not already registered on the Register of Applied Practice Psychology Supervisors (RAPPS) you will work towards RAPPS eligibility within a reasonable timescale.
The video attached provides an introduction by our Chief Psychologist to the Civil Service and DWP Work Psychology role followed by Work Psychology descriptions of what they enjoy about their role:
video Locations Please note these roles will be based in our business areas listed:
- North East England Travel across Tees Valley required.
- To be based in Billingham, Darlington, Eston, Guisborough, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar, Stockport or Thornaby
- North West England Travel across Cumbria required.
- To be based in Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, Kendal, Lancaster, Penrith, Whitehaven or Workington
- Scotland Travel across central belt of Scotland (including West Fife and Perthshire, but excluding Edinburgh City and Glasgow City).
- To be based in Cowdenbeath, Falkirk, Motherwell or Stirling.
Successful candidates will have an opportunity to express a location preference as part of the selection process. The candidate can be based in a Jobcentre office in the area they are allocated as specified above, in discussion with their Line Manager and where capacity exists within the site. Other locations may become available.
All posts cover multiple Jobcentre offices and therefore will involve frequent travel across one or two Districts. Please note some Districts include geographical rural areas with limited public transport access. Occasional travel will be required across the wider Region.
Essential The ability to travel to various locations within a wide geographical area is essential. Successful candidates will need to travel between Jobcentres to see their customers face to face. The area that you would be expected to cover could involve up to 14 Jobcentres. Some of our vacancies may require a driving licence to be held to achieve this. Please contact the vacancy holder if you have further questions via email: .
Hybrid Working This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. If a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for the role and for you, you will normally be required to spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted working hours from your DWP office(s).
The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need, but personal and other relevant circumstances will also be considered. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Person specification Key Criteria - You must meet the Qualification and Membership requirements as listed in the Qualifications, Licences and Memberships sections. You must ensure you state the qualifications and membership you hold in the first paragraph of the Personal Statement more information is stated below.
- Good interpersonal skills to build effective rapport, and an ability to make sense of others experiences, to support the development of self-belief (Lead Key Criteria).
- Knowledge and understanding of the psychology relating to the issues facing unemployed people.
- Good verbal and written communication skills and be able to explain how you convey complex information in a way that is easy for others to understand.
- Demonstrates an active contribution to a team in delivery of shared goals.
- Understands, adheres and applies British Psychological Society ethical principles and professional standards.
- Able to find and evaluate different sources of information and use it to reach effective decisions.
- Able to confidently engage with a wide range of people within and outside the organisation; building trusted relationships, using an evidence-based approach to challenge when appropriate.
- Able to prioritise and organise own workload, demonstrating personal flexibility.
Qualifications BSc Psychology (or equivalent) that confers Graduate Basis for Chartership. MSc Occupational Psychology (or equivalent titled course) approved as Stage 1 by the British Psychological Society . click apply for full job details
