Job Description
Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist (Wellbeing)
Location(s) - Cheltenham, Manchester
Hours of Work - Full-time and part-time opportunities (flexible working hours available)
Salary - £50,838 to £62,437 with an additional concessionary payment.
Salary: £50,838 to £62,437 with an additional concessionary payment. Salary dependent on current salary and experience. You’ll also have the opportunity to qualify for an Individual Recruitment Premium of £7,392 to £10,212 (effective from day one), which acknowledges the pay difference between GCHQ and the NHS. Please note, this is not guaranteed year-on-year and is reviewed annually.
Flexible working: we recognise the importance of a good work-life balance and offer full-time and part-time hours (minimum 3 days per week). Remote/homeworking options are limited due to the nature of the work. Flexible hours considered, subject to business needs.
About us
GCHQ is an intelligence, cyber and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe. We use cutting-edge technology, ingenuity and partnerships to identify, analyse and disrupt threats. Working with our intelligence partners MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from terrorism, cyber-attacks and espionage. At GCHQ you’ll do varied and fascinating work in a supportive and inclusive environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.
The role
As a Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist (Wellbeing), you’ll provide expert advice and support to colleagues operating in complex, risk-based roles. You’ll deliver consultations focussed on vulnerability, resilience and risk, and carry out direct and indirect clinical assessments drawing on psychometrics, interviews and clinical observations, where appropriate. This is a rewarding and influential role where you’ll be responsible for multi-disciplinary work with wide-reaching impact.
You might be undertaking collaborative health surveillance and impact monitoring, offering wellbeing consultations to corporate teams, or highlighting the psychological aspects of complex casework to business partners. This includes offering reflective practice to colleagues managing high-risk roles. You’ll also oversee the delivery of specialist clinical interventions, including risk management and trauma work.
Whether you’re presenting psychology-informed training sessions or developing assessments that support high-risk role selection, you’ll be engaging with our teams, the wider behavioural science community and government partners to develop best practice approaches. You’ll also participate in small-scale research and audit projects, and regular peer supervision and ethical practice reflection.
It's a role with plenty of collaboration. You’ll work with Personal Security, Occupational Health, and Employee Assistance/Health and Wellbeing, and act as a role model for professionalism, inclusion and evidence-based practices. As you seek to enhance our processes, you’ll also seize opportunities to further your own skills as you stay up to date with Health and Care Professions Council requirements. You may also attend relevant conferences in the UK and internationally, and travel to other locations nationally where required.
About you
You’ll hold a Masters or Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or Counselling Psychology, or equivalent (conferring eligibility for chartership with the British Psychological Society). You’ll also be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. Importantly, you’ll have significant experience of working at NHS Band 7 or 8a (or equivalent) as a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist.
You don’t need any experience of working in government, intelligence or security, but you will have previously worked in a multidisciplinary team setting delivering training and have extensive post-qualification experience working with young adult or adult clinical populations. You’ll bring proven expertise in conducting psychological assessments and have developed and delivered training to psychology and non-psychology colleagues.
As an effective communicator who can influence and challenge with sensitivity, you’ll deliver clinical advice and consultation and provide clear and concise reports and documentation. And you’ll have expertise in psychometric testing, formulation and risk assessment. Plus, you’ll be committed to your continuous professional development and stay updated with relevant clinical and research findings.
Training and development
At GCHQ, we value and nurture talent and we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential. We offer a wide range of in-house and external opportunities for personal and professional development. Plus, we’ll actively support further training with funding in specialist skills related to your role.
Upon joining, you’ll receive a comprehensive induction into the role and the wellbeing arena, as well as GCHQ as an organisation and the wider community of Practitioner Psychologists and Behaviour and Social Scientists. Training will be provided on our processes and tools, and you’ll have the additional support of a ‘buddy’ and mentor as you settle into your new role.