Senior Occupational Psychologist

Would you like to make a difference to UK Defence by applying your Occupational Psychology skills and experience? Would you like to work flexibly, have a generous holiday entitlement and contributory pension, and support for at least five days of professional and personal development each year? If so, this could be the role for you.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Occupational Psychology Team at Air & Space Command. The role of the Air & Space HQ Occupational Psychology Team is to apply professional skills and knowledge to deliver outputs relevant to stakeholders in order that they can make evidence-based policy decisions. Whilst the RAF purpose is to deliver Air and Space Power for the UK this cannot be achieved without a focus on people and harnessing their potential.

Our work focuses on designing and delivering RAF specific aptitude testing, understanding the attitudes of RAF People and how these might shape their behaviours and decision making, and providing consultancy-based services for bespoke people requirements. Our work encompasses the Whole Force (Regulars, Reserves and Civil Servants) as well as families of serving personnel.

You will join the MOD Occupational Psychology profession which 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.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Responsibilities

The post holder will support the Principal Occupational Psychologist in the design, delivery and validation of computer Based Aptitude Testing for RAF specific critical roles. Act as technical Lead for the Continuous Attitude Surveys within the RAF. Deliver bespoke research as commissioned by RAF stakeholders and wider Defence.

Key Duties

Support Computer Based Aptitude Testing

• Support the Principal Psychologist with needs analysis to inform Computer Based Aptitude tests and wider psychological assessment practice.

Conduct research, statistical analysis and development to support the design, development, implementation and evaluation of the aptitude tests for RAF led personnel selection.

Technical Lead for RAF Continuous Attitude Surveys

• Oversee the delivery and quality of the RAF Continuous Attitude Surveys acting as Technical Lead to ensure the robustness, utility and dissemination of results.

Research and development

• Conduct research as directed by the research agenda and act as Technical Lead for research conducted by trainee occupational psychologists.
• Apply the occupational psychology consultancy cycle to address people issues as prioritised.
• Design and deliver interventions applying an evidence-based approach and evaluating interventions to assess their utility.
• Collaborate with other psychologists and SMEs from other disciplines to develop solutions to People issues.
• Collaborate with other psychologists and SMEs from other disciplines to develop solutions to People issues.

Management

• Line manage two Higher Psychologists.
• Oversee/supervise the work of Higher and Executive Officer Psychologists (Trainee Occupational Psychologists) to ensure high-quality outputs.

Key Criteria

The following criteria will be assessed during the sifting process:

Experience

• Minimum of 4 years relevant post MSc experience.
• Experience of working in selection and assessment.
• Have applied a range of research methods and statistical analysis and have commitment to high quality research output.
• Responding to short notice requests for advice and information.
• Managing stakeholders at all levels.
• Drawing together different evidence sources to support evidence-based decision making and draw out the psychological implications of findings.
• Providing technical advice and review of relevant evidence and research.
• Collaborating with colleagues in other teams and being willing to learn from these experiences.
• Developing professional knowledge, learning about key contextual issues, and knowledge sharing.
• Using statistical data software such as SPSS; as well as Excel experience.
• Applicants must be highly motivated, have good interpersonal skills and the ability to work with staff at all levels.

Desirable:

• Psychometric test development
• Cognitive task analysis
• Cognitive psychology knowledge

Essential Qualifications:

BSc Psychology that confers Graduate Basis for Chartership with the BPS. (Qualification)

MSc Occupational Psychology (or equivalent titled course) approved as Stage 1 by the BPS. (Qualification)

British Psychological Society Qualification in Occupational Testing – Personality.

British Psychological Society Qualification in Occupational Testing – Ability.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

The selection process will include an application sift and interview.

A CV will be required for this position; this cannot be uploaded to the advert. You will submit using the CV template provided on the CS Jobs dashboard in part two of your application, detailing job history, full qualifications, previous experience and skills.

A Personal Statement will also be required (750 Words). Please state your suitability against the key criteria.

At sift, candidates will be assessed against their CV and Statement of suitability and the following:

Behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Technical skills (Government Occupational Psychology Profession Professional Skills & Standards):

• Ambassador

Applications will be sifted on all Success Profile elements, but in the event of a high number of applications, the sift will be conducted on your CV only.

Qualifications, memberships and licenses, as stated in the job advert and the experience listed in the key criteria.

At interview, candidates will be assessed against the following:

Behaviours

• Developing Self and Others
• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills (Senior Psychologist)

• Knowledge base (Leadership, Engagement & Motivation; Psychological Assessment at work)
• Consultancy.

Presentation

• You will be asked to present on a research project you have delivered in either Leadership, Engagement & Motivation or Psychological Assessment at Work. Full details will be provided upon invitation to interview.

Application sifting is scheduled to take place on week commencing 2nd November 2026. Interviews will take place on the week commencing 30th November 2026. We endeavour to stick to these dates, but these are subject to change around business needs.

Further information:

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.