44578 - Head of Volume Assessments (Principal Occupational Psychologist)

£43,958 - £63,500 (Salary will depend on Location)
1
12 Months
National
National
NATIONAL
Grade 7
Grade 7
Permanent
Full Time
Psychology

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

Job Title: Head of Volume Assessments (Principal Occupational Psychologist)

Band: Grade 7

Business Group: MoJ Resourcing, Selection and Onboarding

Directorate: MoJ People Group

Team: Occupational Psychology Services

Location: National

Purpose

Provide a pro-active and advisory/consultancy service to clients that meets business needs, is compliant with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles and Occupational Psychology professional standards, and enables clients to recruit the best talent in a cost effective and efficient manner.

Contribute to the development and delivery of psychological research and consultancy to MOJ Resourcing Group strategic, operational and tactical resourcing activities. 

Provide advice covering all aspects of occupational psychology related to recruitment, selection and assessment across MOJ Group.

Oversee the delivery and evaluation of assessment services for centrally managed volume recruitment campaigns. 

Responsibilities

  • Line management and supervision of occupational psychologist practitioners. Facilitate and supervise the professional development and practice of occupational psychologist practitioners and trainee occupational psychologists.
  • Conduct problem analysis and determine all the client requirements and issues to be addressed. Liaise directly with clients, keeping them informed in a timely manner.
  • Define the client problems to be addressed, develop solutions in collaboration with clients, and communicate proposed solutions and their benefits.
  • Develop, implement and evaluate employee selection procedures, including psychometric tests, assessment centre exercises and structured interviews, with a particular focus on volume recruitment.
  • Carry out complex statistical analysis and interrogation of data to quality assure assessment outcomes to ensure they are consistent, reliable, valid, free from adverse impact and legally defensible.
  • Clearly contract services with clients to ensure that there is understanding of how psychological services will meet their needs.
  • Highlight problems that clients are unaware of and identify and implement innovative and cost effective occupational psychology based solutions to meet client needs.
  • Provide theoretically-founded or evidence-based advice and guidance to clients on how psychological interventions can support their requirements.
  • Promote the use of psychological best practice through the dissemination of research and evidence-based practice across the profession and wider Civil Service.
  • Liaise closely with the wider MoJ Resourcing Team, working as part of a multi-disciplinary team to meet client needs and deliver projects to required timescales. 
  • Oversee the design and application of psychological interventions, research and evaluation within their area of expertise.
  • Support wider MoJ People Group to provide Occupational Psychology guidance and/or research as required. 

Required Experience

  • Leading end-to-end projects within the consultancy cycle.
  • Consulting with a wide-range of clients in a client-centred and collaborative manner, to diagnose issues and successfully implement strategies for change.
  • Conducting recruitment and assessment process audits, including making recommendations for change. 
  • Conducting job analysis and complex competency framework/Success Profile design, including organisation-wide frameworks, or frameworks across multiple levels.
  • Designing and evaluating a wide range of assessment solutions, including interviews, assessment centre exercises, and online assessments, at all levels from volume recruitment/junior roles to senior leadership/executive assessment. 
  • Using psychometric tools for recruitment, including the use of ability tests and personality questionnaires.

Behaviours

  • Seeing the Big Picture
  • Making Effective decisions
  • Working Together
  • Managing a Quality Service
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Delivering at Pace

Other Abilities

  • High level of verbal and written communication ability

Technical/Qualification Requirements

  • Registered Occupational Psychologist with HCPC
  • Chartered Membership with BPS (CPsychol)
  • Test User: Occupational, Ability (or Level A equivalent)
  • Test User: Occupational, Personality (or Level B equivalent)
  • Good understanding of recruitment legislation and Occupational Psychology Best Practice and its potential impact on resourcing plans/strategies
  • Good knowledge of statistics and competent in using SPSS

Qualifications
Qualification in Occupational Psychology (QOP) (Stage 2) (or be nearing completion within the next few months) - please note that equivalent qualifications are not accepted.
Test User: Occupational, Ability (or Level A equivalent)
Test User: Occupational, Personality (or Level B equivalent)

Professional memberships
Registered Occupational Psychologist HCPC / eligibility for registration with HCPC
Chartered Membership with BPS (CPsychol) via completion of The Qualification in Occupational Psychology (QOP) (Stage 2) (or be nearing completion within the next few months)

The application process requires submission of a CV and a 750-word Statement of Suitability to demonstrate how you meet the required experience stated in the job description.

The interview process will be completed via MS Teams and will include a presentation followed by strength-based, behaviour-based and experience interview questions.

Please be advised that we are unable to accept applications from people who are not registered with or eligible to register with the HCPC as an Occupational Psychologist.

Working Arrangements & Further Information 

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Flexible working hours 

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices.

Benefits 

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Annual Leave

Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service. 

There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Pension 

The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Training 

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

Support

• A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share. 

• Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits,retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services. 

• For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers

• Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave. 

• Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens. 

Networks 

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

4- To Shared Service Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com);

5- To Ministry of Justice Resourcing (resourcing-services@justice.gov.uk);

6- To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity.

There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Grading Structure Review

The Ministry of Justice is currently undergoing a review of posts which are currently graded at Band A to realign our grading structure with the majority of the wider Civil Service.

Posts advertised at Band A may be graded at either Grade 6 or Grade 7 once the review has taken place.

Interview dates are expected 29th and 30th June

15/06/2021, 23:55 hours.

If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com 

Please quote the job reference - 44578.

To apply for roles in MOJ you will need to confirm your employment history for at least 3 years prior to the date of application so that pre-employment checks (BPSS) can be undertaken. If you have spent significant time abroad (a total of 6 months in the past 3 years) you would be required to give a reasonable account of the reasons why. 

For some roles you will be required to successfully complete National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorism (CTC), Security Clearance (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV) level as a condition of appointment. To meet CTC/SC/DV requirements you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3/5/10 years prior to the date of application (The level of checks that are required are stated in the advert).

If you do not meet the above requirements, you may still be considered if, for example:

  • You've been serving overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of HM Government
  • You were studying abroad
  • You were living overseas with parents

In such cases you will need to be able to provide referee cover for the period(s) of residence overseas. The duration of overseas residence and the country of abode will also be taken into account.

Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.

if you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance

We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.


Application form stage assessments

Experience
CV
Statement of Suitability - 750 word limit

Interview stage assessments

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.
Abilities
High level of verbal and written communication ability
Behaviours
Managing a Quality Service
Working Together
Making Effective Decisions
Experience
Designing and evaluating a wide range of assessment solutions, including interviews, assessment centre exercises, and online assessments, at all levels from volume recruitment/junior roles to senior leadership/executive assessment.
Conducting job analysis and complex competency framework/Success Profile design, including organisation-wide frameworks, or frameworks across multiple levels.
Strengths may also be assessed at interview but these are not shared in advance.
Additional Assessment(s)
Presentation

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

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) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

· 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) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

This Vacancy is closed to applications.