Principal Educational Psychologist

inploi; Trafford; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Trafford seeks a Principal Educational Psychologist to lead their service in supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The role involves managing a team, driving service improvement, and collaborating with schools. Ideal candidates should have extensive experience in educational psychology, strong leadership skills, and a commitment to enhancing the lives of children. The position offers flexible working hours and a supportive environment for professional development.

Benefits

Personal and professional development opportunities

Friendly working environment

Flexible working hours

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years’ Educational Psychology experience.
• Proven leadership within an Educational Psychology service.
• Experience in managing and developing staff.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Educational Psychology service to support children with SEND.
• Manage and develop the Educational Psychology team.
• Collaborate with other managers across the SEND Local Area.

Skills

Leadership experience

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Flexible and resilient

Education

Degree in Psychology (or equivalent)

Job description

Overview

PRINCIPAL EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST

Location Sale Waterside, Sale M33 7ZF

Salary Soulbury: Senior and Principal Educational Psychologists: Pt 12 - 14 (£70,735 - £73,412)

Trafford council is a Living Wage Employer

Working Pattern Full time, Monday - Friday

Working hours 36.25hrs

Many of our colleagues can work from home for one or more days a week and/or they flex the hours they work. We call this SMART working, and it gives you the option to flex your days and hours so you can fit your work around your life and life around your work.

Contract type Permanent

Application deadline 24th October 2025

Interview type In person

About the Role

We currently have an exciting leadership vacancy within our team to enable us to continue to build on our success and bring new experience, knowledge, and ideas.

Trafford’s Educational Psychology Service is a thriving and well-respected service driving forward support for children with SEND across the borough. Our new Principal Educational Psychologist will have the vision, passion, expertise, and ability to innovatively lead the service forward to ensure the best possible outcomes for our children and young people.

Our service delivers a varied mix of innovative work with partners, statutory work, and a traded offer to schools. This is an exciting opportunity for you to make a difference and further develop a forward thinking and innovative service.

As the Principal Educational Psychologist, you will shape local practice, working in partnership with schools and others to drive inclusion and improve SEND practice. You will also have the scope to further develop our popular and in-demand traded service alongside our statutory work. You will ensure that our Educational Psychology team has the skills and expertise to influence and lead support across the local area.

About you

• You should have proven experience of leadership within an EP service, providing direction and clear vision to those you work with, to ensure service excellence across the SEND sector.
• You will be able to demonstrate experience in managing and developing staff, alongside excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and have a proven track record of delivering SEND improvements, including experience of planning and budget/financial management.
• You must be able to work alongside other managers across the SEND Local Area, to ensure consistency of practice across the borough and to promote the development of a supportive collaborative culture.
• You will be able to demonstrate how you have successfully led and managed innovative and developmental projects that addressed the SEND improvement priorities of the local area whilst ensuring children, young people and their families are at the centre of all practice and processes.
• You must be able to be flexible and resilient and be able to plan, organise and prioritise a demanding workload to maintain the delivery of multiple and competing short and long term objectives.
• You should also have a minimum of 3 years’ Educational Psychology experience and have a Degree in Psychology (or equivalent as recognised by the British Psychological Society) and hold a registration with the Health and Care Professionals Council.

About us

Trafford Council and its partners in the public, private and third sectors have a Vision which sees us working together to close inequality gaps and maximise Trafford’s huge potential.

Our vision: Trafford where all our residents, businesses and communities prosper.

Trafford is a lively, prosperous place to put down roots and build a career. The council and Trafford schools employ around 8,000 people, who are central to making the area great. In return for their commitment, the council offers its employees development opportunities, as well as a fair and flexible workplace. The council is a Living Wage Employer.

Additional information

• Flexibility will be required to work outside core hours.
• A DBS check will be required.
• You will have some flexibility in terms of hybrid working at home and in the office.
• You will be required to drive in this role.

Contact details

For further information related to this post, please contact:

Karen Samples, Director of Education, Standards, Quality & Performance

[e-mail]

Tel: [phone]

Benefits and other information

You will be welcomed into a friendly environment where your personal and professional development will be encouraged. You will have the opportunity to work and grow in a people-centered and values-based organisation that promotes a positive permission culture. Your opinions matter so you will have the opportunity to shape how we do things here at Trafford.

To learn more about Trafford as a place to work visit and to view more about our awards and benefits please visit: Trafford - Benefits | www.inploi.com (greater.jobs)

Other relevant information

Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment - greater.jobs | www.inploi.com

For this opportunity, you must be able to prove you have the right to work in the UK - if in doubt please visit the following link Employers' right to work checklist - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Please note we are not a licensed sponsor.

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