Senior Educational Psychologist

Oldham Council; Oldham; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Oldham is seeking a Senior Educational Psychologist to lead and develop a dedicated team in promoting preventive interventions and addressing the psychological needs of local children. Applicants should have a strong background in educational psychology, possess excellent communication skills, and have experience working within local authority services. This is a fixed-term role offering flexibility and support.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

Attractive pension scheme

Discounted gym membership

Wellbeing support

Qualifications

• 5 years post qualifying experience in a local authority service.
• Graduate Basis for Registration with the British Psychological Society.
• Ability to work well in a team and support colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop teams of assistants and trainees.
• Respond to critical incidents within the authority.
• Promote preventative work and enhance service improvements.

Skills

Excellent communication

Time management

Interpersonal skills

Education

Honours degree in Psychology

Completion of qualifying Masters/Doctorate in Educational Psychology

Job description

Education, Early Years & Skills

Senior Educational Psychologist (Prevention & Supervision)

Ref : 001136

Contract : Fixed term - 2 years (We encourage applicants who wish to pursue this position as a Secondment)

Salary : Soulbury EP Scale B 4-7 (incl 3 SPA)

Hours : 36.66 per week

Based : Spindles, Oldham

Closing Date : Wednesday 3rd December 2025

Interview Date : TBC

Role Overview

Oldham is a growing team of EPs, assistants, trainees and associates. We are an innovative, nurturing and highly valued service where you will have the opportunity to be involved in a range of psychological work and lead in developing our team of assistants and trainees. We operate a service where preventative work is promoted and the graduated approach is strongly valued by all local area partners. For more information please contact [e-mail] or [e-mail]. We are also currently open to expressions of interest for associate work within Oldham, please contact us if you are interested.

Key Responsibilities

• EPs are highly valued and well positioned within the authority and contribute to a wide range of work.
• EPs are the critical incident response team for the borough
• EPs are central to the local authority’s strategic work
• EPs are leading workstreams on key areas such as promoting racial equality, international new arrivals & Difficulties Attending School
• EPs support workforce development across settings and services
• Problem solving approaches and consultation is a key feature of our work, e.g. regular centrally available consultation sessions accessible to all
• Service improvement is central to our ethos, including a focus on developing a needs led service
• CPD is prioritised

We offer the following

• Protected research and development time
• An extensive supervision programme and induction
• Flexible working
• Team approaches to many aspects of our work and a very supportive team

Support and teamwork is central to the service and you will be central to supporting this, including :

• Leading on supervision & induction
• Supporting a team approach to delivery of school-based work
• Liaising with other specialist services including the Mental Health in Education Team & Advisory Teachers.
• Working within our coproduction values and maintaining positive working relationships with our Parent Carer Forum
• Supporting Assistant EPs in delivery of interventions
• Continue to innovate on how we can efficiently provide high quality applied psychological advice as part of the EHCNA, alongside inclusion in the DfE Change Programme

Key Requirements

To succeed in this role, you will need as a minimum :

• Honours degree in Psychology (or recognised equivalent) with Graduate Basis for Registration as required by the British Psychological Society.
• Completion of the qualifying Masters / Doctorate in Educational psychology or currently in Year 3 of the course.
• At least 5 years post qualifying experience working within a local authority service
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent time management and organisational skills

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and therefore expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

About Us

We want Oldham to have vibrant, safe neighbourhoods where people are proud to live with opportunities for healthier, more fulfilled lives; and a sustainable, thriving economy. As we look to the future, the challenges may be significant, but so are the opportunities. We’ve identified three missions with our residents and partners, focusing on what will deliver the biggest impact :

A Great Place to Live, Healthier, Happier Lives, and Green and Growing.

We’re looking for candidates who will support us to achieve our ambitions and we encourage you to download our Corporate Plan : Ready for the Future and our Oldham Plan for further information .

Our Values and Behaviours

By driving innovation, investing in our people, and championing our communities, we will ensure that Oldham continues to be a place where everyone can live their best life. To support this, we have three core values which define who we are and how we operate. These are ‘ Proud, Ambitious, and Together’ , and they shape our culture, inform our decisions, and inspire us to deliver on our commitments to the people of Oldham.

We have translated these values into five behaviours which guide our actions and are the standards we hold ourselves to, day in and day out :

• Work with a resident focus
• Support local leaders
• Committed to the borough
• Delivery high performance
• Take ownership and drive change

You can find out more about our values and behaviours on our greater.jobs Oldham page

Our Benefits Package

At Oldham Council we offer a great benefits package for our employees, which includes the following :

• 25 days annual leave which increases after 5 and 10-years’ service
• The option to purchase additional annual leave.
• An attractive LGPS benefit pension scheme with the option to make shared cost additional voluntary contributions.
• Discounted gym membership with Oldham Active .
• Staff discount scheme for shopping, entertainment, eating-out, eating-in, travel, motoring and more.
• Salary sacrifice scheme for home and electronics and Cycle to Work.
• Wellbeing support, including a Mental Health First Aider network and an Employment Assistance Programme that provides 24 hours access to advice and support.
• Staff recognition and celebration events.
• Peer support groups

Inclusive Recruitment

We work closely with employees to help them work at their best, including making adjustments such as flexible working, describing available working patterns, providing equipment or making changes to the workplace.

If you’re an applicant with disabilities and have previously been in or currently in care, a carer or someone who has served in the Armed Forces and you meet the essential criteria of the role, you are guaranteed to reach the first stage of assessment under our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme .

Data and Privacy

For details of how we use your data please see our privacy notice .

Important Information

Please note that should a vacancy that has been released for internal or external recruitment be deemed suitable for a current employee at risk of redundancy, it can be pulled back at any point, up to the post being formally offered to a candidate who is not at risk of redundancy.

While we embrace the use of AI as an innovative tool to maximise our services at Oldham Council, we are looking for authenticity in applications we receive. We therefore ask you to think carefully if choosing to use AI when completing your application and ask that you ensure you read all instructions carefully and that your application is written by you and reflects your skills, knowledge and enthusiasm.