Senior Forensic Psychologist

Serco Limited; Doncaster; On-site; GBP 57,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holidays up to 25 days + bank holidays

Extensive training & development

Employee wellbeing programs

Discounts across retailers

Volunteer day and charitable giving

Job summary

Serco Limited’s HMP Doncaster site seeks a Senior Forensic Psychologist to lead and develop a Psychological Services Team. You will deliver high-quality assessments, formulations and interventions for prisoners with complex needs, supporting rehabilitation and risk reduction in a multidisciplinary setting.

You will supervise staff, influence practice across the establishment, and contribute to service development and training initiatives within the prison’s psychological services.

Qualifications

• Chartered psychologist with registration and standing in good professional health.
• Post-qualification experience in secure settings.
• Experience conducting forensic risk assessments and developing formulations.
• Ability to produce high-quality reports for formal settings.
• Experience working in multidisciplinary teams and influencing decision-making.
• Knowledge of Offender Personality Disorder pathways and rehab evidence.
• Experience administering, interpreting and integrating psychometric and risk measures.
• Commitment to supervision, coaching and developing others.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for prisoners with complex needs.
• Lead on risk assessment, treatment planning and risk management strategies.
• Prepare specialist reports and present evidence in Parole Board hearings and MAPPA meetings.
• Supervise and support junior forensic psychology staff and trainees.
• Promote rehabilitative culture and service development.
• Stay updated with research and best practices in forensic psychology.

Skills

Chartered Psychologist (BPS/HCPC)

Forensic risk assessment

Report writing

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Supervision & coaching

Offender Personality Disorder pathway

Psychometric & risk measures

Education

Chartered Psychologist status (BPS) or HCPC registration

Tools

PCL-R

IPDE

Job description

Senior Forensic Psychologist

HMP Doncaster

Full Time, Permanent (40 hours per week)

Salary: £63,469 per annum

Shape Rehabilitation. Influence Change. Develop Others.

At HMP Doncaster, we believe psychology has a vital role in creating safer prisons, reducing reoffending, and supporting meaningful rehabilitation. We are seeking an experienced and motivated Senior Forensic Psychologist to join our Psychological Services Team and play a key leadership role in delivering high-quality, evidence-based psychological services within a progressive and ambitious establishment.

This is an opportunity to work at the heart of a multidisciplinary environment where psychological expertise directly informs risk management, treatment planning, rehabilitative culture, and organisational decision-making. You will work with individuals presenting with complex needs, while influencing practice across the wider prison through consultation, training, and professional leadership.

What you'll do

Reporting to the Head of Psychological Services, you will provide specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for prisoners with complex offending histories and identified rehabilitative needs. You will contribute directly to reducing the risk of harm and reoffending while supporting the prison's wider rehabilitative objectives.

As a senior member of the team, you will:

• Deliver high-quality forensic risk assessments, formulations and interventions for both determinate and indeterminate sentence prisoners.
• Contribute to effective risk management through expert psychological advice, consultation and treatment planning.
• Produce specialist reports and present psychological evidence in formal settings including Parole Board oral hearings, MAPPA meetings and multidisciplinary reviews.
• Support the management of prisoners with complex needs, including personality disorder, learning disability, autism, trauma histories and other responsivity factors.
• Provide consultancy, training and psychological guidance to operational and non-operational staff across the prison.
• Play an active role in developing and embedding a positive Rehabilitative Culture across the establishment.
• Supervise and support Qualified Forensic Psychologists and Forensic Psychologists in Training (FPiTs), promoting professional excellence and development.
• Maintain awareness of current research, evidence and emerging best practice within forensic psychology and offender rehabilitation.
• Contribute to service development, innovation and continuous improvement across Psychological Services.

What we're looking for

We're looking for an experienced and collaborative psychologist who combines strong clinical skills with the ability to lead, influence and develop others.

You will:

• Be a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and/or registered as a Forensic Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Have post-qualification experience working within secure settings.
• Have experience conducting forensic risk assessments and developing psychological formulations for individuals with complex needs.
• Be skilled in producing high-quality reports and presenting evidence in formal settings.
• Have experience working effectively within multidisciplinary teams and influencing decision-making through psychological expertise.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the Offender Personality Disorder pathway and contemporary evidence relating to offender rehabilitation.
• Have experience administering, interpreting and integrating psychometric and risk assessment measures into formulation and treatment planning.
• Be committed to developing others through supervision, coaching and professional support.

Desirable

• Registered on the Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors (RAPPS/RAAPS).
• Experience within a prison environment.
• Experience undertaking assessments such as PCL-R, IPDE and other specialist forensic measures.
• Experience supporting the professional development of trainee psychologists.

Why join us?

At HMP Doncaster, you'll be part of a forward-thinking Psychological Services team that is recognised for its contribution to rehabilitation, risk reduction and service development.

This role offers the opportunity to:

• Influence psychological practice across a large and dynamic prison.
• Work alongside experienced multidisciplinary professionals.
• Lead, supervise and develop the next generation of forensic psychologists.
• Contribute to innovative approaches that improve outcomes for prisoners and communities.
• Continue your professional development through protected CPD, professional supervision and funded professional registration requirements.

Our Leadership Expectations

Success in this role is built on more than professional expertise. We're looking for someone who:

• Builds trusted and collaborative relationships.
• Supports innovation and continuous improvement.
• Coaches and develops others to achieve their potential.
• Delivers high standards and drives results through their team.
• Communicates with influence and integrity.
• Champions inclusion, respect and rehabilitative culture.

Together, we'll create safer environments, support positive change, and make a lasting difference.

What we offer

• Holidays: Up to 25 days plus bank holidays
• Training and development: Over 1,100 internal courses available, funding for qualifications and apprenticeships, mentoring opportunities, and a focus on internal progression
• Health and wellbeing: Employee Assistance Programme, Bupa Anytime HealthLine, wellbeing app, 30% off at Serco managed leisure centres, and 24/7 access to a virtual GP service
• Discounts: Discounts across around 1,000 retailers, from food and clothing to days out, entertainment and travel
• Charity: Paid volunteering day, tax free charitable giving through Payroll Giving Scheme, donate your pennies from your monthly pay to the Serco People Fund Charity
• Employee networks: Our networks support inclusion and connection by providing spaces for collaboration, learning, and belonging. They represent and empower all our colleagues including LGBTQIA+ employees, women, parents and carers, people with disabilities, veterans, and people from all cultural backgrounds.