About the job

Job summary

Would you like to make a real difference to the effectiveness and wellbeing of the Royal Air Force and those with whom they work?

Would you like to use the power of your analyses to influence strategy and policy to the benefit of the Service and the public that we serve?

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?

Would you like your office to be in rural Buckinghamshire, but within easy reach of High Wycombe, with free parking and good transport links, plus a subsidised gym, small shop, and café on site?

If so, you will be interested in this opportunity for a psychologist to work within the Occupational Psychology Team at Headquarters Air Command (RAF High Wycombe).  The successful applicant will assist in providing occupational psychology research output for the RAF and the wider MOD, in support of current and future personnel strategy. This is to be achieved through supporting and conducting bespoke in-house research; exploitation of existing research; synthesis of externally derived research, and the application of professional knowledge.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

The successful applicant will join the Occupational Psychology Team for Air People, conducting research such as Continuous Attitude Surveys, bespoke applied psychological research, and wider engagement with emerging social science.

The primary role is to support the development of strategy and policy by providing accurate and timely research evidence which is collected objectively and robustly. This evidence underpins policy decisions with the aim of enhancing RAF effectiveness by improving the lived experience of Whole Force personnel.

Key Duties:

• Provide occupational psychology advice and consultancy to RAF and MOD staffs in support of current and future personnel strategy.
• Lead on analysis and reporting of combined climate surveys.
• Lead, plan, manage, conduct, and report on applied research into occupational psychology issues.
• Take a lead role on certain continuous attitude surveys for the RAF.
• Ensure appropriate project processes are in place.
• Assist stakeholders to understand current context and exploit research findings, including synthesising multiple research findings, providing bespoke analysis, and advice.
• Provide an intelligent customer capability for the RAF regarding social science research.
• Maintain active liaison with Armed Forces/MOD departments especially other MOD psychologists, the Defence People research team, Defence Statistics, other executive agencies, and national or international bodies.
• Maintaining and promulgating an up-to-date awareness of occupational psychology and associated ongoing developments in the RAF, MOD, and other Armed Forces.
• Assist stakeholders to understand current context and exploit research findings.
• Act as Line Manager to an Executive Officer in the team.
• Perform other duties commensurate with the grade as directed by the head of the HQ Air Occupational Psychology team.

Person specification

Key Criteria

The successful applicant will meet the qualification and membership requirements listed below and demonstrate ability in the following criteria:

• Leading survey research and statistical analysis, and 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 present an overview and an understanding of the psychological impact of findings.
• Providing technical advice and comment on the quality of other’s evidence and research.
• Collaborating with colleagues in other teams and being willing to learn from these experiences.
• Developing their 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.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,290, Ministry of Defence contributes £9,528 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

Application sift, behaviours based interview and presentation assessed against the MOD Occupational Psychology Framework and the person specification.

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.

Candidates will be required to provide a statement of suitability. (1250 Words)

Please state your suitability against the job requirements and person specification.  

At interview, you will be assessed against the following Success Profiles Behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing 
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

And the MOD Occupational Psychology Competence Framework:

• Occupational Psychology 1 - Professional Standards 
• Occupational Psychology 2 - Consultancy and Promotion of the Profession 
• Occupational psychology 3 – Application of Research skills and Knowledge (Assessed by presentation)
  
  

The Presentation will be on on a piece of research you have recently conducted/been involved in and explain your research methodology.

It should be no longer than 10 minutes.

Interviews will be held in person in late May.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk 

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.

The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and 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.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window). 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. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.