Principal Clinical Psychologist: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

Are you an experienced Clinical Psychologist looking for an exciting and rewarding role? We have a fantastic opportunity for a Principal Clinical Psychologist to join the North Wales Adolescent Service (NWAS) in Abergele. You’ll play a key role in providing advanced psychological assessment, formulation, and intervention within a supportive and highly skilled multi-disciplinary team. This position offers the chance to work across NWAS’s specialist services, including Intensive Community Support and the Inpatient Ward, making a real impact on the lives of young people aged 12-18. With opportunities to shape service development, lead training, and engage in research, this is a role where your expertise will be valued and supported.

At Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), we recognise the importance of investing in our staff. We offer:

• A relocation package to support your move
• Generous annual leave, starting at 28 days plus bank holidays
• Access to the NHS pension scheme, one of the most competitive in the UK
• A Car Lease Salary Sacrifice Scheme, making driving more affordable
• A Cycle to Work Scheme, supporting a healthy and sustainable commute
• Ongoing professional development, with dedicated time for training, research

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; English and/or Welsh speakers are equally welcome to apply.

Main duties of the job

To provide a highly specialised clinical psychology service to clients of North Wales Adolescent Service (NWAS), providing specialised psychological assessment and therapy.

To work autonomously in accordance with The BPS Code of Conduct, Ethical Principles and Guidelines 2004, and Health and Care Professions Council.

To hold designated responsibility within the team, for the governance of North Wales Adolescent Service (NWAS) staff’s psychological practice, in order to ensure the delivery of high quality clinical psychology services.

To exercise delegated responsibility for the management and supervision of designated staff up to and including senior level, including staff appraisal/PADR, and informal grievance.

To contribute to the development of local team policies and procedures and to support improvements in service quality.

To provide clinical placements and supervision for Doctoral level trainee clinical psychologists and to deliver training to other professionals.

To utilise highly specialised research skills for audit, policy and service development, and research.

To act as a panel member in the recruitment of designated staff, as appropriate.

To assist the Consultant Clinical Psychologist, in conjunction with other senior staff, in the efficient day-to-day management of the service.

Person Specification

Qualifications and/or Knowledge

Essential

• Good Honours degree in Psychology.
• Eligibility for British Psychological Society Chartered status.
• Post-graduate Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the British Psychological Society.
• Registration with Health and Care Professions Council as a Clinical Psychologist.
• Clinical supervision training for supervising Doctoral trainees.
• Doctoral level advanced specialist knowledge of clinical psychology theory and practice, psychological therapies and their application, neuropsychological and psychometric assessment and interpretation.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practised within clinical psychology.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development as recommended by the BPS and HCPC.

Desirable

• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice.
• Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies and assessment methodologies.
• Recognised qualification in supervision.
• Record of publications in peer reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books.

Experience

Essential

• Substantial assessed experience of working as a qualified and senior clinical psychologist, normally including significant post-qualification experience within the designated speciality where the post is located, or relevant transferable skills.
• Assessed experience of working effectively as a qualified and senior level clinical psychologist in the designated speciality, or relevant transferable skills. Demonstration of further specialist training/experience through having received extensive and demonstrable clinical supervision of working as a specialist Clinical Psychologist or an alternative agreed by the Director of Psychology.
• Experience of specialised psychological assessment and treatment of a range of clients across a wide range of care settings.
• Experience of working with client groups across an increasing range of clinical severity.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients’ psychological care, with experience of co-ordinating care within the context of multi-disciplinary care-planning.
• Experience of providing teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.

Desirable

• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
• Experience of professional management of qualified clinical psychologists and other staff.

Aptitude and Abilities

Essential

• The ability to demonstrate a high level of competence to work within the designated speciality.
• Well-developed skills in the supervision of other staff, including Trainee Clinical Psychologists.
• Well-developed skills in effectively communicating very complex, highly technical and clinically sensitive information, both orally and in writing, to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Developed skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Capable of maintaining a high degree of professionalism and safe clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• The ability to identify and provide appropriate means of support to line-managed staff who deal with highly distressing situations, severely challenging behaviours and other stressors.
• The ability to use a variety of complex multi-media materials for a range of purposes such as teaching and training.
• Capable of effective workload management when facing competing demands.
• The ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of multidisciplinary colleagues.
• Basic IT skills.

Desirable

• Ability to speak Welsh.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership and management skills.
• Advanced IT skills.

Values

Essential

• Ability to demonstrate a range of qualities essential to the role, eg compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment.
• Ability to work in accordance with the core organisational values.
• Demonstrate a commitment to working consistently in line with our organisational values, and enabling others within the workforce to do so too as evidenced in day to day work and through discussion at PADR.
• Commitment to maintain confidentiality of clinically sensitive materials and information and to handle personal information with sensitivity and discretion.
• Ability to demonstrate professional behaviours of the highest standard.

Other

Essential

• Ability to travel within the geographical area.
• Flexible approach to work
• Good attendance record.

Closing Date: 29 October 2026