Clinical / Counselling / Forensic Psychologist

Flexible working: we support full-time, part-time, compressed hours and flexi-time, subject to business need. Due to the nature of this role, remote or hybrid working will not be possible and working from home will only be available for professional development days.

About us: MI5 keeps the country safe from serious threats like terrorism and attempts by states to harm the UK, its people and way of life. We carry out investigations by obtaining, analysing, and assessing intelligence, and then work with a range of partners including MI6 and GCHQ to disrupt these threats. Through our protective security arm, we provide advice and guidance to government, businesses and other organisations about how to keep themselves safe. A role in MI5 means you’ll do unique and challenging work in a supportive and encouraging environment, making a real difference to UK national security.

The role: As a Psychologist at MI5, you’ll play a critical role in supporting individuals and teams who work at the heart of national security. This is a unique opportunity to apply your expertise in a context unlike any other, where your insights will influence investigations, operations and strategic planning. You’ll bring psychological thinking to some of our most complex challenges, translating specialist knowledge into clear, actionable advice that helps teams make informed decisions.

Upon joining a dynamic and supportive team, you’ll work across diverse mission areas, providing guidance on risk, resilience and interventions, supporting individuals and teams delivering impact across our organisation. From consulting on high-priority investigations to designing and delivering training, your work will be varied and intellectually stimulating. Whilst much of your role will be desk-based, you’ll collaborate closely with colleagues across disciplines, attend meetings, and contribute to projects that require creativity and adaptability.

Whether you’re conducting formulation-driven assessments, writing detailed reports, or shaping long-term strategies, you’ll be using your skills in innovative ways, influencing outcomes that matter. You’ll also have opportunities to engage with the wider behavioural science community, contribute to research projects, and help embed psychologically-informed thinking across the organisation.

About you: You’ll need a Masters or Doctorate in Clinical, Counselling or Forensic Psychology (or equivalent with BPS chartership) and to be registered with the Health Care and Professions Council (HCPC). At least two years post-qualification experience in mental health and/or secure settings is essential.

With a blend of professional expertise, adaptability and curiosity, you’ll be confident applying your knowledge in complex, high-impact environments. Your experience in mental health or secure settings will give you the insight to navigate sensitive issues and provide clear, evidence-based advice. You’ll thrive in ambiguity and enjoy the challenge of working in a fast-paced, evolving context. Whether you’re shaping risk assessments, advising on interventions, or contributing to long-term strategies, you’ll bring clarity, credibility, and a collaborative mindset to everything you do. Strong consultancy skills and the ability to manage uncertainty are essential, as is the confidence to work independently while engaging effectively with colleagues across disciplines.

You’ll be able to translate complex psychological concepts into clear, actionable insights for non-specialist audiences. Ethical practice and inclusion will underpin everything you do, and you’ll be passionate about the impact practitioner psychology can have in shaping outcomes that matter.

Training and development: From day one, you’ll be supported with a structured induction that introduces you to your team, your role, and the wider organisation. You’ll take part in a familiarisation period with investigations and operations, helping you understand how psychological expertise shapes our mission and builds impact.

You’ll have access to a wide range of learning opportunities, from specialist training in psychological risk assessment and consultancy to CPD activities that keep your skills current and broaden your expertise. Whether you’re refining your approach to formulation-driven assessments or exploring new ways to embed psychologically-informed thinking, you’ll be encouraged to shape your own development journey.

We’ll also support you in attending UK and international conferences and provide regular peer supervision and ethical practice reflection to maintain professional standards. You’ll be part of a culture that values continuous learning, with opportunities to shadow colleagues, collaborate on cases, and engage with the wider behavioural science community. In short, you’ll never be on your own: you’ll have the guidance, resources, and encouragement you need to thrive in a role that’s as rewarding as it is impactful.

Rewards and benefits: You’ll receive a starting salary of £64,302, plus other benefits including:

• 25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years’ service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays
• Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
• A dedicated development budget
• An interest-free season ticket loan
• A cycle to work scheme
• Facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)
• Paid parental and adoption leave.

Equal opportunities: At MI5 diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website: We’re Disability Confident. MI5 is proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP’s Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people. As a Disability Confident Leader we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who best meet the essential minimum criteria for this position, will be offered an interview, if it is practical for us to do so.

To secure an interview for this role, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:

• Masters or Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling/Forensic Psychology. To be assessed at sift.
• Registration with the Health Care and Professions Council (HCPC). To be assessed at sift.
• Post-qualification experience of working as a Clinical/Counselling/Forensic Psychologist in mental health and/or secure settings. To be assessed at sift.

There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to enable you to do your best, see our website for information on reasonable adjustments we can offer.

What to expect: Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:

• Application sift: looking at your motivation for the role and the organisation
• Telephone interview: your application will be sifted by our recruitment team and if successful, the next stage is a telephone interview
• Assessment centre: which will include situational role-plays, a tasking exercise and an interview

If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, subject to vetting. Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 - 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you to continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.

Before you apply: To work at MI5, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. Read about our eligibility criteria. This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. Find out more about the vetting process.

Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can’t take any recreational drugs and you’ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage. Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate email address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname and date of birth. This is good practice and will help you to manage your application with us more securely.

The role is based in London, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application. A loan is available to support people relocating to London.

Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.

Right to Withdraw Statement: Please be aware that we reserve the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.