Senior Educational Psychologist in Bury St Edmunds

Suffolk County Council is seeking visionary Senior Educational Psychologists (SEPs) to join our thriving leadership team. Within our well‑established Educational Psychology Service, you will work collaboratively to drive system-wide change and make a positive difference for children, families and education across Suffolk. Our practice is firmly rooted in psychological principles to optimise outcomes for children and families.

As a valued member of the Psychology and Therapeutic Services Leadership Team, you will:

• Lead and strategically progress our move towards an integrated community model.
• Support and develop teams through supervision, service development and systemic practice.
• Strengthen and champion a specific area of professional expertise.
• Manage and support innovative projects that promote inclusion.
• Develop, deliver and manage commissioned and traded work.
• Enhance and embed robust quality assurance processes.

You will need:

All applicants must be professionally qualified and registered with the HCPC as an Educational Psychologist. You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (JPP), which you can find in the ‘How to apply’ section towards the bottom of this advert.

If you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you don't meet all requirements, still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

Post 1 (Locality Lead): We are looking for someone energised by people, psychology and possibility, who brings:

• Experience of leading, supervising or mentoring Educational Psychologists or similar professionals, with a relational, reflective and empowering leadership style.
• A strong grounding in psychological practice, with the confidence to apply psychology creatively at community and system levels.
• The ability to think innovatively and systemically, helping to shape and develop our community psychology approach in response to local need.
• Experience of working collaboratively with education settings and partners to co‑produce inclusive, sustainable solutions.
• Curiosity, creativity and vision, with the confidence to lead on a key service‑development priority.
• A commitment to learning and development, recognising that transferable leadership or system‑change experience is highly valued.
• Strong communication and organisational skills, enabling you to balance people leadership, service development and operational demands.

Post 2 (Operational Lead): This role would suit someone who enjoys bringing clarity and coherence across complex systems, and who offers:

• A strategic mindset, with experience contributing to service‑wide improvement, inclusion or SEND‑related work.
• Confidence in coordinating and communicating across partners and teams to support effective collaboration and shared understanding.
• Experience of supporting workforce development, such as recruitment, induction, supervision or professional support, with a strong interest in developing others.
• An interest in quality assurance and service oversight, balancing high standards with a reflective and improvement‑focused approach.
• The ability to manage multiple workstreams, including commissioned or traded activity, while keeping outcomes for children and families central.
• An interest in data and systems improvement, working with business and technology colleagues to streamline processes and demonstrate impact.
• Flexibility and openness to an evolving role, responding to local priorities and national developments, including SEND reform.
• Strong relational and organisational skills, and a clear commitment to inclusion, learning and growth.

The team Psychology and Therapeutic Services sits within the Children and Young People’s (CYP) Inclusion Service and includes the Educational Psychology Service (EPS) and the Inclusion Facilitation Service (IFS). We are a reflective and progressive service, known for our collaborative culture and community‑focused approach to psychology. Our work is systemic and locality‑based, combining statutory duties with early intervention, preventative and traded work to achieve meaningful impact. We value curiosity, shared leadership and learning, and actively encourage innovation, professional growth and strong connections across the service.

Our values guide everything we do:

• Person‑centred: Children, young people and families are at the heart of our work. We value their voices and work in partnership using person‑centred approaches.
• Trauma‑informed: We work with compassion and curiosity, recognising the impact of adversity and understanding behaviour and wellbeing in context.
• Strengths‑based: We build on what is working well, developing capacity in individuals, families, schools and communities.
• Solution‑focused: We use psychological thinking to collaborate on practical, inclusive and sustainable solutions that promote positive change.

We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report.

For more information, please contact one of the contacts below for an informal discussion about the role:

• Claire Darwin (Principal Educational Psychologist) by emailing claire.darwin@suffolk.gov.uk
• Jemma Carter (Deputy Principal Educational Psychologist) by emailing Jemma.Carter@suffolk.gov.uk
• Imogen Howarth (Deputy Principal Educational Psychologist) by emailing Imogen.Howarth@suffolk.gov.uk

We are keen to hear from anyone interested in joining our service as an Educational Psychologist, please do get in contact for an informal discussion.

How to apply:

• Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (Word).
• Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application.
• Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement answering the below question (500 words max). You should use the Supporting Statement template (Word). What inspires you to lead within Suffolk Psychology and Therapeutic Services, and what would your distinct contribution be?
• Step 4 - Upload a tailored CV (Curriculum Vitae) (without name and personal details).
• Step 5 - Please confirm which post you are applying for or both. Please note: Without a supporting statement and CV, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.

For guidance on completing your application, please see our How to Apply page.

Planning to use Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Please ensure your application still reflects your own skills, experience and ideas. If used inappropriately, your application may not be processed. Please read our guidance for using AI to understand what’s acceptable.

Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team at recruitment@suffolk.gov.uk or 03456 014412. You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages. If you're invited to the next stage, you’ll have another chance to request adjustments.

Closing date: 11.30pm, 9 June 2026. Interview date: Friday 19 June 2026.

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.