Principal Educational Psychologist

Medway Council is seeking an experienced and highly effective Interim Principal Educational Psychologist to provide senior leadership and strategic oversight during a pivotal period of improvement and change. This interim assignment represents an excellent opportunity for a seasoned leader who can deliver immediate impact, drive innovation in statutory EP functions, and support the council through a planned service review linked to wider SEND and Children’s Services reforms.

With national SEND changes underway and rising demand for statutory services, Medway is entering a critical phase of development. We need a confident, strategic and solution‑focused interim leader who can help stabilise, strengthen and modernise our Educational Psychology Service while longer‑term structural work takes place.

As our Interim Principal EP, you will provide visible, decisive leadership and ensure that statutory responsibilities are met to a high standard. You will also play a key role in preparing the service for future redesign and improvement activity. This is a role for someone who can quickly understand a complex system, build credibility fast, and make informed decisions that support both immediate delivery and longer‑term transformation.

You will lead on:

• Oversight and quality assurance of statutory EP functions
• Innovative approaches to increase capacity and manage growing demand
• A service-wide review, contributing to recommendations for structure, practice, and workforce
• Embedding efficient, research‑led processes across assessment and intervention pathways
• Maintaining strong operational performance and compliance
• Providing professional supervision to EPs and senior practitioners
• Supporting the wider 0–25 SEND leadership team

A core priority for this interim position is to lead smarter, more streamlined and innovative approaches to statutory EP work, including:

• Reviewing and improving statutory pathways and operating models
• Introducing practice changes that create capacity for anticipated increases in demand
• Strengthening early intervention involvement to reduce pressure on formal assessment routes
• Exploring and implementing multidisciplinary solutions to improve workflow and impact
• Ensuring compliance remains strong while creating room for preventative and systemic EP work

We are seeking an interim professional who is:

• An experienced Principal EP comfortable in complex environments
• Able to deliver steady and confident leadership during periods of change
• Skilled at balancing operational delivery with strategic planning
• Highly knowledgeable about SEND reforms and local authority statutory duties
• A creative thinker with a track record of driving improvement
• Comfortable leading service reviews, redesign, and transformation activity
• Solutions‑focused, resilient and able to build strong relationships quickly
• HCPC registration and a recognised EP qualification are essential.

This is a role where your experience will genuinely make a difference — both immediately and in helping secure Medway’s long‑term vision for SEND and educational psychology.

We will consider applications from Senior EPs looking to step-up into a Principal role.

In return we will offer you:

• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Generous local government pension scheme package
• Access to wider training and development qualifications
• Flexible working scheme
• Travel plan discounts
• Access to CAREFIRST advice & counselling service
• Employee discount scheme for national and local retailers

Our organisation:

Medway is a unitary authority in the South East of England, made up of the towns of Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham and more rural areas, including the Hoo Peninsula.

Situated in Kent in the South-East of England, the area has plenty of green spaces, excellent facilities and easy access to the national motorway and rail networks, facilitating superb transport links to London.

We provide all local Government services for a quarter of a million people, looking after education, environment, social care, housing, planning, business and much more - everything from frontline services such as rubbish collection and events like the Dickens Festival to work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure services in Medway run smoothly and cost effectively.

Working at Medway Council means that you get to be part of this journey working alongside talented, professional colleagues to drive forward change to transform the lives of our residents and the communities they live in.

Important Information-

Applicants must be able to demonstrate all criteria at level A which are essential for appointment to the role.

Medway Council is not able to provide a Certificate of Sponsorship, so candidates must already possess the right to work in the UK.

For further information, and for details of the benefits of working for Medway Council, please refer to the Medway Information Pack available as a download or to view online.

Please be advised that if you are not contacted within 3 weeks of the advert closing date then you have not been shortlisted. All recruitment correspondence, including interview letters and contracts of employment will usually be sent out via email.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy at any time prior to the closing date.

Equal Opportunities Commitment Statement

Medway Council is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All appropriately qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or age

Please visit http://www.mindfulemployer.net/ for information on how Medway Council put good practices in place to ensure employees and job applicants who declare mental health issues receive the right level of support.

If you are not contacted within 3 weeks of the advert closing date then you have not been shortlisted.

All recruitment correspondence, including interview letters and contracts of employment will usually be sent out via email, if you require documentation/correspondence in different format such as braille or large print, please contact the Resourcing Team on 01634 332878.