Closing date: 17 November 2026

Job summary
Are you an experienced Applied Psychologist with specialist expertise in neurodevelopmental assessment and a passion for service development?

We are seeking an enthusiastic and innovative Principal Applied Psychologist to join our Neurodevelopmental Pathway on a 9-month secondment opportunity. This is an exciting time to join a developing service and play a key role in supporting high-quality assessment and diagnostic pathways for children and young people.

The successful candidate will provide highly specialist psychological leadership within the pathway, contributing to clinical decision making, service development, workforce development and quality improvement. Alongside leadership responsibilities, the role requires a strong understanding of neurodevelopmental assessment and diagnosis, including experience of complex presentations and differential diagnosis.

We are looking for an individual with significant experience of autism and/or ADHD assessment in children and young people, including the use of recognised assessment tools such as ADOS-2 and ADI-R. You will work closely with multidisciplinary colleagues and system partners to ensure children, young people and families receive high-quality, evidence-based assessment and care.

Main duties of the job
As Principal Applied Psychologist, you will provide highly specialist psychological expertise and leadership within the Neurodevelopmental Pathways, supporting the ongoing development of high-quality services for children, young people and families.

You will offer clinical leadership across multidisciplinary teams, supporting formulation, diagnostic decision making and the management of complex presentations. The role includes providing consultation, supervision and specialist advice to colleagues, while contributing to workforce development and service improvement initiatives.

You will maintain an active contribution to neurodevelopmental assessments where appropriate and support diagnostic pathways relating to Autism and ADHD. This includes applying specialist knowledge of neurodevelopmental presentations, differential diagnosis and evidence-based assessment approaches.

The successful candidate will work collaboratively with families, educational settings and partner agencies, ensuring that assessment and intervention pathways are child-centred, trauma-informed and responsive to individual needs. You will also contribute to service evaluation, quality improvement and strategic developments across the pathway.

About us
We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care, our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.

We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.

We're committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.

Details
Date posted: 03 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8b
Salary: £66,582 to £77,368 a year per annum
Contract: Secondment
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 346-NYC-068-26-A

Job responsibilities

• Providing highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and consultation for children and young people presenting with complex neurodevelopmental needs.
• Leading and contributing to multidisciplinary diagnostic discussions relating to Autism, ADHD and associated neurodevelopmental presentations.
• Providing clinical leadership, consultation and supervision to multidisciplinary colleagues across the pathway.
• Supporting the development, implementation and evaluation of evidence-based neurodevelopmental assessment pathways.
• Contributing specialist expertise in autism and ADHD assessment, including the use and interpretation of standardised tools such as ADOS-2 and ADI-R.
• Applying advanced knowledge of neurodevelopmental conditions and differential diagnosis to support robust clinical decision making.
• Maintaining strong links with education, health and wider partner organisations to support collaborative working.
• Leading and contributing to service evaluation, audit, quality improvement and transformation initiatives.

Essential experience

• A minimum of one year's experience conducting diagnostic assessments for Autism and/or ADHD.
• Strong knowledge of neurodevelopmental conditions and differential diagnosis.
• In-depth understanding of current diagnostic criteria and evidence-based assessment approaches.
• Training and experience in the use of recognised assessment tools including ADOS-2, ADI-R or equivalent specialist measures.

Essential qualifications

• Post-graduate training (doctoral level equivalent) in clinical / counselling / forensic psychology (or its equivalent prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS.
• HCPC registration as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• Completion of a BPS approved Clinical Supervision course for eligibility to provide supervision of applied psychology trainees.
• Postdoctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of clinical practice (e.g. evidence based Governed Psychological Therapy, Neuropsychology, Approved Clinician).
• Training in diagnostic assessment tools such as ADOS-2, ADI-R.
• Evidence of continued professional development.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience

• Substantial experience of working as a qualified applied psychologist within the designated service across the whole life course and a range of clinical severity.
• Exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care within a multidisciplinary team.
• Teaching, training, clinical supervision and field supervisor for doctoral theses.
• Providing clinical and professional leadership to other qualified and non-qualified members of the profession.
• Managing multi-agency service delivery models.
• Substantial experience of recruitment of assistant, trainee or qualified psychologists or other professional staff groups.
• Active participation in quality and service improvement and evaluation across the service/speciality.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. This role may be eligible for sponsorship under the UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker route, subject to meeting the specific requirements.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Worsley Court, Doncaster Road, Selby, YO8 9JX, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.tewv.nhs.uk/

For questions about the job, contact: Hannah Potter, Consultant Psychologist, tewv.selbycamhs@nhs.net, 01757241070

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information to ensure that you meet the role criteria before applying. This job advert may close early if a high volume of applications have been received.