Cpl Healthcare in partnership with the Irish Prison Service acre currently recruiting experienced Principal Psychologist Manager to work across the Irish Prison Service.
The Psychology Service plays a critical role in supporting the broader IPS organisation (and Criminal Justice Agency partners, as required) through consultation, training, and education. The Service provides regular input to clinical and counselling training programmes. Psychologists are also involved in research in collaboration with various Universities.
The Role
A key strategic objective of the IPS is to provide a comprehensive mental health and offending behaviour service to people in custody, addressing those factors that put people at risk of reoffending.
The successful candidate’s principal tasks will include:
Management
- Provide line management supervision to assigned staff;
- Manage and co-ordinate service delivery in the area of responsibility assigned to the role;
- Assign duties and responsibilities as appropriate to ensure effective service delivery;
- Drive service improvements and ensure service accountability and transparency;
- Ensure the maintenance of appropriate client records and statistics in accordance with IPS requirements and local guidelines, Freedom of Information Act, Data Protection Acts and other relevant legislation;
- Compile, manage and review psychology specific Risk Registers and contribute to the active maintenance of Multi-Disciplinary Risk Registers.
- Comply with IPS policies and standards and ensure that Psychologists under their line management comply with policies and standards;
- Ensure professional standards with regard to client and data confidentiality with due regard for GDPR;
- Contribute to service reports / data as required and respond in a timely fashion to requests for service based information from a variety of sources inter alia Senior IPS Management, Press Queries and Parliamentary Queries;
- Actively participate in the development and implementation of continuing-improvement initiatives within the Service in conjunction with the Principal Psychologist Manager and / or Head of Psychological Services;
- Contribute to policy development, performance monitoring, business / service planning and strategy and budgetary control in conjunction with the Principal Psychologist Manager and / or Head of Psychological Services and relevant others;
- Maintain an awareness of HR policies and procedures / engage in recruitment and selection processes and other HR functions as required;
- Assist in ensuring that Psychology Services make the most efficient and effective use of developments in IT, in particular in relation to the Service’s Psychology Case Tracking System;
- Keep up to date with organisational developments within the IPS;
- Manage and co-ordinate service delivery within an allocated area of responsibility as delegated by the Head of Psychological Services;
- Deputise for the Principal Specialist Psychologist and/or the Head of Psychological Services as required;
- Perform such other duties appropriate to their office as may be assigned by the Head of Psychological Services.
Education & Training
- Receive regular clinical professional supervision;
- Provide teaching and training to professional postgraduate programmes;
- Provide professional and clinical supervision to psychologists-in-training;
- Provide psychological training, advice and consultation to staff within the organisation and from other agencies in areas relevant to direct clinical work and Psychological Service provision;
- Attend mandatory training programmes, and ensure Psychologists under their line management attend mandatory training programmes as required;
- Be informed of advances in professional knowledge and practice;
- Be informed of developments in national policies, strategies and legislation and perceived impact on practice;
- Take responsibility for continuous professional development (CPD) and ensure compliance with statutory registration requirements;
- In collaboration with the Head of Service / Principal Psychologist Manager, attend training courses as informed by service requirements and career & personal development planning;
- Be responsible for the induction of new staff as appropriate.
Furthermore, as the Principal Psychologist Manager, you may be required to act as a representative for the Irish Prison Psychology Service and may also represent the Irish Prison Service at a European and international level.
Essential Qualifications
Candidates must, on or before 20th October 2025, have:
1. Be eligible for graduate membership of the Psychology Society of Ireland (PSI)
AND
2. (a) Hold a recognised professional post-graduate qualification in Clinical or Counselling Psychology. (Applicants with qualifications obtained outside of the Rep. of Ireland will be required to furnish a statement of equivalence in Clinical or Counselling Psychology from the Department of Health).
AND
Essential Experience
- Applicants must have at least eight years satisfactory postgraduate experience in the area of professional Clinical or Counselling Psychology.
- The eight years’ experience must comprise no less than three years’ experience as a Senior Psychologist, Clinical or Counselling, by 20th October 2025.
- Possess the requisite knowledge and ability (including a high standard of suitability and management ability) for the proper discharge of the duties of the office.
- Demonstrate experience working with people with severe and enduring mental illness or people with a history of offending behaviour.
To express interest and apply please send your Cover Letter and CV to [email protected].