Lead Psychologist

Lead Psychologist

The closing date is 06 January 2026

Are you an experienced Clinical Psychologist ready to lead and innovate? We are seeking a highly motivated Professional Lead to join our Milton Keynes Autism Assessment and Community Paediatrics Service
. This senior role offers the opportunity to shape a multidisciplinary autism pathway, ensuring timely, high-quality assessments and post-diagnostic support for children and young people.

As Professional Lead Clinical Psychologist
, you will:

• Lead autism/ASD assessments and neurodevelopmental formulations within a multidisciplinary framework.
• Provide expert psychological input and consultation across the team.
• Line manage psychologists and psychological practitioners
  , including recruitment, supervision, job planning, and performance management.
• Deliver teaching, training, and supervision to psychology staff and wider professionals.
• Drive service development, quality improvement, and co‑production initiatives
  .
• Ensure compliance with clinical governance, safeguarding, and Trust policies
  .

You will lead a small team of MDT practitioners offering assessment and brief psychological intervention, ensuring safety and quality of their work. You will inspire and support colleagues within a busy service and work closely with the MDT to deliver high‑quality assessments and interventions for children and young people.

• Lead Clinical Practice
• Oversee autism/ASD assessments and neurodevelopmental formulations within a multidisciplinary framework.
• Ensure high-quality, evidence-based psychological interventions for children and young people.

• Offer specialist psychological input and advice to the multidisciplinary team.
• Support complex case discussions and clinical decision‑making.

• Line manage psychologists and psychological practitioners, including recruitment, supervision, job planning, and performance management.
• Maintain compliance with clinical governance, safeguarding, and Trust policies.

• Deliver training and supervision to psychology staff and wider professionals.
• Promote continuous professional development and best practice across the service.

• Drive quality improvement, innovation, and co‑production initiatives.
• Lead implementation of digital tools and contribute to CNWL's Neurodevelopmental Pathway Transformation programme.

• Act as the professional lead for clinical psychology within the service.
• Oversee psychological governance and ensure compliance with Trust policies, clinical governance, and safeguarding standards
  .
• Lead service planning and development for neurodevelopmental pathways across the county.
• Provide expert, highly specialist assessments for neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly autism.
• Ensure timely access to assessments, post‑diagnostic support, and interventions.
• Work autonomously within professional guidelines
  , maintaining the highest standards of clinical care.
• Line manage psychologists and psychological practitioners, including recruitment, supervision, appraisal, and training
  .
• Coordinate workload and support staff development to maintain service quality.
• Work closely with the Specialist Childrens Service Manager, Service Manager, and Clinical Director
  .
• Participate in CNWL networks related to ASD and Community Paediatrics.
• Provide consultation, training, and teaching within and beyond the team.
• Lead quality improvement initiatives
  , service evaluation, research, and audit.
• Monitor service effectiveness against key deliverables such as patient safety and care quality
  .
• Report regularly to the Service Manager and Clinical Director
  .
• Promote inclusive practices and foster good relations across diverse communities.
• Encourage applications from all sectors of the community to ensure the workforce reflects the populations served.
• Lead quality improvement initiatives
  , service evaluation, research, and audit.

This is an exciting time to join CNWL. We are implementing a new Neurodevelopmental (ND) pathway transformation programme
, designed to improve access, consistency, and quality…