Principal Educational Psychologist

Principal Educational Psychologist – Lincolnshire

Salary
-Solbury Scale B points 12 - 14

Salary: £72,999 - £75,762

Location:

Lincoln, Lincolnshire (hybrid working)

Some countywide travel required.

Closing Date: 23 August 2026

This is a rare and exciting opportunity to join Lincolnshire at a pivotal point in its SEND improvement journey.

We are looking for a Principal Educational Psychologist who wants to do more than step into an existing service model. This is a role for someone who is motivated by the opportunity to lead, shape and build something new, developing a sustainable, high-quality Educational Psychology offer that supports children, young people, families, schools and the wider SEND system across Lincolnshire.

The role will provide strategic and professional leadership for Educational Psychology across the local area, with a strong focus on statutory SEND work, quality assurance, workforce development and system improvement. It will also be central to the development of a new hybrid delivery model, bringing together a growing internal local authority EP team alongside a commissioned agency EP arm of the service.

This is an opportunity to influence how Educational Psychology is delivered at scale, while helping to create a model that is more resilient, connected and future focused.

As Principal Educational Psychologist, you will lead and oversee the delivery of Educational Psychology provision across Lincolnshire, ensuring that statutory advice and psychological contributions are timely, high quality and make a meaningful difference for children and young people.

You will have responsibility for the quality, oversight and development of commissioned EP provision, while also leading the establishment of a small internal local authority EP team. Over time, this hybrid model will support a more sustainable approach, strengthen professional leadership and reduce reliance on agency provision while maintaining capacity and quality.

Although the immediate focus of the role is statutory Educational Psychology work, there will also be opportunities to connect with and influence wider SEND developments, including links with Lincolnshire’s emerging Experts @ Hand offer as this evolves. The postholder will be well placed to help shape how Educational Psychology contributes to early support, professional advice, inclusive practice and wider system reform.

This is not simply a vacancy to fill. It is a chance to shape a service at a key point of change.

You will be joining a SEND leadership team that is clear about the challenges, but ambitious about what can be achieved. There is real scope to influence practice, improve quality, build professional identity and develop a model that works for Lincolnshire’s children, families, schools and partners.

You will have the opportunity to:

• lead the development of a new hybrid Educational Psychology model
• shape and grow an internal local authority EP team
• strengthen quality assurance, moderation and professional standards across EP advice
• work closely with SEND leaders, schools, settings and partners to improve outcomes
• influence how Educational Psychology contributes to wider SEND reform and improvement
• develop a model that is sustainable, credible and professionally rewarding

We are looking for an experienced, HCPC-registered Educational Psychologist who brings professional credibility, strong leadership and a genuine commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people.

You will need to be confident working in a complex local authority and partnership system, with the ability to lead both directly employed and commissioned professionals. You will be someone who can provide clear professional challenge, support high standards and build positive relationships across a wide range of stakeholders.

We are particularly interested in someone who:

• understands the pressures and opportunities within local authority SEND services
• can lead quality assurance and improvement in statutory EP advice
• has the confidence to shape and develop new ways of…