© Copyright 2026 Northern Ireland Civil Service. All rights reserved.
To apply, you will need the following:
Five GCSEs (Grades A–C), including English Language and Maths (or equivalent qualification).
What You'll Bring
Strong communication, organisation, and teamwork skills.
Confidence using IT systems and digital tools.
A customer-focused mindset and commitment to public service.
Both positions require candidates to be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist (Forensic Psychology).
Which opportunity is right for you?
Department of Finance (Land & Property Services)
Managing land registration, valuation, and property tax.
Department for Communities
Supporting benefits, pensions, housing, and employment services.
Department of Education
Ensuring teachers are paid and pensions are managed accurately.
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA)
Supporting sustainable farming, climate goals, and rural communities.
Take the next step in your forensic psychology career with the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS).
We're recruiting Senior Psychologists (Forensic) and a Principal Psychologist (Forensic) to join Psychology Services and help reduce reoffending, support rehabilitation and contribute to building a safer community across Northern Ireland.
Working in a prison environment presents challenges few other psychology careers can offer – and opportunities to make an equally significant impact.
NIPS Psychology Services works with people in custody to help them understand their offending behaviour, develop new skills and strategies, manage risk and work towards achieving their goals through pro-social means.
Your professional expertise can contribute directly to rehabilitation, resettlement and successful reintegration into the community, while helping NIPS achieve its core purpose:
Building a safer community by challenging and supporting people in our care to change.
Your expertise. Their opportunity to change. A safer community.
Department of Finance (Land & Property Services)
Managing land registration, valuation, and property tax.
Department for Communities
Supporting benefits, pensions, housing, and employment services.
Department of Education
Ensuring teachers are paid and pensions are managed accurately.
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA)
Supporting sustainable farming, climate goals, and rural communities.
About the Role
Depending on your role, your work could involve:
Working in a prison environment presents challenges few other psychology careers can offer – and opportunities to make an equally significant impact.
NIPS Psychology Services works with people in custody to help them understand their offending behaviour, develop new skills and strategies, manage risk and work towards achieving their goals through pro-social means.
Work that makes a difference
Forensic psychologists within NIPS play an important role in both rehabilitation and public protection.
Department of Finance (Land & Property Services)
Managing land registration, valuation, and property tax.
Department for Communities
Supporting benefits, pensions, housing, and employment services.
Department of Education
Ensuring teachers are paid and pensions are managed accurately.
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA)
Supporting sustainable farming, climate goals, and rural communities.
The Selection Process
Applications will first be assessed against the eligibility criteria.
Relevant or equivalent qualifications will be considered.
Eligibility
Department of Finance (Land & Property Services)
Managing land registration, valuation, and property tax.
Department for Communities
Supporting benefits, pensions, housing, and employment services.
Department of Education
Ensuring teachers are paid and pensions are managed accurately.
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA)
Supporting sustainable farming, climate goals, and rural communities.
Who better to tell you about a job than the people already working there!
Forensic
Closed for applications
Psychologists
(MCO)
The deadline for expressions of interest is 12 noon on Wednesday 16 September.
Could your expertise help change a life?
Bring your experience in forensic psychology to an environment where your professional judgement, compassion and expertise can make a meaningful difference.
Challenge offending behaviour. Support rehabilitation. Manage risk. Help build a safer community.
Risk & Needs Assessment
Use structured psychological assessment and risk assessment approaches to understand individual needs, risks and treatment priorities.
Multidisciplinary Working
Collaborate with Psychology colleagues, Prisoner Development Units and professionals across the wider justice, health and voluntary sectors.
Psychological Intervention
Work with individuals with complex needs, supporting them to understand their behaviour and develop strategies for positive change.
Clinical Leadership
Supervise and develop psychology colleagues, promote evidence-based practice and help maintain high professional standards.
Parole & Public Protection
Provide professional psychological opinions that help inform decisions around risk, risk management and suitability for release.
Rehabilitation
Help individuals develop the skills and strategies needed to reduce their risk of reoffending and work towards successful reintegration into the community.
A rewarding career. Valuable benefits.
Competitive salary
£47,304–£49,515 for Senior Psychologist and £61,673–£64,469 for Principal Psychologist.
Attractive pension
Access to an attractive Northern Ireland Civil Service pension package.
Generous annual leave
25 days' annual leave, rising to 30 days after five years' service, plus currently 12 public and privilege holidays.
Flexible/Hybrid working
37-hour working week, Monday to Friday, with flexitime in most offices.
Career development
Opportunities to continue developing your professional expertise and progress your career.
Additional allowance
A Prison Environmental Allowance of £1,288 per annum is currently payable.
The Northern Ireland Prison Service is an executive agency of the Department of Justice, responsible for the operation and delivery of services within Northern Ireland's prison system.
NIPS operates across three main prison establishments:
Maghaberry Prison – a high-security prison housing adult male long-term sentenced and remand prisoners.
Magilligan Prison – a medium-security prison housing shorter-term sentenced adult male prisoners, with low-security accommodation for selected prisoners approaching the end of their sentence.
Hydebank Wood College and Female Prison – a medium to low-security establishment accommodating young men aged 18–21 and female prisoners.
Within these environments, psychologists work as part of professional, multidisciplinary teams to address complex needs, manage risk and support meaningful change.
Senior Psychologist (Forensic)
Take a leading role in rehabilitation and risk reduction.
As a Senior Psychologist, you'll combine specialist forensic psychology practice with leadership and clinical supervision.
You'll work directly with people presenting with complex needs, undertake psychological and structured risk assessments, deliver individual interventions and provide professional psychological opinion to organisations including the Parole Commissioners for Northern Ireland.
You'll also support the Principal Psychologist in developing and delivering Psychology Services and provide clinical supervision to other members of the psychology team.
Salary: £47,304 – £49,515 (under review)
Allowance: £1,288 Prison Environmental Allowance per annum
Vacancies: 5 permanent, full-time posts
Locations:
2 × Maghaberry Prison, Moira
2 × Magilligan Prison, Limavady
1 × Hydebank Wood College, Greater Belfast
Principal Psychologist (Forensic)
Lead psychology services.
Develop people. Influence outcomes.
This is an opportunity for an experienced forensic psychologist to take on a significant leadership position within NIPS Psychology Services.
As Principal Psychologist, you'll lead, supervise, coach and support psychology staff while helping determine how assessment, intervention and treatment needs can most effectively be met.
You'll support the Head of Psychology in delivering Psychology Services, allocate resources and priorities, quality assure complex work and provide specialist professional advice on risk and complex cases.
The role also involves working closely with other justice organisations, health trusts, universities and voluntary and community organisations – giving you the opportunity to influence rehabilitation and public protection beyond your immediate team.
Salary: £61,673 – £64,469 (under review)
Allowance: £1,288 Prison Environmental Allowance per annum
Vacancy: 1 permanent, full-time post
Location: Magilligan Prison, Limavady
Two career opportunities
Senior Psychologist (Forensic)
You'll also need at least one year's relevant post-qualification experience in a forensic environment, including experience undertaking risk and needs assessments and delivering psychological interventions.
Principal Psychologist (Forensic)
You'll need at least three years' relevant post-qualification experience in a forensic/health environment, with experience conducting risk and needs assessments and delivering psychological interventions.
You'll also need experience of having responsibility for the prioritisation and allocation of resources in the delivery of psychological services.
Equivalent professional membership may also be considered. Please read the relevant Candidate Information Booklet for the complete eligibility requirements before applying.