Internal Redeployment Only - Psychology Assistant presso Cardiff University

Please note that this job is open only to current members of staff of Cardiff University who are eligible for redeployment.

Internal Redeployment Only - Psychology Assistant
Wolfson Centre for Young People’s Mental Health
Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neuroscience
Cardiff University School of Medicine
College of Biomedical and Life Sciences

The Wolfson Centre for Young People’s Mental Health based at Cardiff University is a £10 million research centre dedicated to understanding anxiety and depression in young people.  We are looking to appoint a Psychology Assistant to work on the Centre workstream ‘Interventions in Adolescents at High Familial Risk’ - in particular, to work on a randomised controlled trial that aims to prevent the onset of depression in teenagers with elevated depressive symptoms.  This is an exciting opportunity to join a successful team recruiting and assessing participants for the Centre.

Applicants should have a University degree (2.1 or above) in Psychology or related subject and will need to be reasonably flexible with working hours (as some assessments may take place outside of normal working hours during weekday evenings) and have excellent interpersonal skills. Experience in a mental health setting and in the use of standardised interviews and questionnaires would be an advantage.

We aim to recruit forward and outward-facing, motivated, passionate individuals who will stimulate new thinking with progressive and inclusive approaches.  We are committed to employing people who will bring difference in background, approach, identity and experiences. 

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), available from 1st December 2025 and fixed term until 30th November 2026.

Salary: £28,031 - £31,236 per annum (Grade 4). Appointments to roles at Cardiff University are usually made at bottom of scale unless in exceptional circumstances.

This post is based between the Hadyn Ellis Building and SPARC Building, Cathays campus. 

For informal queries please contact Laura Cook Wolfson Centre Manager ([email protected])

This role is eligible to be offered on a blended working basis, meaning that as well as spending time working on campus you can also choose to spend some time working from another location, e.g. your home. The University is committed to offering this flexibility, wherever the role and business need allows, supporting work-life balance.

Cardiff University offers many excellent benefits, including 40 days annual leave (incl bank holidays), local pension scheme, a cycle to work scheme and other travel initiatives, annual increments within the pay scale, and more. It is an exciting and vibrant place to work, with many different challenges and is a proud Living Wage supporter.

How we will support you in performing in this role – 
There are some things that you must have before you can start this role (see ‘Essential Criteria’), but other things can be developed either through training, or just by general on-the-job experience.  We want to support and develop you once you have started in the role using a combination of the following to get the best out of you:

1.    Regular one-to-ones with your manager
2.    An experienced and supportive team around you
3.    Supporting you through job-relevant training and development that you may require
4.    A mentoring scheme

Closing date: Thursday, 2 October 2025

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds. We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Job Purpose

Providing comprehensive and professional support to the Wolfson Centre for Young People’s Mental Health (specifically the scientific workstream entitled ‘Interventions in Adolescents at High Familial Risk’), providing support to the workstream’s randomised controlled trial (the SWELL trial).

Duties and Responsibilities

Key Duties

• To become familiar and proficient in research assessment methods (training provided).
• To recruit parents with  a history of major depressive disorder and their adolescent children for a randomised controlled trial that aims to prevent adolescent depression.
• To undertake assessments of participants (parents and young people) primarily via videoconferencing but also on the phone or face to face as required.  Some assessments may take place outside of normal working hours (during weekday evenings).
• To understand and convey project information, which may need careful explanation or interpretation.
• To input and store data in the relevant databases.
• Establish productive relationships with key individuals (University colleagues and external contacts) to help improve the level of service the team provides to its customers.
• To ensure that participant recruitment targets are met, maintain confidentiality and professional standards and work as an effective member of the overall team effort.
• To participate in the regular team meetings by presenting progress updates (including, for example, numbers recruited, problems encountered) and contributing ideas to the recruitment strategy.
• To liaise with NHS clinical teams to facilitate patient recruitment to the study.
• To carry out administrative tasks such as data collection, recording and maintaining records and data as required for the proficient running on the project, with supervision.
• To support and train others in the project team as required in the project procedures.
• To ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements in respect of equality and diversity, data protection, copyright and licensing, security, financial and other University policies, procedures and codes as appropriate.
• To work flexibly as part of a team to achieve the study objectives, adapting to new procedures, taking on new tasks consistent with the role, and facilitating the development of the study.
• To perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role.

General Duties

• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties
• Abide by University policies and undergo appropriate personal and professional development
• Uphold the Professional Services Values & Behaviours or local equivalent.

31,236

Grade 4

28,031

Academic - Research, Health, Medical & Dental

IMPORTANT: Evidencing Criteria

It is the School of Medicine's policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing. Candidates should evidence that they meet ALL of the essential criteria as well as, where relevant, the desirable. As part of the application process you will be asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement.

Please ensure when submitting this document / attaching it to your application profile you name it with the vacancy reference number, in this instance for this post, 20750BR

If candidates do not provide written evidence of meeting all of the essential criteria then their application will not be progressed. The School of Medicine welcome the submission of CVs to accompany evidence of the job-based criteria.

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