Psychology Lead

• Use your psychological expertise to shape the future of the Australian Defence Force
• Be part of one of the most important missions in Australia
• Opportunity to focus purely on psychological assessments

As the Psychology Lead working within ADF Careers, you will be dedicated to supporting and enabling the psychological assessment of candidates as part of the holistic recruitment process.

ADF Careers is the largest workforce outsourcing solution in the southern hemisphere with over 80,000 applications received on average each year.
ADF Careers is on a mission to recruit the right people, in the right numbers, at the right time to support the Australian Defence Force to build, sustain and maximise Defence capability.

Our people are our greatest asset. We recognise and respect our people’s need to work in ways that support their careers, families, and lifestyle. That’s why we offer flexible working arrangements, learning pathways, additional leave entitlements and extensive corporate discounts across a variety of product and services. We want our people to be financially rewarded; to feel good and to go beyond what they thought possible at work.

Be you, and we’ll be better together.

To find out more about our great employee benefits and what it’s like to be part of the team, reach out to our friendly talent acquisition team.

The Psychology Lead supports the psychological assessment of candidates within ADF Careers as part of the holistic recruitment process. Using evidence-based assessment practices, the role provides expert advice to the clinical partner and Commonwealth to ensure candidates meet the psychological requirements outlined in the Defence Health Manual before progressing.

The role also contributes to continuous improvement initiatives that enhance the candidate and clinician experience and support efficient, high-quality recruitment outcomes.

You will:

• Support the delivery of comprehensive psychological evaluations to determine the suitability of candidates for military roles, ensuring they meet the necessary psychological standards as prescribed in the Defence Health Manual.
• Oversee the operational activities of the Psychology Examiner group, ensuring the dissemination, collection and interpretation of test results aligns with instruction as per Defence requirements and those prescribed by Australian Psychological Society.
• Work with the broader ADF Careers team to identify, define and implement improvement programs aligned with candidate volume, velocity and experience. The Psychology advisor is the designated SME (Subject Matter Expert) in the psychology field and should perform as such in all programs that affect the psychological assessment of candidates.
• Efficiently move candidates through examination process, working with the broader ADF Careers team (including clinical partner and Commonwealth) to understand constraints and provide clinical input into efficiency initiatives.
• In conjunction with CPO office, develop and implement programs to promote mental health and well-being among recruits and ADF Careers personnel, fostering a supportive and resilient military environment.
• Uphold and enforce ethical standards and best practices in all psychological assessments and interventions, ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of candidate and recruit information.
• Provide information and education to the broader ADF Careers group in regard to clinical assessment parameters, to enable understanding and recognition of the Psychological assessment process within the ADF Careers team.
• Develop, manage and maintain a high service level client relationship through the provision of services that meet or exceed the expectations of Defence and the ADF Careers Adecco contract, ensuring that regular (weekly) touch points are in place with CPO office, Clinical representative/s and other personnel as deemed appropriate.

If you’re a compassionate and skilled psychology professional, ready to contribute to the strength of our Defence Force, we’d love to hear from you.

Your background will demonstrate:

• Fully registered psychologist with AHPRA (General Registration) and no clinical restrictions
• Minimum 5 years’ broad-based clinical experience, including structured psychological assessments
• Strong understanding of ethical principles, APS standards and the ability to apply them in all aspects of psychological assessment and support, ensuring confidentiality and integrity in handling sensitive information.
• Ability to analyse complex psychological data and assessment results to make informed decisions about candidate suitability and potential.
• Ability to understand base operational concepts such as volume and candidate velocity, and to provide raw data to data and analytics team member/s for incorporation into broader reporting.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to effectively interact with candidates, recruits, and recruitment staff, building rapport and trust.
• Demonstrated ability to lead clinical conversations, working groups and forums, including weekly, fortnightly and monthly forums with clinical partner and the Commonwealth.
• Proficiency in critical thinking to assess various psychological factors and make sound judgements regarding the mental and emotional fitness of individuals for military service.
• Skilled in structured interviews, Psychometric testing and interpretation, Independent psychological evaluations and professional report writing
• Demonstrated ability to work within structured protocols and compliance-focused environments
• Experience in military or paramilitary environments is desirable but not mandatory

To apply for this position, you must be an Australian citizen and have the ability to maintain an Australian AGSVA security clearance.

If eligible, please submit your resume; applications are open to all qualified Australian citizens regardless of their background, identity, experiences and beliefs.

If you need assistance during our recruitment process, please email our friendly TA team at DFRHRTalentAcquisition@adecco.com.au for a confidential conversation.

To apply for this position, please submit your application online through our designated platform. The deadline for applications is 11:30 PM (AEST) on 31st July 2026. It's important to note that applications will be reviewed and processed as they are received.