Hayley became a Lecturer in Developmental Psychology at the University of Chester in 2017, and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2020. Before this, she worked for 5 years as a Teaching Fellow at Keele University. Hayley is the Level 4 Year Tutor for the school, and also takes on the role of Assessment Officer. She is also part of the Ethics Committee.

Hayley is a Chartered Psychologist of Developmental Psychology (CPsychol) and has been a part of the BPS Developmental Section for a number of years. Between 2019 and 2022 she was Treasurer of the Developmental Section, and also contributed to the organisation of the Section's Annual Conferences during this time. Hayley is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA).