How much does a professional qualification e.g. CChem add to applications for permanent academic positions or early career fellowships?
I'm a PhD physics student so have limited experience with this, but just based on careers talks and discussions I've had with postdocs and professors in my University, it's not worth very much.

Chartered status (CPhys) is meant to recognise that a working physicist is still keeping in touch with ground-breaking research, as well as having an ethical code and exercising leadership.


  Chartered status stands for the highest standards of professionalism, up-to-date expertise, quality and safety, and for capacity to exercise leadership and undertake independent practice. As well as competence, the title denotes commitment to keep pace with advancing knowledge and with the increasing expectations and requirements for which any profession must take responsibility. Source: Institute of Physics


This is very useful in industry to prove that you have not stopped learning after your degree or doctorate. However, in academia, I think this is somewhat superfluous because as a researcher you are always learning and will have to keep in touch with advancing knowledge to keep your job.

In summary, if you have all the necessary competencies and proofs already, it might be a nice shiny badge to pin on your jacket, but it doesn't carry a lot of professional weight in academic circles.

If you do leave the academic world and want recognition of your progress, then it would be very valuable.