About the job

Job summary

In DHSC, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you’d like to work in, we’d love to hear from you.

Medicines Directorate fulfils a core Department of State function in overseeing policy on a full range of medicine issues. The UK spends an estimated £15 billion on branded medicines and is the second largest element of NHS expenditure. The Department has negotiated a 5-year 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG), which will play a key role in ensuring that the branded medicines bill stays within affordable limits and delivers value for money for the NHS by securing the provision of safe and effective medicines at reasonable prices.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a team that works closely with the pharmaceutical industry, to help ensure that the new scheme achieves its objectives.

The Branded Medicines Operations team is a small, flexible and dynamic team in a high profile, fast moving and complex area of branded medicines. As well as the new Voluntary Scheme, the team manages the operations of Regulations which underpin a Statutory Scheme — the Branded Health Service Medicines (Costs) Regulations 2018. Pharmaceutical companies that do not join VPAG fall under the Regulations.

Both Schemes are pivotal to ensuring the NHS branded medicines bill stays within affordable limits and delivers value for money. The Department recovers circa £3.2 billion annual income for the whole UK (estimated in 2023) from 130+ of the largest pharmaceutical companies, as well as assessing the ongoing financial liabilities for a further 180 smaller pharmaceutical companies.

The successful candidate will join a friendly and dedicated team working on one of the Department’s top priorities. They will have an opportunity to develop a wide range of skills including operational policy implementation, finance, IT skills and pharmaceutical knowledge.

Job description

Reporting to a Grade 7 you will be responsible for ensuring that pharmaceutical companies comply with the terms of the 2024 VPAG. In doing so the post-holder will have responsibility for monitoring a portfolio of pharmaceutical companies of differing sizes.

A major part of the job will be to ensure that the Department recovers significant levels of income from pharmaceutical companies in a timely manner. This will involve analysing company sales data and other prescribing data/financial information and, where necessary, challenging companies if they are found not to be complying with the scheme’s rules.

The complicated nature of the scheme’s rules mean that candidates will need the ability to grasp complex matters quickly, often in the fast moving and pressured environment of discussions with senior company executives.

Alongside the 2024 VPAG, there is a Statutory Scheme for companies that choose not to join the Voluntary Scheme. The post-holder will also be involved in implementing the Regulations by ensuring that companies comply with them and liaising with policy and legal colleagues where enforcement action might be required.

The post-holder will work closely with policy colleagues who are responsible for wider stakeholder management of both schemes. Depending on experience and development needs, the post-holder will have opportunities to learn about and potentially contribute to work in these areas.

Person specification

• Ensuring that pharmaceutical companies make appropriate payments to the Department as set out in the 2024 VPAG and Statutory Scheme
• Working with pharmacy colleagues to agree the prices of new medicines
• Processing price increase applications in accordance with the rules of both schemes
• Identifying issues and difficulties with the current scheme, and developing solutions in consultation with operational and policy colleagues
• Providing advice and guidance to pharmaceutical companies on the operation of the 2024 VPAG and Statutory Scheme
• Implementing the Regulations in respect of setting maximum prices for branded medicines

Key Skills and Experience:

• Ability to meet the challenges of difficult or complex changes, and encouraging and supporting others to do the same
• Confidence to identify a range of relevant and credible information sources and recognise the need to collect new data when necessary from internal and external sources
• Ability to communicate in a succinct, engaging manner and stand ground when needed
• Experience of developing, implementing and maintaining systems and service standards to provide a quality service

Desirable experience

• An understanding of the commercial landscape, such as relevant legal and commercial terms, concepts, policies and processes to deliver agreed outcomes

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,188, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £8,690 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Sift date:  W/C 05/02/2024

Interview date: expected W/C 26/02/2024

Interview location: The interview will take place at 39 Victoria Street, Westminster, London, SW1H 0EU and Quarry House, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UE. Further details will be released to candidates who are successful at sift. 

The available interview slots will be released with the sift scores. 

Applications will be sifted on CV and a Statement of Suitability.

Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert.

Please use your Statement of Suitability to (in no more than 500 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert. 

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours and Strengths.

To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service Careers Website here 

Further Information

Applicants who are appointable but were not successful in appointment to this vacancy, may be held on a reserve list for up to 12 months, and contacted if similar vacancies become available. 

Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate. 

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance. 

Any move to DHSC from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

Contact Government Recruitment Service via dhscrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional. 

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Terms and Conditions

Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful. 

New Entrants to the Civil Service

New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:

• Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
• Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Probation: 6 month probation period

Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion

All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above). 

Existing DHSC staff, appointed on either level transfer or promotion

If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.