About the job

Job summary

National: £38,724 - £44,393

Inner London: £42,716 - £48,068

Location

This role will be based in London or Porton Down, Salisbury.

You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process.

UKHSA offers hybrid working for its employees – This role will be based at  UKHSA offices in either London or Porton Down, with opportunities for an element of working from home.

Currently this requires working from an allocated UKHSA base location for 60%, from the beginning of 2024.

The balance between home and workplace working is to be agreed with the line manager, determined primarily by business need and in line with departmental policy.

Some occasional business travel will be required to other UKHSA offices/locations as determined by business needs.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas.

Job Summary

You will be joining the Directorate of EPRR which is responsible for public health Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) activities and policies for UKHSA. Our work is central to UKHSA’s goal to ensure we can respond to current and emerging threats through a strong, capable, prepared, and responsive public health system.

Our EPRR Business Operations Team works in partnership with corporate functions and the wider organisation to provide a range of business management and business support services to the Directorate.

We are looking to appoint a versatile Business Operations Manager to collaborate and take the lead on various aspects of business management and to oversee our administrative functions. The post holder may work with colleagues who are based across the country at different sites and/or who work remotely.  Some business travel will be required as part of this role. Business travel between base location and any other work locations will be covered under the UKHSA Travel and Expenses policy.

Job description

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Undertake regular budget monitoring in liaison with EPRR Business Operations colleagues and Finance Business Partner to identify any issues and risks of over/underspend; Agree mitigation/remedial action with budget holders and follow through resultant
• Oversee recruitment activity working with Recruitment, HR and Finance teams where appropriate.
• Support the successful induction of new staff into the Directorate, including organisation of new IT equipment, passes etc.
• Manage the co-ordination and completion of submissions for monthly and quarterly business returns and internal audits.
• Undertake procurement activity in liaison with Commercial and Procurement professionals.
• Manage the co-ordination and maintaining of up-to-date tactical team risk registers and ensure there is effective two-way flow of risk related information up to the Senior Team including a tracking mechanism and escalation process.
• For sites where there is no facilities management team, provide any required estates and facilities management support within the Directorate including the associated infrastructure and IT.
• Setting up and maintenance of an equipment asset register within the Directorate working with relevant ICT/Facilities and Site Lead as appropriate.
• Ensure that business continuity plans are in place and are regularly updated.
• Lead on and co-ordinate the implementation of UKHSA Health and Safety Policy and arrangements.
• Responsible for organising and controlling own workload ensuring deadlines are observed and duties performed efficiently.
• Deputise for the colleagues, where appropriate, to ensure business continuity
• Provide cover as directed by line manager for other members of the team in their absence and assist with their workloads as necessary
• Work with and support the Directorate’s Senior Leadership team to ensure adequate planning for key meetings, to include preparing schedules for agendas.
• Oversight of key directorate projects, including working with project and programme professionals to create and maintain effective project management plans and processes.
• Develop and implement effective records management processes relevant to business needs and ensure they are maintained
• Establish, develop and maintain office and operational systems for effective working
• Identify any potential gaps within local/team processes in terms of compliance and governance.
• Effective line management of staff (if applicable), undertaking appraisals, recruitment including progressing any disciplinary or capability issues, as necessary; and participating in recruitment process of administrative staff.
• Contribute to the development of key performance indicators for the successful assessment of individual and work area’s success
• Actively seek to identify, recommend and implement improvements.

Person specification

It is important through your application and Statement of Suitability of 1500 words (max) that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the following criteria.

Please also state clearly which is your preferred office location (London or Porton Down)

Essential Criteria:

• Educated to NQF level 6 (graduate degree level) or with demonstrable equivalent experience
• Significant relevant experience working in a business support role, including experience of monitoring budgets and spend, using procurement processes.
• Experience of managing and motivating a team and reviewing performance of individuals
• Ability to draft briefing papers and correspondence at a senior level
• Ability to deal with complex matters and difficult situations, requiring persuasion and influence.
• Ability to plan for long and short-term and adjust plans and resource to meet requirements
• Analyse and use a range of relevant, credible information from internal and external sources to support decisions, communicating in the most appropriate style
• Understanding or working knowledge of the public sector (and healthcare environments)
• IT skills, including advanced Microsoft Office experience
• Competent in ensuring the ordering of goods and services is in accordance with Civil Service policies and procedures and an understanding of procurement and business development processes
• You actively encourage and provide opportunities for others to share ideas and contributions.
• You think ahead to anticipate, identify and address any risks or problems before they occur.
• You are confident to lead a team and can effectively manage team dynamics to drive forward a shared goal
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience working in a public-sector organisation
• Experience of managing projects and reporting risk
• Able to successfully operate in a politically sensitive environment
• Knowledge of project principles, techniques and tools
• Ability to use digital tools and understand where they can best be deployed.

Benefits

Working for the UKHSA

For more information on the UKHSA please visit: UK Health Security Agency - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• Range of health and wellbeing support

Any move to UKHSA 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 Childcare Choices , 30 Hours Free Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More , Help with Costs , GOV.UK

Things you need to know

Selection process details

STAGE 1 - APPLICATION & SIFT: 

You will be required to complete an application form and a statement of suitability. Your Statement of Suitability should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, against the essential criteria (outlined in the person specification section). Your Statement of Suitability must not exceed 1500 words. Please state clearly which is your preferred office location (London or Porton Down)

You will also be asked to provide information within the ‘Employer/ Activity history’ section of the application form. This is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV, setting out your career history. The sift selection panel will only consider relevant career history information from the last 5 years.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to an interview.

STAGE 2 – INTERVIEW:

This competition will involve an interview via Teams.

As part of the process, candidates will be invited to interview which will involve an in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.

Expected Timeline:

Advert close: 23:55hrs 14/11/2023 – unfortunately, late applications will not be considered. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Interviews: TBC

Please note these dates could be subject to change.  

Security clearance level requirement

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.  Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard.  People working with government assets must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard checks.

The postholder may be required to undergo SC vetting at a later date

For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest. 

Please Note

This role is to be appointed under Civil Service Terms & Conditions. Full details on the T&Cs are found https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

Are you already a civil servant, or employed by a Civil Service Commission accredited public body? Please state home department on your application form.

Do you meet the nationality requirements for this post? https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints1@ukhsa.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website. 

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.