About the job

Job summary

We are currently advertising for 2 roles within this vacancy, 1 permanent and 1 fixed term until 28 February 2026

Please state on your application which post / both you are applying for 

UKHSA North West Region is made up of health protection consultants and practitioners, surveillance scientists, emergency preparedness professionals and business operations staff, operating from three sites.

We are recruiting enthusiastic, motivated Consultants in Health Protection. These are key posts in our health protection workforce enabling us to deliver our remit to protect the public's health from infectious diseases and other public health hazards through provision of a 24/7 acute health protection service.

Your contractual and operational base will be Cunard Building, Liverpool (permanent post) or 3 Piccadilly Place, Manchester (18 months fixed term post). All roles include hybrid working that allows for staff who can operate remotely at home, to fulfil their role and responsibilities in line with the team and UKHSA’s policies and guidance. You will be expected to travel to any of our North West sites in Liverpool, Manchester and Preston, providing leadership and development to the service.

Job description

As part of the North West Health Protection Team and in collaboration with relevant people in UKHSA Field Services and Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards Directorates, and Local Authority Directors of Public Health in the North West, the Consultant in Health Protection will contribute to the provision of specialist advice and support locally to local authorities, hospitals, and primary care.

The consultant will contribute to the investigation and management of a full range of health protection incidents (including outbreaks of diseases like meningitis, and food poisoning), and will contribute to surveillance, co-ordination, support and monitoring of the local implementation of local, regional and key national programmes and place-based partnership working.

The post-holder will also be responsible for dealing with environmental public health incidents, situations, and other health protection emergencies, in collaboration with other members of the Health Protection Team as appropriate.

Working for your organisation

At the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) our mission is to provide health security for the nation by protecting from infectious disease and external hazards.  We are a trusted source of advice to government and to the public, focusing on reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

Our mission is challenging, innovative and in the spotlight. We will work to ensure our people have the diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds we need to thrive, that our employees are representative of the communities we serve and feel valued and enabled to play their part in delivering our work.

Creating our working culture is an ongoing process which we are developing by listening and learning together, hearing and acting upon diverse voices and opinions to develop a common sense of identity and effective ways of working.

Person specification

Qualifications 

Essential criteria

• Inclusion in the GMC Specialist Register or UK Public Health (Specialist) Register
• If included in the GMC Specialist Register in a specialty other than public health medicine, infectious diseases medicine or medical microbiology, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health medicine, infectious diseases medicine or medical microbiology practice
• Public health specialist registrar and specialist trainee applicants who are not yet on the GMC Register/UKPHR must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry at the date of interview; all other applicants must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they have applied for inclusion in the GMC/UKPHR
• Applicants must meet minimum CPD requirements in accordance with the requirements of the Faculty of Public Health/Royal College of Pathologists/Royal College of Physicians or other recognised body
• MFPH, or MRCPath, or MRCP

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

• Minimum 6 months experience in Health Protection practice
• Practical experience in leading and facilitating change
• Experience of communicable disease control in a wide variety of settings including out of hours on call
• Experience of working with other agencies
• Experience of emergency planning
• Understanding of key agencies involved in health protection
• Knowledge of methods of developing clinical quality assurance, audit, quality improvement and evidence based clinical and/or public health practice
• Understanding of social and political environment
• Understanding of laboratory microbiology services
• Understanding of clinical infectious diseases services
• Understanding of clinical toxicology services
• Understanding of the principles of radiological protection

Desirable criteria

• Experience of budget management and financial processes
• Experience and demonstrable competency in dealing with environmental hazards / chemical incidents
• Ability to undertake prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases of public health importance
• Peer reviewed scientific publications, presentation of papers at conferences, seminars, etc

Skills and Capabilities

Essential criteria

• Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills, including management of change
• Able to prioritise work, and work well against a background of change and uncertainty
• Adaptable to situations, can communicate with people of all capabilities and attitudes
• Project management
• Understanding of epidemiology and statistics, public health practice, health promotion, health economics and health care evaluation
• Excellent oral and written communication skills (including dealing with the public and the media)
• Effective interpersonal, motivational and influencing skills
• Ability to respond appropriately in unplanned and unforeseen circumstances
• Sensible negotiator with practical expectation of what can be achieved
• Substantially numerate, with highly developed analytical skills using qualitative and quantitative data
• Computer literate
• Ability to design, develop, interpret and implement policies
• Ability to concentrate for long periods (e.g. analyses, media presentations)
• Resource management skills

Desirable criteria

• People management and training
• Training and mentoring
• Have an awareness of and be working towards the key core competencies set out in Civil Service Competency Framework 2010-2017 and KSF for those on AfC terms and conditions

Behaviours and Attitudes

Essential criteria

• Strong commitment to public health principles
• Commitment to team-working and respect and consideration for the skills of others
• Self-motivated, pro-active, and innovative
• High standards of professional probity

Equality and Diversity

Essential criteria

• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, and in relation to management systems

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £83,571, UK Health Security Agency contributes £22,564 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

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and maintaining close working relationships both internally and externally with a whole range of partner organisations. Working closely with key partners to ensure delivery of high-quality surveillance, response, and support systems. In addition, they will contribute and lead on local and national priorities including contribution to wider public health initiatives consistent with the UKHSA delivery model and integrated working.

They will have the ability to lead individuals and teams, engage with staff at all levels, and value diversity across the whole team will also be a key requisite of the role. 

The post is subject to the core competencies as set out by the Faculty of Public Health for Consultant appointments and the post holder will be expected to demonstrate expertise in all of them (Appendix A).

Please see the attached Job Description outlining full responsibilities of the role.

Other Information

Selection process details

STAGE 1 – Application & Sift:

This vacancy will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your Qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and capabilities outlined in the person specification.  You will be required to complete an application form. You will also be asked to provide information within the ‘Employer/ Activity history’ section of the application form. This will be assessed in line with the advertised criteria.

Applicants are strongly advised to use the person specification section as sub-headings in the application to make it clear how you meet each of the selection criteria.

At sift stage you will be assessed on the essential criteria listed in the job advert and statement of suitability.

Your statement of suitability must be no more than 1500 wordcount.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Applicants are strongly advised to use the person specification section as sub-headings in the application to make it clear how you meet each of the selection criteria.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to an interview and assessment, a presentation will form part of this assessment. 

STAGE 2 – Interview

All candidates who are successful at the sift stage will progress to an interview and will be assessed on the essential criteria as advertised. 

This vacancy is being assessed against the essential and desirable criteria as outlined in the Job description

You will be asked to prepare and present a 5-10 minute presentation. The subject of this will be sent to you prior to interview

Interviews are expected to be held in person on week commencing 29th July. This date is subject to change

Option 3 – External - Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants)

Security Clearance Level Requirement:

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.  

The successful candidate will be appointed to the point of the Consultant salary scale appropriate to their years of seniority or if from a background other than medicine to NHS Agenda for Change Band 9.

Inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice (or be eligible for registration within six months of interview)

If included in the GMC Specialist Register/ in a specialty other than public health medicine, candidates must have equivalent training and/or appropriate experience of public health practice

Public Health Specialty Registrar applicants who are not yet on the GMC Specialist Register must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they are within 6 months of gaining entry at the date of interview; all other applicants must provide verifiable signed documentary evidence that they have applied for inclusion in the GMC

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.