About the job

Job summary

A senior role within the Health Protection Team (HPT) providing leadership, management and oversight of the HP function, including the response to incidents and outbreaks and responsibility for the day-to-day operational delivery

The post holder will play a key role in developing, shaping and assuring the HP function, which may include managing individuals and teams, working closely with partners, and ensuring delivery of high-quality surveillance, response and support systems. The postholder will have responsibility for developing and maintaining close working relationships both internally and with partner organisations. In addition, they will contribute to and lead on regional and national priorities, including contribution to wider public health initiatives consistent with the regional delivery model and integrated working.

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. 

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce. 

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

Job description

Working in close partnership with local authorities and the NHS, the post holder will have operational responsibility for the provision of a safe and effective HP service delivering to high quality standards responsive to the needs of the local community and UKHSA as partners in the local public health systems.

Sharing the responsibility with the other medical consultants as well as HP practitioners, for dealing with the surveillance, prevention and control of communicable disease and the response to non-communicable environmental hazards. Contributing to the investigation and management of a full range of health protection incidents carrying out surveillance, co-ordination & monitoring of local implementation of certain key national programmes.

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.  Refer to Appendix A of the Job Description.

Key working areas include:

Response - management of incidents and outbreaks of infectious diseases; contribute, and/or lead the UKHSA response during incidents in line with Emergency Planning Resilience and Response (EPRR)

Surveillance - Contribute strategically to the development and maintenance of effective systems for the surveillance of communicable disease and environmental hazards

Partnership Working - proactive development and contribution to key relationships with a wide range of individuals and stakeholders both internal and external

Research, Teaching & Training – contributing to research activity and training programmes and providing clinical supervision where appropriate

Management & Leadership - To be a visible, positive leader and role model.

Personal & Professional Development – Continuing own Professional Development and that of others

You must demonstrate how you meet the full list of duties and responsibilities which can be found in the job description. 

Person specification

For medical practitioners: in line with legislation, inclusion in the GMC Full and Specialist Register with a license to practice

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 8d.

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 & Person Specification outlining full responsibilities of the role.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

Things you need to know

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.

As part of the application process you will be asked to provide a detailed personal statement / statement of suitability (max 1500 words) based on the essential criteria advertised. This should outline how you consider your skills, knowledge and experience meet the selection requirements. It should provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the person specification criteria outlined. 

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

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.  A presentation will form part of this assessment.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed.

Open to external

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants)

Applicants are strongly advised to use the criteria in the Person Specification of the Job Description as sub-headings in their application to make it clear how they meet each of the selection criteria.

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 8d.

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

Hybrid Working

UKHSA operates a hybrid working model where business needs allow.  This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce.  

As a hybrid worker, you will usually spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted hours (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (approximately 3 days a week pro rata) and the rest of your time working from home.

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.

For further information or an informal discussion about the post, please contact:

Professor Dominic Mellon, Regional Deputy Director for Health Protection (South West). Email: dominic.mellon@ukhsa.gov.uk

UK Health Security Agency promoted diversity in the workplace and is an Equal Opportunities employer.

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.