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.

This role sits within the department’s Operational Response Centre and is based in London. The post holder will be involved in a broad range of topics. Their prime focus will be the development of the health and social care sector’s contribution to components of the Government’s Counter Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST). 

The post holder will be expected to quickly develop a strong understanding of the policy landscape and the role the health and social care sector plays.  They will build and maintain relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including:  

• The NHS England Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) team who have the operational responsibility for the delivery of these programmes within the NHS,
• The UK Health Security Agency who provide specialist knowledge for different aspects of the work, and with Home Office who are the lead Government department for CONTEST

The successful candidate will be expected to regularly attend in person meetings and be able to work above official sensitive, both of which require regular and, often, unpredictable presence in the office. They will also support the work of the department’s Operational Response Centre by being part of the 24/7 on call arrangements (for which additional benefits are paid). The on-call rota requires a commitment to be available to respond to incidents out of hours approximately 7 days every 2 months.

The successful candidate must hold, or be willing to undergo, developed vetting clearance.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer which values and celebrates diversity. We encourage applications from candidates of all educational, professional and social backgrounds and of all genders, ethnicities and sexual orientations as well as disabled backgrounds, as it is important that our workforce and policies reflect the society, we live in.

Job description

Reporting to the G7, the successful candidate will lead a team to further develop and drive forward the delivery of DHSC’s contribution to the Government’s Counter Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST).

The post holder will be expected to rapidly develop a strong understanding of the policy landscape and the role the health and social care sector plays.  They will build and maintain relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including but not limited to:  

• NHS England Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) team and NHS England Safeguarding Team who have the operational responsibility for the delivery of these programmes within the NHS
• UK Health Security Agency who provide specialist knowledge for different aspects of the work
• Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator of the health and social care system in England
• Home Office who are the lead Government department for CONTEST

Due to the nature of the role it is based in London. The successful candidate must hold, or be willing to undergo, developed vetting clearance and will be expected to:

• Regularly attend in person meetings
• Be able to work above official sensitive

Both of these will require regular and, often, unpredictable presence in the office. 

The successful candidate will also be expected to support the wider responsibilities of the division by contributing to corporate activities, and being part of the department’s Operational Response Centre for emergency response in DHSC.  This involves being part of the 24/7 on call arrangements in the department (for which additional benefits are paid). The on-call rota requires a commitment to be available to respond to incidents out of hours approximately 7 days every 2 months.

Person specification

Role responsibilities:

• Drive the development of the health and social care sector’s work on CONTEST
• Co-ordinating the health contribution to the Prevent, Protect and Prepare strands of the CONTEST strategy as well as having an oversight of all the constituent programmes and deliverables
• Developing a strong understanding of the health and social care sector’s role and its Prevent, Prepare and Protect responsibilities
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with:
  • NHS England team who have operational responsibility for the delivery of these programmes within the NHS
  • UK Health Security Agency who provide specialist knowledge for different aspects of the work, and with
  • Home Office who are the lead Government department for CONTEST
• Line management and project management for other team members who will support you in delivering these important pieces of work

Due to the nature of the work, the role is based in London and the successful candidate will be expected to regularly attend in person meetings and, if needed during an incident, will need to be able to work in the London office full time at short notice. DHSC currently requires staff to work in the office for a minimum of 8 days per month.

Key skills and experience required for the role:

Essential:

• Ability to build good relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
• Able to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing
• Live within two hours commute by public transport of the London office and have the ability to work in full time in the office at short notice
• Calm under pressure and able to work at pace with confidence
• Capable on managing different priorities and shifting priorities at short notice
• A strong team player
• Ability to learn new topics quickly and develop a strong knowledge base to support emergency decision making.
• Willingness to work, on occasion, to a shift pattern which may include some out of hours or weekend working while responding to an emergency

Desirable:

• Experience or knowledge of CONTEST
• Knowledge of health and care sector

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,043, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £11,891 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: expected W/C 15th January

Interview date: expected W/C 29th January

Interview location: The interview will take place at 39 Victoria Street, Westminster, London SW1H 0EU . 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 your Statement of Suitability and Behaviours. 

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. 

Please complete statements on the specified Behaviours (250 word max per statement).

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

An initial sift based on your Statement of Suitability and the lead Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing may be held if a large number of applications are received. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.  

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 SC clearance. For SC clearance, candidates must have been a resident in the UK for the past 5 years. 

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. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.