About the job

Job summary

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. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.  

The Head of the Capability Development and National Security division in the All Hazards Intelligence Directorate is a varied and challenging senior leadership role. As a member of our senior leadership team, you will be shaping our contribution to the UKHSA’s mission to prepare for, prevent and respond to health threats, save lives and protect livelihoods.  

The Capability Development and National Security division’s main functions are: leading the coordination of health related assessments for UKHSA; delivering situational awareness products; developing forward looking modelling for emerging threats to aid strategic decision making; progressing key capabilities to enable and transform our work.

Job description

The Deputy Director oversees a broad programme of work including:  

• Collating and coordinating situational awareness activity across the agency to make an assessment of the current public health situation from a UKHSA perspective for Ministers and Senior officials. This includes clear insightful information on health incidents, domestic and international signals and other key events. 
• Synthesising classified and open source data to provide insights and threat assessment for key customers. 
• Developing risk scenarios on potential hazards to support preparedness.
• Employing cutting-edge statistical methods and modelling – from bespoke Bayesian models to machine learning – to provide agile and rapid insights to inform and support ongoing and emerging threats to public health across the agency. 
• Delivering a programme of continuous improvement and development for AHI’s people, platforms, partnerships and processes. 

Key responsibilities include:

• Provide leadership and strategic direction for a multi-disciplinary division of 25-30 analysts who deliver a range of analytical products on health security and public health threats in the UK.
• Inspire, empower and build a confident and motivated team, ensuring team members are stretched and developed in their roles.
• Oversee UKHSA Situational Awareness reporting for Ministers and senior Public Health officials. Ensuring accurate and timely information and updates are provided for the latest key public health incidents the agency is responding to, whilst overseeing a programme of continuous improvement and expanded user uptake.
• Implement and embed the Health Security Threat Assessment – a systematic assessment of the key health threats the agency is responsible for responding to – across the agency.
• Develop UKHSA’s assessment capability and coordinate activity with wider government and international partners. This includes developing and embedding an intelligence assessment capability (in particular for CBRN threats) for UKHSA and ensuring UKHSA actively contributes to the national security picture from a public health perspective.
• Enhance and upskill All Hazards Intelligence analytical capabilities, embedding best practice and analytical standards and identifying key learning and development opportunities.
• Lead engagement with UKIC and cross HMG partners and improving access to all source data to support assessment.  
• Developing an expanded Infectious Disease modelling capability for UKHSA across a broader range of thematic areas e.g. climate, seasonal viruses.
• Ensure AHI products are used to provide a robust evidence base to support decision making, inform prioritisation of mitigation activity and guide investment decisions.
• Responses to Parliamentary Questions and FOI requests

Person specification

Essential criteria

The post holder will have:   

• Strong leadership skills and the ability to build motivated and high performing teams
• Experience in working with complex and fast-paced data and information feeds to provide understanding within a relevant field (such as epidemiology, emergency planning, biosecurity or national security)   
• Experience leading delivery of all source intelligence assessment
• Proven experience working in a policy environment, providing timely analysis for decision-makers, with ability to command the confidence of Ministers and senior officials  
• Strong collaborative skills and customer focus with the ability to build networks and achieve consensus across partner and international stakeholders  
• An in-depth knowledge of the use and application of analytical capabilities for strategic decision making   
• The successful candidate will need to hold developed vetting (DV)

Desirable criteria

• The successful candidate will need to be able to be released from their current role before the end of May 2024
• Understanding of health security issues and structures
• Experience working with or alongside the UK intelligence community

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, UK Health Security Agency contributes £20,250 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

Application stage

At sift stage you will be assessed on the essential criteria listed in the job advert, you will receive a separate score for both your CV (the information entered into your application) and statement of suitability.

Your statement of suitability must be no more than 1250.

Please note: The system will allow you to write up to 1500 words but please do not exceed 1250 words.  We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.
 
Interview stage

This vacancy is being assessed using Success Profiles. During the interview we will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
 
Behaviours to be assessed:

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making effective decisions
• Communicating and influencing

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.

Location information  

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 be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London).  Specialist or regional roles will be based at the appropriate UKHSA site. For certain roles, some additional flexibility may be possible, which will be agreed upon with the hiring manager based on individual requirements and business needs. 

Option 1 - 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.  

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed: Developed Vetting. 

Working for the Civil Service  

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 Code 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.  

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.  

It’s important to note that there are currently exceptions to applications being considered if your conviction relates to any of the following:  

• life sentences  
• arson 
• sexual offences 
• hate and terror offences  

Some departments will also consider the specific offence against the nature of the business, i.e., a conviction for fraud may rule you out for a finance role.  

Reserve List

Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post will be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be contacted if similar roles become available. 

If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available 

Starting salary

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.   

The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase.   

Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.  

For further details please refer to the Information Sheet- Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment

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 developed vetting (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.