About the job

Job summary

National location: £51,824 £61,414

Outer London location: £53,812 £63,252

Inner London location: £55,799 £65,089

This is a senior role supporting the oversight of the performance of the Strategic, Policy and Programmes (SPP) Group within UKHSA, on behalf of its Director-General, Scott McPherson. You will be responsible for managing the delivery of a full range of governance and performance monitoring services for the Group to ensure it is able to deliver its strategic and operational priorities, and its teams are supported with the capabilities to deliver these priorities.

As delegated by the Head of SPP Performance, you will lead identified workstreams that may include finance, business planning, risk management, corporate governance, workforce, business continuity and other appropriate areas to ensure that the SPP Group governance and performance frameworks are effective.

As deputy head of Group Performance you will have line management responsibilities and occupy a role which will be varied, challenging and stimulating, working in a fast paced dynamic environment, working closely with the senior leadership team within the Strategy and Policy Group. To deliver this role, you will be required to carry out the responsibilities, activities and duties detailed below.

Location

The UK Health Security Agency (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.

*Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas. Relocation expenses are not available.* 

Job description

Your main responsibilities will include:

SPP Group Governance

• Supporting the Head of Group Performance to manage the SPP Governance Cycle, including delivering the monthly agenda for the SPP Management Board and Business Board, and ensuring the information is in place to deliver the discussions and decisions required within these boards.

Budget Management

• Leading engagement with SPP’s Finance Business Partners, ensuring that UKHSA’s annual business planning cycle delivers the optimal budget to deliver SPP’s priorities and that this budget is then monitored effectively across the financial year.
• Developing and maintaining financial control processes and approvals, to ensure that SPP’s budgetary processes align and accord with UKHSA central finance and resource processes.
• Ensuring that SPP’s budget is correctly recorded within the appropriate directorates, so that spending and recruitment accords with SPP’s overarching budget

SPP Group Performance

• Developing and maintaining Management Information packs for Directorates, incorporating specific key metrics including finance, workforce, risk and performance related deliverables, and tracking progress against these, so that the Director-General and his Senior Leadership Team have the information to report and discuss progress against SPP’s priorities
• Leading engagement with directorate business leads to ensure that progress against directorates deliverables align with and effectively contribute to SPP’s Strategic Priorities, and delivering the consolidated assessment of SPP performance that is used by the Director-General to support performance discussions with Executive Committee colleagues.

Business Planning

• Supporting the Head of Group Performance in ensuring a robust SPP Group Business Planning Return is submitted to UKHSA’s central Business Planning Team, liaising with Directorate’s Business Leads, and assisting in their completion of templates and generation to provide an effective and consolidated SPP position.
• Overseeing the development of the internal SPP Group business plan

Risk & Assurance

Overseeing the maintenance of SPP strategic and tactical risk registers and assurance activities, and ensuring SPP’s risk registers align with - and when required escalate - relevant issues to be incorporated into UKHSA’s Strategic Risk Register.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The Job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.

Person specification

It is important through your application and Statement of Suitability of 1000 words that you provide evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the essential criteria (for full details of all essential criteria please refer to the attached job description):

Candidates should be able to evidence their skills and successes in the following areas:

• Highly developed communication (written and verbal) skills with the ability to analyse data, write and deliver reports, and/or presentations to a diverse and wide range of people including senior management.
• Significant experience of working in a business management role.
• Proven experience of managing others in a managerial or supervisory role including performance management, carrying out appraisals and development
• Experience setting, monitoring, and managing budgets.
• Highly effective delegation and prioritisation skills with the ability to manage competing demands (self and others).

Benefits

Working for the UKHSA

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.

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. This will be assessed in line with the full list of essential criteria as detailed in the attached job description – please do provide evidence of how you meet this. Your Statement of Suitability should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria (outlined in the person specification section).

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.

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

STAGE 2 – INTERVIEW 

This competition will involve an interview by video. 

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. 

The Success Profiles framework will be used to assess and recruit the most suitable candidate.  The following behaviours will be used at the interview:

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

For further information on the selection process, please refer to the attached Candidate Pack.

Expected Timeline:

Advert close: 23:55hrs on 3rd March 2024 – 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: TBD

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.

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&C’s 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/

Complaint process:

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.