About the job

Job summary

We are looking for two Emergency Preparedness Support Officers to join our busy and dynamic National Response Centre (NRC) team, which is part of the Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) Directorate in UKHSA. The National Response Centre is responsible for coherence and coordination of:

• situational awareness and preparedness to effectively respond to incidents; 
• response to incidents; and 
• recovery from incidents

The post holder will provide day-to-day Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) support in the management and co-ordination of the UKHSA national response to incidents. They will maintain effective working relationships with a variety of stakeholders both internal and external to the organisation.

Job description

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Lead and act as a central coordinating point of contact for a range of business administration activities.
• Communicate and engage effectively with a range of people, including internal and external staff and stakeholders.
• Responsible for the organisation of meetings and events and production of reports, papers, minutes and updating action logs as required. This will include providing secretariat support to teams and other internal meetings and networks as required
• Support the development of systems and procedures where necessary to ensure efficiency, quality and cost effectiveness across the function.
• Provide cover as directed by line manager for other members of the team in their absence and assist with their workloads as necessary
• Demonstrate a commitment to understanding and improving health equity.
• Be a visible, positive and competent role model and motivator, and provide training, advice and support in own area of responsibility.

Person specification

In this role, they will provide day-to-day Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) support in the management and co-ordination of the UKHSA national response to incidents. They will maintain effective working relationships with a variety of stakeholders both internal and external to the organisation

In this role, the post-holder will ensure the seamless operation of their team and the wider organization through comprehensive administrative support. They will lead and coordinate business administration activities, including compiling and updating documents like rotas, on-call schedules, and overtime records. Effective communication with a diverse range of stakeholders is crucial, as is managing stakeholder interactions and overseeing incident mailboxes.

The post-holder will organize meetings and events, prepare reports, draft papers, take minutes, and update action logs. They will support the development of systems and procedures to enhance efficiency, quality, and cost-effectiveness. Active participation in internal working groups and projects will allow the post-holder to contribute to broader organizational goals, representing their team in various initiatives.

Information analysis and reporting are key components, requiring timely and accurate analysis and clear presentation of findings using digital and IT applications. Proactive workload management is essential to ensure all deadlines are met, and duties are performed efficiently. The post-holder will provide cover for colleagues as needed to ensure continuity of service.

Given the nature of the work, participation in an out-of-hours on-call rota or a seven-day work period may be required to ensure 24/7 responsiveness, particularly for public health protection in the UK. The post-holder will demonstrate a commitment to improving health equity, provide training and support in their area of responsibility, and manage staff to promote professional development and well-being if applicable. They will also supervise surge support to the National Response Centre as required, ensuring readiness to address emerging challenges.

The post-holder will discuss and action their training needs with their line manager, attending appraisals, mandatory training, and development events. They will engage in continuous learning to enhance their skills and explore professional or management pathways.

Essential criteria

• You are educated to level 2 in any field, or with equivalent demonstrable working experience
• You have significant administrative experience including developing, implementing and maintaining administrative systems,  handling sensitive information, organising meetings, producing supporting paperwork e.g. agendas and taking minutes.  You must also have IT skills, including advanced Microsoft Office experience.
• You are experienced at working under pressure handling multiple tasks and prioritising own workload.
• You communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing. Take time to consider the best communication channel to use for the audience, including making the best of digital resources and considering value for money.
• You have the ability to work without supervision working to tight and often changing timescales whilst following relevant policies, procedures and legislation to complete your work.
• You work well as part of a team and strive to ensure the team pulls together and is effective. You also have an understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.
• You are inquisitive, you seek out new information and look for new ways to develop yourself.

Desirable criteria

• Experience working in a public-sector organisation
• Experience of Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and/or Response
• Ability to manage staff.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £25,976, UK Health Security Agency contributes £7,013 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

Selection Process

Stage 1: Application & Sift

Competency-based assessments

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on essential criteria, and this will be in the form of 

• A CV/ Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• A 500 word (maximum) Statement of Suitability.

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

The CV and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.

 In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist against behaviour statement ,Education to level 2, or with equivalent demonstrable working experience AND Experience of organising meetings and producing supporting paperwork, including agendas and taking minutes/action notes

We will shortlist against the essential criteria listed in the Person Specification.

Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered 

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment

Please do not exceed 500 words.  We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview 

You will be invited to a remote interview.

Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview 

Interviews will be held in August. Please note, these dates are subject to change.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

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.

Eligibility Criteria

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 is Basic Personnel Security Standard.

Working for the Civil Service:

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. 

 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

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. 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.