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.
Emergencies can happen at any time. It is the role of the Operational Response Centre in DHSC to ensure the health and social care sector is ready to respond, and to provide support to the sector when it is needed. There are a number of risks that could pose a serious threat to the delivery of critical health and care services to the public.  As an Emergency Response Capability Officer, it will be your job to build a picture of those risks, understand the capability of the health and social care sector to respond, develop Government policy and find ways to build its resilience.

The Operational Response Centre covers all aspects of the crisis management cycle: identifying risks, assessing preparedness, agreeing Government policy, building mitigations, responding to incidents, recovering, and learning lessons. In joining our team, you will have the opportunity to get involved in all parts of the cycle, building a strong portfolio of skills and experience in this exciting and unique area of the Government. We are looking for someone keen, willing to get involved and who thrives on variety. We want someone who can work on longer-term projects and also be able to respond quickly to incidents when they occur. 

The Operational Response Centre is a friendly and proactive team who work closely with our partners in our arm’s-length bodies (such as NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency) and across government (including with the Cabinet Office and Home Office) to deliver a professional emergency response, risk and resilience function. 

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

We are recruiting for an Emergency Response Capability Officer post. The role of Emergency Response Capability Officer in the Operational Response Centre will give the postholder the opportunity to utilise and enhance their skills in policy making, problem solving, operational delivery and risk management. They will focus on building the health and social care sector’s capability to respond to a variety of risks such as:

• Energy Disruption including a major power failure
• Critical National Infrastructure resilience

Core functions of the role are to:

• Map threats to the health sector, build a detailed understanding of impacts and identify mitigations;
• Contribute to the development of Government policy;
• Develop contingency plans, in conjunction with other policy teams and partners across government, to inform an incident response;
• Assist the sector in developing their response capability and identify areas to build future resilience.

Person specification

Role responsibilities

Responsibilities include:

• Co-ordinate and push forward the health and social care sector’s work on high profile risks such as Energy Disruption and Critical National Infrastructure.
• Support on aspects of cross-government resilience and preparedness work including for the threats and hazards set out in the Government’s National Risk Register.
• Building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders such as the NHS England Resilience team (who have the operational responsibility for the delivery of resilience programmes in the NHS), the UK Health Security Agency (who provide specialist knowledge on public health risks), and the Home Office (who are the lead government department for the government’s counter terrorism strategy).
• Supporting continuous improvement of the emergency response function in DHSC ensuring that DHSC can effectively respond to a range of disruptions impacting on the health and social care sector.
• Participating in emergency preparedness exercises to test sector and government readiness for a range of scenarios.

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 at short notice. DHSC currently requires staff to work in the office for a minimum of 12 days per month (prorated for part time contracts).

The successful candidate will also be expected to support the wider responsibilities of the Operational Response Centre team by contributing to corporate activities and being part of the Department’s emergency response function. This will include potentially working to a shift pattern including outside of normal working hours. The successful candidate must hold, or be willing to undergo, Security Clearance (SC). 

Key skills and experience required for this role

We are looking for someone who will thrive in dynamic environments, be adaptable with capability to manage multiple asks, and a strong team player. The successful candidate should have an interest in high impact threats to critical health and social care services and working with the crisis management community across government. They will build and maintain relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including NHS England, the UK Health Security Agency, Home Office, COBR Unit in Cabinet Office, among others.

Essential:

• Ability to build good relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
• Able to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing
• 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 to a shift pattern which may include some out of hours or weekend working while standing up to an emergency

Desirable:

• Experience of emergency preparedness and / or operational response
• Knowledge of health and care sector

Working location

Your normal place of work will be London. Within DHSC we offer non-contractual hybrid working. The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time spent in the office, enabling in person interaction and collaboration and enhancing team working, learning, and support. 

Opportunities for some working from home may be available; other flexible working options may be discussed with the hiring manager in line with individual circumstances and business need. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,244, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £9,785 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: W/C 18/03/2024

Interview date: expected W/C 01/04/2024

Interview location: 39 Victoria Street, Westminster, London, SW1H 0EU.

The available interview slots will be released with the sift scores. 

Applications will be sifted on Behaviours and Statement of Suitability.

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.

An initial sift based on the lead behaviour of 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 assessment/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 

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.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

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. 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.