About the job

Job summary

We are currently looking for a Head of Policy to join our Policy and Regulatory Reform team within the Partnerships group.

This is a full-time opportunity, on a permanent basis. The role will be based in 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf London, E14 4PU. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas.  

Government departments and agencies are working towards implementing a minimum 60% attendance in office sites.

We are currently implementing a flexible, hybrid way of working, with a minimum of 8 days per month working on site to enable the collaboration and contact with partners and stakeholders needed to deliver MHRA business. Attendance on site is driven by business needs so depending on the nature of the role, this can flex up to 12 days a month, with the remainder of time worked either remotely or in the office. Some roles will need to be on site more regularly.

 

Who are we? 

 

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency enhance and improve the health of millions of people every day through the effective regulation of medicines and medical devices, underpinned by science and research.  

The Partnerships Group is responsible for the development and oversight of the MHRA’s national and international partnerships; for developing a new underpinning legal regime for medicines and medical devices; and for the MHRA’s business development work (the exact model for this is under development).

The Group focuses on areas which are of central importance to the Agency’s future, contributing to the NHS and priority public health objectives; delivering the Government’s Life Sciences Vision; and ensuring continued global leadership through the development of new international partnerships. These, and other transformational regulatory proposals which are being developed across the Agency, will require legislation to be updated, and potentially, to be reformed into a new legal regime.

Job description

What’s the role?

The aim of the role is to lead the Agency’s policy work on cross-cutting themes, delivering priority policy, and to ensure sound business management for the Group.

This role will sit on the senior leadership team in the Partnerships Group, participating in the overall management of the Group, including ensuring strong collaborative and cross-Group working.

This role is central to ensuring a strong response to critical and urgent issues, meaning interaction with the most senior people in the Agency and senior colleagues in the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and wider government departments, and need to ensure the confidence of DHSC in MHRA’s ability to deliver on central Government business and priority policy issues.

 

Key responsibilities:

 

-        Manage a core team of staff covering core policy business and additionally managing staff on a “project” basis as they contribute to cross-cutting pieces of work. Lead across a joint Regulatory Policy team, ensuring shared priorities and best use of resources across a team developing new policy areas, and those working to put agreed policy into new legislation.

 

-        Take a personal lead on areas of Regulatory Policy, including new legislation as needed, and at least one area of cross-cutting business.

 

-        Oversee a core policy function, which provides streamlined management of core Parliamentary business, and some advisory support to the MHRA.

 

-        Develop a policy portfolio, identifying and prioritising key cross-cutting policy areas on which MHRA action would benefit UK public health, the NHS or life sciences partners, and developing understanding of impact of MHRA policies.

 

Person specification

Who are we looking for? 

 

Our successful candidate will have substantial experience of delivering on policy and leading significant teams, ideally working on regulation or the development of legislation in health, life sciences or regulation environments, and be able to demonstrate they meet the following criteria in the job description:

-          Seeing the Big Picture 

-          Communicating and influencing 

-          Delivering at Pace

-          Leadership 

-          Changing and Improving       

 

If you would like to find out more about this fantastic opportunity, please read our Job Description and Person Specification! 

 

Please note: The job description may not open in some internet browsers. Please use Chrome or Microsoft Edge. If you have any issue viewing the job description, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk 

 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £70,011, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency contributes £18,902 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

The selection process: 

 

We use the Civil Service Success Profiles to assess our candidates, find out more here. 

•  Online application form, including questions based on the Behaviour and Experience Success Profiles. Please ensure all application questions are completed in full; your application may not be considered if any responses are left blank. Our applications are CV blind, and our Hiring Managers will not be able to access your CV when reviewing your application. 
• Supporting statement – please submit a pdf statement of no more than 500 words with your application, describing how your career experience makes you suitable for this role.
• Presentation, at interview, with more information to be given if you reach this stage
• Interview, which can include questions based on the Behaviour, Experience, Technical and Strengths Success Profiles. 

Applicants are assessed on whether they meet any mandatory requirements as well as the necessary skills and experience for the role. Applications are scored based on the answers provided - ensure you have read these thoroughly and allow sufficient time. You can view the criteria for this role in the job description. 

Use of AI in Applications

Applicants must ensure that anything submitted is factually accurate and truthful. Plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

 

If you require any disability related adjustments at any point during the process, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk as soon as possible. 

  

Closing date: 25 April 2024

Shortlisting date: 30 April – 1 May 2024

Interview date: W/C 7 May 2024

 

Candidates will be contacted within a week of the sift and the interviews completed to inform them of the outcome.

 

If you need assistance applying for this role or have any other questions, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk 

 

Candidates will be subject to UK immigration requirements as well as Civil Service nationality rules. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here. 

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check as well as animal rights and pro-life activism checks. People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

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.

Any move to the MHRA 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 here.

 

Successful candidates may be subject to annual Occupational Health reviews dependent on role requirements. If you have any queries, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk.

 

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment on the basis of merit by a fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should firstly contact Mira Mepa, Head of Recruitment and Operations, Mira.Mepa@mhra.gov.uk.  

 

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk 

 

info@csc.gov.uk 

Civil Service Commission 

Room G/8 

1 Horse Guards Road 

London 

SW1A 2HQ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.