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.

The Emergency Preparedness and Health Protection Directorate (EPHP), within the Global and Public Health Group, plays a vital role in preparing for and responding to all types of national incidents or emergencies affecting the public's health, such as disease outbreaks or terrorist attacks. This busy Directorate leads a great range of policy, covering everything from infectious disease planning and response including Ebola and pandemic flu, to health security, antimicrobial resistance, and counter terrorism preparations and response.

Job description

We are recruiting for two SEO roles in the newly formed ORC Risk, Governance and Capabilities, and UKHSA Sponsorship branch within EPHP.

The Risk, Governance and Capabilities team is responsible for ensuring the Department has a comprehensive overview of all the possible threats to the public’s health and risks to the effective functioning of health and social care sector. The team works alongside colleagues in the Department and within our arm's length bodies, to conduct regular reviews of the wide range of risks faced by the UK, in the short-term and the longer-term, and evaluate the extent of their possible health impacts. These risks include health specific risks, such as the threat of infectious diseases, and indirect health risks, such as natural power outage or natural and environmental hazards. Our aim is to ensure the healthcare system is as prepared and resilient as possible to all forms of threats to health.

The roles offer significant policy and strategy leadership, with excellent exposure to Ministers and opportunities to work with a wide range of stakeholders, including at very senior levels, across government, regulators and externally. The roles may also include elements of sponsorship of UKHSA, an Arm's Length Body of the Department. The roles are varied allowing the individual to develop a wide range of skills across policy development, project management, legislative delivery, and stakeholder engagement. Our teams work flexibly across the Directorate to ensure that individuals have stretching objectives and wide-ranging portfolios.

If successful in the recruitment, the exact portfolio of work and deliverables will be agreed with successful candidate.

Person specification

Role responsibilities

For the Climate and Environmental Hazards Programme Manager role, you will:

• Lead on complex policy work relating to environmental hazards such as Ionising radiation for medical exposures. This will require proactive engagement with a wide range of stakeholders such as Devolved administrations, medical regulators and UKHSA to develop mitigations to policy issues which may include undertaking consultations or amending legislation
• Work to support health system adherence to the Environmental Principles Policy Statement Duty to ensure consistency of consideration across DHSC and continued engagement with other government departments to share learnings. This will include leading teach-ins on the duty and advising staff on their consideration of the duty. Coordinate the departmental response to cross-cutting queries on the Environmental Principles Policy Statement Duty.
• Oversight and evaluation of the health system's National Adaptation programme commitments, including risks to health and social care delivery from Climate change. This will require building and maintaining strong working relationships across the health system's adaptation teams to identify emerging issues and collaborating with partners to support progress of commitments. 
• Influencing cross-government activity on long term adaptation policy, by working closely across the health system, Whitehall, and Devolved Administrations to develop policy to strengthen resilience of healthcare delivery.
• Lead drafting of policy papers, briefings, and advice for Ministerial and Senior Officials.

For the Risk, Governance and Capabilities Programme Manager role, you will:

• Lead the identification of threats to health and working with colleagues in the NHS, UKHSA and across government to determine the scale of their possible impact and assess the work already going on to address them.
• Contribute to the development of a comprehensive overview of all risks that could impact upon the health and social care system and assessing the current level of capability within the system to prevent and mitigate those risks.
• Support the development of methodologies to compare risks and capabilities across the system and identify priorities.
• Identify and support policy teams to develop options for capability improvement.
• Co-ordinating health’s contribution to the National Security Risk Assessment and other central government risk and capability programmes.

Key skills and experience required for this role:

Essential:

• Ability to get to grips with complex information and interpret data and to support decisions.
• Ability to communicate clearly and persuasively, verbally and in writing.
• Ability to build strong working relationships with colleagues within and beyond your organisation, including experts and to build trust and credibility with seniors.
• Ability to work collaboratively across a broad portfolio on cross-cutting policy.
• Ability to work independently to agreed deadlines, ensuring delivery of timely quality outcomes and to work flexibly across the team.
• Ability to deliver at pace and manage competing priorities.

Desirable but non-essential skills for the roles include:

• Experience of project, programme, and portfolio delivery methodologies.
• Experience of working within health or emergency preparedness and response environments

Flexible working location requirements

Your normal place of work will be your contractual primary workplace, usually either London or Leeds.  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. 

You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas and some travel may be required across the DHSC estate. 

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. 

There are a limited number of DHSC colleagues who have existing agreed homeworking contracts resulting from Our Future Estate Programme 2023-2024. Colleagues covered by these arrangements are eligible to apply for this role whilst continuing their agreed existing home working arrangement. Occasional travel to DHSC offices or other locations may still be required according to business need. Travel and subsistence will be provided in line with the pre-agreed homeworker arrangements.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £40,025, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £10,806 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 20/05/2024

Interview date: expected W/C 10/06/2024

Interview location: By video

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 750 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for this 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 and to find out more information on how to apply visit the Civil Service Careers Website here 

Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate. 

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance.

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

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.

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.

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.