About the job

Job summary

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.  

As an economist in UKHSA’s Centre for Climate and Health Security you will be part of a team building the organisation’s economics capability, contributing specifically to development of capacity to protect UK health from the threats posed by climate change. The role provides a great opportunity to shape the organisation’s culture and tread new ground.

You will work with other experts (epidemiologists, data scientists, climate scientists and public health experts) to assess the economic costs and benefits of preparing for and responding to the health threats posed by climate change and to help build our understanding of how health security and climate change risks interact with the wider economy. As a new role, there will be some flexibility in the work undertaken but this also comes with the ability for the post-holder to shape the role towards their interests. We recognise that applicants will not necessarily have expertise in both environmental/climate and health economics. We encourage candidates to apply if they have relevant expertise in either health economics or climate/environmental economics and are willing to extend and build their economics expertise within the intersection of climate and health.

Job description

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Provide analysis and insight: You will apply economic techniques to analyse and communicate the costs of climate threats to health in the UK, and the costs and benefits of alternative adaptation options in conjunction with other specialists. This includes carrying out cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis, but may also extend to ad-hoc pieces of work to support decision-making. You are open to learning more about the climate and health domain from other experts while demonstrating the value that economics can bring to climate change and public health questions. You will need to develop clear high-quality analysis and communicate it to a senior audience. 
• Develop Economic Cases: You will work across the organisation on developing economic cases for key projects and programmes as part of the standard five-part business case process. This will include focus on applying your knowledge of economics and the Green Book to assess benefits and costs of different adaptation options and help the organisation come to a preferred approach. You may also need to provide quality assurance to cases written by stakeholders.
• Build the Economic profession at UKHSA: All the while, you will be at the forefront of building the role and reputation of the economic profession within UKHSA in general, and providing leadership on economics for climate and health adaptation in particular. Working with experts across multiple fields, you will showcase the value of economics to all colleagues as well as contributing to building an inclusive and welcoming community of economists.

For a full list of the main duties and responsibilities of the role, please refer to the attached Job Description. 

Your responsibilities include: 

• Leading thinking on how climate and health adaptation interventions impact health security and the economy, how we should assess associated costs and benefits to society and developing the evidence base for informing policymaking.
• Leading thinking on how climate impacts on health security impact the economy, how we should assess its costs to society and developing the evidence base for informing policy-making. 
• Producing cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis to guide UKHSA decision-making in adapting to climate risks to health. 
• Developing robust economic cases, using the latest evidence for key UKHSA projects and programmes.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of health and/or climate economics and experience in applying it to provide insight into complex health and/or climate problems.
• Master’s degree in economics, relevant numerate discipline or related field or relevant equivalent experience.
• Ability to effectively communicate the results of analyss to senior stakeholders and decision makers.
• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to develop and maintain. key stakeholder relationships.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent presentation skills.
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems.

Desirable criteria

• Experience in climate or environmental economics.
• Ability to work at pace to deadlines across multiple projects.
• Experience with developing Green Book-compliant business cases including knowledge of best practice.
• Experience in cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis, particularly relating to health and/or climate change interventions.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £38,724, UK Health Security Agency contributes £10,455 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 will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your Qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and capabilities outlined in the essential criteria.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the above listed 7 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of

• a CV/ Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• a Statement of Suitability of no more than 750 words.

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria. Please do not exceed 750 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.

The CV/ Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.

In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on: 

• Knowledge of health and/or climate economics and experience in applying it to provide insight into complex health and/or climate problems.
• Master’s degree in economics, relevant numerate discipline or related field or relevant equivalent experience 

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

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a (single) remote interview. 

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

Interviews will be held on 17th July 2024. 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,  Chilton, Colindale, Porton Down).  

Eligibility Criteria 

 This vacancy is 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. 

Disability Confident scheme  

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.    

Reserve List clause  

Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post will be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be contacted if similar roles become available.   

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  

New 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.