About the job

Job summary

National: £51,824 - £61,414

Inner: £55,799 - £65,089

UKHSA safeguards public health from infectious diseases and threats. We're building a high-performing, diverse team, and you'll play a pivotal role in attracting top talent for key roles, including Executives and Specialists.

Are you passionate about finding the best talent? Join UKHSA and shape a dynamic attraction strategy. This is your chance to lead a dedicated team, build meaningful relationships, and leave a lasting impact.

Location

The UK Health Security Agency (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 (mainly Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London).  Specialist or regional roles will be based at the appropriate UKHSA site. For certain roles, some additional flexibility may be possible, which will be agreed upon with the hiring manager based on individual requirements and business needs. 

The balance between home and workplace working is to be agreed with the line manager, determined primarily by business need and in line with departmental policy.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas.

Job description

The main duties of the role will include:

• Crafting a compelling attraction strategy: Design innovative approaches to attract diverse talent across professions, leveraging data and strategic planning.
• Candidate Sourcing: Identify the best channels, build powerful networks, and partner with universities and key employers to widen entry routes.
• Leading a motivated team: Coach, mentor, and empower your direct team and the wider resourcing team to deliver exceptional recruitment experiences for candidates and hiring managers.
• Shaping the future: Analyse trends, identify industry best practices, and share insights to continuously improve our recruitment processes.
• Being a strategic influencer: Partner with stakeholders and communicate effectively to gain buy-in and drive change.
• Relationship Building: Build relationships internally and externally to maximise the potential attraction of candidates.
• Executive Recruitment: Ensure the Senior Civil Service recruitment is managed effectively for senior leaders in UKHSA

Person specification

It is important through your application and Statement of Suitability of no more than 750 words that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the following criteria:

Essential Criteria

• Substantial experience in a fast-paced talent acquisition environment
• Experience of sourcing top talent for niche and hard-to-fill roles, using a variety of innovative strategies.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to partner, influence, and impact direction of senior stakeholders and external partners
• The ability to source and analyse data to identify trends and set applicable recruitment strategies and process improvements

Desirable Criteria

• Experience in the Civil Service recruitment environment.
• Familiarity with Civil Service Recruitment Principles and the Civil Service Success Profiles Framework.

Benefits

Working for the UKHSA

For more information on the UKHSA please visit: UK Health Security Agency - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• Range of health and wellbeing support

Any move to UKHSA 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 Childcare Choices , 30 Hours Free Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More , Help with Costs , GOV.UK

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

As part of the application process, you will also be asked to provide a Statement of Suitability in no more than 750 words outlining why you will be suitable for the role.

Your Statement of Suitability should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria (outlined in the person specification section).

You will also be asked to provide information within the ‘Employer/ Activity history’ section of the application form. This is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV, setting out your career history.

STAGE 1 - APPLICATION & SIFT: 

Please use your personal statement to demonstrate how your skills and experience demonstrate your suitability for this role, in reference to the essential criteria detailed in the person specification section.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

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

STAGE 2 – INTERVIEW 

This competition will involve an interview via Teams with a presentation

Experience (Tested at Interview through a Presentation):

Against the ‘Essential Criteria’ outlined above

Behaviours (Tested at Interview):

• Seeing The Bigger Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating & Influencing
• Leadership

Expected Timeline: 

Advert close: 23:55hrs on 07/03/2024 – unfortunately, late applications will not be considered. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Interviews date:  w/c 18/03/2024

Please note these dates could be subject to change.  

Eligibility Criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants)

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 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 welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.

Security clearance level requirement

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Clearance. If the candidate does not hold this level of clearance it can be applied for on appointment.

People working with government assets must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard checks.

For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest. 

Please Note

This role is to be appointed under Civil Service Terms & Conditions. Full details on the T&Cs are found https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

Are you already a civil servant, or employed by a Civil Service Commission accredited public body? Please state home department on your application form.

Do you meet the nationality requirements for this post? https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints1@ukhsa.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website. 

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.