About the job

Job summary

We are recruiting for the position of Regional Head of Emergency Preparedness Resilience and Response (EPRR) to join our UKHSA regional EPRR team. As the Regional Head of EPRR, you will leverage your expertise in this field to develop and integrate best practices, drawing from lessons learned through experiences, incident debriefs, exercises, and national events.

You will also be responsible for the legal and regulatory requirements that apply to the region are met including training, planning and co-ordination working with NHSE/I, Local Authorities, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), Local NHS Commissioners, multi-agency partners and the local resilience fora.

The role will require frequent travel within the geographical area of responsibility and some travel elsewhere.

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 UKHSA's Canary Wharf office (10 South Colonnade, London, E14 4PU).

*Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas. Relocation expenses are not available. *

Working Pattern – Full Time, Part Time, Job Share, Flexible Working, Hybrid Working,

Job description

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Responsible for the strategic and operational oversight of the preparation, implementation maintenance, exercising and compliance of the Region’s EPRR and Business Continuity plans in accordance with local and national guidance.
• Lead and provide systematic assurance as to the effectiveness of the Region’s emergency and contingency planning arrangements at strategic, tactical, and operational levels through a structured review of the organisation’s capabilities.
• Ensure the regions is prepared to respond to any health protection emergency. Leading to ensure that the region has the capability and capacity to response to emergencies and incidents, covering health protection scenarios.
• In the event of a major or significant incident and act as a tactical advisor to UKHSA strategic leads.
• Ensure that the region, as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, fulfils its civil protection responsibilities.
• Provide assurance to the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) that local and regional UKHSA EPRR systems have resilient plans in place to respond to health emergencies, acting as the conduit between regional and national systems.
• Facilitate the operational debriefing following major, large scale or significant incidents.
• Lead the regional coordination of and enable strategic development and implementation of the EPRR assurance and preparedness functions to support corporate strategies, national and corporate guidance, and initiatives.
• Lead the implementation of the Regional Response Centre and its ongoing functionality and assurance, aligned to the UKHSA Response Centre Framework.
• Working with other Regional EPRR Teams, the Head of EPRR will lead on ensuring that lessons learned are applied and tailored to support local systems; and across government to ensure an effective response to all health hazards.

Please review the Job Description for the full list of responsibilities.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The Job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.

Person specification

It is important through your application and Statement of Suitability of 1500 words that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the essential criteria (for full details of all essential criteria please refer to the attached job description):

Essential

• Demonstrable experience of working within and a resilience and business continuity role at a senior level or a Level 7 qualification in a relevant subject and able to demonstrate an equivalent level of specialist knowledge.
• Substantial senior level Resilience/ Business Continuity experience, with significant operational management experience of a multi-functional team.
• Highly developed knowledge of legislation and guidance in relation to emergency planning, civil contingencies, and business continuity
• Significant experience in organisational transformation and business change in a large complex matrix organisation leading large scale or national programmes of work.
• Experience planning and delivering training programmes and large- and small-scale tabletop and live play exercises including structured debriefing.
• Experience of and in-depth knowledge of emergency service command and control procedures.

Desirable

• Professional/vocational courses related to EPRR i.e., Business Continuity Certification, Teaching qualification.
• Completed Principles of Health Command Training
• Project and programme management qualifications or equivalent experience for example Prince 2, Managing Successful Programmes, Agile PM
• Member of an EPRR professional Body.

Please review the Job Description for the full criteria.

Benefits

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

STAGE 1 - APPLICATION & SIFT: 

Your Statement of Suitability (1500 words maximum) 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.

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

STAGE 2 – INTERVIEW 

This stage will involve an interview via MS Teams.   

As part of the process, candidates will be invited to interview which will involve an in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.  Candidates will also be asked to participate in a session where they will be required to prepare and deliver a 5-minute presentation to the panel.  This will be followed by a question-and-answer segment.  The presentation will be designed to assess each candidate’s experience in line with the requirements of the role.  Full details will be provided prior to the interview.

Expected Timeline:

Advert close: 23:55hrs on 29th April 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.

Shortlist: w/c 30th April 2024

Interviews: w/c 9th May 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)

Nationality requirements

Appointments to roles within UKHSA will be made in accordance with the Civil Service nationality rules. These can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

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 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.  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&C’s 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/

Complaint process:

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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission. 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.