About the job

Job summary

The UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST)

 Launched in 2016, the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) is an innovative government-academia partnership funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and co-led by UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), with a consortium of academic and implementing partners in the UK and internationally. It comprises a multidisciplinary team of public health professionals and researchers with a novel integrated triple-remit of outbreak response, research, and capacity strengthening to prevent and control epidemics of infectious diseases in countries eligible for UK Official Development Assistance (ODA). Both institutes contribute to and are responsible for delivery of the UK-PHRST triple mandate across outbreak response, research and capacity strengthening, with LSHTM leading the research programme and UKHSA who lead the outbreak response.

The UK-PHRST has the following objectives: 

1. Support partners in ODA-eligible countries to prepare for, prevent, detect, and respond rapidly to disease outbreaks, with the aim of stopping a public health threat from becoming a health emergency.
2. Identify research questions with partners and deliver rigorous research with partners that improves the evidence base for best practice in disease outbreak prevention, detection, and response in ODA-eligible countries.
3. Support the strengthening and development of in-country capacity for improved national preparedness, prevention, detection, and response to disease outbreaks. 

The UK-PHRST is a multidisciplinary team that includes a range of technical skillsets from across public health, core programme/operational management, and senior leadership.

Job description

JOB SUMMARY

The Travel and Logistics Coordinator will be responsible for co-ordinating on travel and logistical arrangements to support the rapid, efficient and safe deployment and return of public health experts on UK-PHRST operations worldwide. The successful applicant will be expected to work closely with LSHTM

Please read all the information on this page carefully - The main duties and responsibilities for the role are displayed below.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

•    Manage all UK-PHRST logistical arrangements, including the development and implementation of logistics policies and procedures.
• Procure goods and services, transportation and distribution of equipment
•     Manage material stocks and supply chain, ensuring that the supply chain is appropriate and cost effective, based on budget, markets, infrastructure, and need for timely delivery.
• Provide travel support for the UK-PHRST (including flights, visas and accommodation).
•     Contribute to the cross-government deployment decision making process by providing timely information on all logistical aspects of deployment, including providing creative solutions where problems are identified.
• Ensure that agility and mobility in logistics and create a structure that allows for flexibility and collaboration.
• Advise on delivery mechanisms and distribution planning.
• Liaise and co-ordinate with internal (e.g. occupational health) and external partners (e.g. Overseas Government Departments and international partners) to support rapid and safe deployments.
• Work closely and build a good working relationship within the UK-PHRST to ensure that the team is appropriately supported pre-, during and post-deployment.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of operating environments and partners and efficient methods of knowledge transfer.
• Develop standard operating procedures for logistical support and maintain a database of business critical operating documents to support the UK-PHRST programme.
• Co-ordinate and administer the on-call/duty officer arrangements for the UK-PHRST.
•    Ensure timely and accurate reporting and the escalation of risks to the logistics objectives of the UK-PHRST to the Programme Manager and Director.
•  Support the UK-PHRST Deployments and Operations Manager to ensure that deployments are provided with comprehensive pre-deployment and in-country logistical support, working in close partnership with the second UK-PHRST Travel and Logistics Coordinator.
• Be prepared to stand in for the Deployments and Operations Manager when required. The accurate and timely financial budgeting, expenditure, forecasting and reporting on deployment and operational aspects of UK-PHRST work, ensuring value for money.
• Ensure accurate and timely financial budgeting, expenditure, forecasting and reporting on deployment and operational aspects of UK-PHRST work, ensuring value for money.
• Manage the payment of invoices and recharges to the UK-PHRST from external and internal partners.

Person specification

You will be assessed on the below essential criteria, which have been selected from the Job Description

Essential Criteria:

• Experience in logistics and supply chain management.
• Experience in logistics and supply chain management Experience of procuring goods and services, providing value for money, and monitoring budgets and business planning processes.
• Experience of working in projects delivered in partnerships, with the ability to manage multiple projects, prioritise effectively, and work under pressure while meeting conflicting deadlines.
• Ability to analyse and resolve highly complex information queries and problems, and demonstrate the capability to act on incomplete information, using experience to make inferences and decisions.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, and proven experience of building excellent working relationships, both internal and external.
• Substantially numerate, with highly developed analytical skills using qualitative and quantitative data, and working knowledge of Microsoft Office with good keyboard skills.
• Strong organisational and project management skills, with adaptability, flexibility, and the ability to cope with uncertainty, change, and a busy environment.
• Demonstrate appreciation and acknowledgment of the range and complexities of diversity; self-awareness in terms of emotional intelligence, biases and personal triggers; cultural competence – cultural sensitivity and awareness.

Desirable Criteria:

• Knowledge of the U.K. National HMG system and working cross-government and international arena, successfully operating in a politically sensitive environment.
• Understanding of global health issues, including the health challenges of LMICs and the international health architecture.

This is not an exhaustive list please see Job description document for full list of duties.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,463, UK Health Security Agency contributes £9,305 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  

Competency-based assessments You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the essential criteria listed in the Person Specification below. This assessment will be in the form of:

• a CV/ Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application) 
• a 1250 word Statement of Suitability.  

 This should outline how you consider your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.  

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

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

 Please do not exceed 1250 words.  We will not consider any words over and above this number. 

 Feedback will not be provided at this stage. 

Stage 2: Interview (competency based) 

 You will be invited to a (single) remote interview 

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

 Interviews will be held week commencing TBC. 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  

The post holder will be based at the London Office (Canary Wharf) office.

 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  working at your contractual work base. (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month).  Specialist or regional roles will be based at the appropriate UKHSA site.  

Eligibility Criteria

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

Temporary Appointments

If you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment. If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan. If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA’s Pay policy.

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

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.