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UK Health Security Agency
About
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will be responsible for planning, preventing and responding to external health threats, and providing intellectual, scientific and operational leadership at national and local level, as well as on the global stage. UKHSA will ensure the nation can respond quickly and at greater scale to deal with pandemics and future threats.
Emergency Preparedness Officer
Accepting applications until: 23-Jul-2024 23:59
Vacancy status: Open
Accepting applications until: 23-Jul-2024 23:59
Key details
Location
- Gwefan
- Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London
- Tref
- Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London
- Cod post
- E14 4PU
- Major / Minor Region
- London
Contract type & working pattern
- Contract
- Permanent
- Oriau
- Full time
- Part time
- Job share
- Flexible working
Salary
- Cyflog
- £30,473 - £41,478 Per Annum pro rata
- Cyfnod cyflog
- Yearly
- Gradd
- (Civil Service: Higher Executive Officer (HEO))
Specialty
- Prif leoliad
- Health Protection Operations
The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a system leader for health security; taking action internationally to strengthen global health security, providing trusted advice to government and the public and reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.
UKHSA’s remit, as an agency with a global-to-local reach, is to protect the health of the nation from infectious diseases and other external threats to health. As the nation’s expert national health security agency UKHSA will:
- Prevent: anticipate threats to health and help build the nation’s readiness, defences and health security
- Detect: use cutting edge environmental and biological surveillance to proactively detect and monitor infectious diseases and threats to health
- Analyse: use world-class science and data analytics to assess and continually monitor threats to health, identifying how best to control and mitigate the risks
- Respond: take rapid, collaborative and effective actions nationally and locally to mitigate threats to health when they materialise
- Lead: lead strong and sustainable global, national, regional and local partnerships designed to save lives, protect the nation from public health threats and reduce inequalities.
Trosolwg o'r swydd
We are looking for an Emergency Preparedness Officer to join our busy and dynamic National Response Centre (NRC) team, which is part of the Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) Directorate in UKHSA. The National Response Centre is responsible for coherence and coordination of:
• situational awareness and preparedness to effectively respond to incidents;
• response to incidents; and
• recovery from incidents
The post holder will provide day-to-day Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) support in the management and co-ordination of the UKHSA national response to incidents. They will employ specialist knowledge and project management skills in the development and delivery of emergency preparedness and response strategies in UKHSA and partner organisations.
Advert
Your key responsibilities will include:
• To provide specialist knowledge in EPRR and the supporting systems. Perform a response role in the National Response Centre (NRC), such as acting as a point of contact for requests for information from other departments, partner agencies and other organisations and supporting incident stand-up, response operations and recovery.
• Support and when required, act directly on behalf of seniors, with responsibility for implementation of projects within the area of emergency preparedness, resilience and response (EPRR) and ensure these are delivered to agreed deadlines and within budget.
• To ensure 24/7 responsiveness, doing the work necessary to protect public health in the UK, you may be required to participate in an out-of-hours on call rota or work over a seven-day period at times
• Supporting situational awareness in incident response.
• Understand and apply information governance principles.
• Provide support and coordination function to wider EPRR groups as required
• Responsible for organising and controlling own workload ensuring deadlines are observed and duties performed efficiently.
• Demonstrate a commitment to understanding and improving health equity.
Gweithio i'n sefydliad
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.
Swydd ddisgrifiad a phrif gyfrifoldebau manwl
The post holder will provide day-to-day Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) support in in the management and co-ordination of the UKHSA national response to incidents. They will employ specialist knowledge and project management skills in the development and delivery of emergency preparedness and response strategies in UKHSA and partner organisations.
- In addition to supporting incidence response, they will also support and lead projects designed to improve processes within the NRC, drive embed change and support team wellbeing.
- They will maintain effective working relationships with a variety of stakeholders both internal and external to the organisation. They will work with minimal supervision and be expected to work flexibly as part of a multi-disciplinary team providing a wide range of duties. They will work with colleagues who are based across the country at different sites and/or who work remotely.
- The postholder will support and occasionally act on behalf of senior leaders in Emergency Preparedness, Resilience, and Response (EPRR). They will ensure the implementation of various EPRR projects, adhering to deadlines and budgetary constraints. As a specialist in EPRR, they will provide expertise during response activities at the National Response Centre (NRC), acting as a key point of contact for information requests and supporting incident response operations and recovery efforts.
- They will manage and utilize data to enhance situational awareness during incidents, developing and maintaining tools such as databases, spreadsheets, questionnaires, and surveys relevant to public health. They will support assurance processes for EPRR activities, ensuring they meet established standards and protocols.
- Their role will involve planning, developing, and delivering EPRR training and exercises across the agency to prepare, validate, and review emergency plans. Following incidents, they will assist in the continuous improvement process by identifying lessons and supporting the effective implementation of recommendations. This includes coordinating the distribution and amendments of emergency response plans.
- They will provide coordination support to various EPRR groups and handle protectively marked assets, ensuring the secure management of communications equipment. With financial authority within agreed limits, they will ensure that the NRC is equipped with the necessary resources.
- Effective line management of staff, if applicable, will be another key responsibility, ensuring team flexibility and capacity to meet NRC needs, professional development, and staff well-being. To maintain 24/7 responsiveness, they may participate in an out-of-hours on-call rota or work over a seven-day period when necessary.
- Their role requires sensitivity in handling requests for restricted access information related to major incidents and business continuity documents, in accordance with the Official Secrets Act. They will be responsible for organizing and managing their workload to meet deadlines and cover for team members in their absence as directed by their line manager.
- A commitment to health equity and continuous professional development is essential. They will identify and address their professional performance and training needs through regular appraisals and individual development plans. This includes attending mandatory and ongoing training to build on their knowledge and skills and participating in relevant conferences and seminars to further their development and increase their expertise in the field.
Essential criteria
• Educated to degree level in relevant subject or equivalent level of qualification and/or equivalent experience
• Experience in emergency preparedness, resilience and response and awareness of BS25999 and the Civil Contingencies Act
• Substantial experience in working with senior managers and professionals across different agencies and professional groups within a results driven environment. As well as experience of managing staff
• You must have IT skills, including advanced Microsoft office experience. You must also have knowledge of the design, development and maintenance of databases/ spreadsheets/ questionnaires/surveys and other intelligence resources and an understanding of data protection legislation.
• Highly motivated and able to plan and manage projects to tight deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills at all levels and an ability to research, analyse and interpret complex material.
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships
Desirable criteria
• Working towards a post graduate level qualification
• Experience working across multiple agencies or organisations
• Background in health
• Awareness of a range of Health Sector provisions & issues
Selection Process Details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
Stage 1: Application & Sift
The CV and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.
You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on essential criteria, and this will be in the form of
• a CV/ Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• a 750 word Statement of Suitability.
Please do not exceed 750 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & presentation
Feedback will not be provided at this stage.
Stage 2 – Interview
You will be invited to a remote interview.
Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview.
There will be a Presentation.
Interviews will be held in July. 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). 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).
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.
Working for the Civil Service:
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 Code 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.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.
It’s important to note that there are currently exceptions to applications being considered if your conviction relates to any of the following:
- life sentences
- arson
- sexual offences
- hate and terror offences
Some departments will also consider the specific offence against the nature of the business, i.e., a conviction for fraud may rule you out for a finance role.
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
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 &
IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ
Your application may be rejected and/or you may be subject to disciplinary action if evidence of plagiarism is detected. Examples of plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as your own.
This is a Non-Reserved post under the Civil Service Nationality Rules. To be eligible for employment in the UK Civil Service applicants must meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs) which operate independently of and additionally to the Immigration Rules. Applicants must also meet necessary security and vetting requirements, along with any other relevant pre-employment checks.
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
For more information on job nationality requirements and the right to work in the UK, see the Civil Service Nationality rules (opens in a new window) and the UK Visas and Immigration rules (opens in a new window)
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.
The Civil Service pay structure and progression is different from NHS Agenda for Change (AfC), most local authority pay grades and other systems that have annual pay increments. For further details, please refer to the Information Sheet- Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment.
For AfC or Medical/Dental posts, you must have the correct professional registration to be appointed. The pay will follow the AfC or Medical & Dental terms & conditions. You may be asked to provide evidence of previous service whilst we are conducting pre-employment checks to determine your starting salary.
For 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.
Given the nature of the work of the UKHSA, as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act, you may be required in an emergency, if deemed a necessity, to redeploy to another role at short notice. You may also be required to work at any other location, within reasonable travelling distance of your permanent home address, in line with the provisions set out in your contract of employment.
Late Applications will unfortunately not be considered.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. 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 (attached as a supporting document).
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: [email protected] 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 here.
Reserve List - If more than the required number of suitable candidates pass the interview criteria, you may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months subject to your agreement. You may be contacted, in merit-order, if similar roles with closely matching essential criteria become available and the department choose to appoint from a reserve list.
Interview expenses will not be reimbursed.
UKHSA is required to check employment and/or education history covering three consecutive years. Please ensure you give details of at least two different referees, even if you were employed in one company for three years or more.
If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.
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 https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
Benefits of working at UKHSA include:
- Generous annual leave:
-26 days for the first 5 years of continuous service
-28 days after 5 years of continuous service
-32 days after 10 years of continuous service
-Plus public holidays and one privilege day for the King’s birthday - Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions.
- Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving.
- Access to a retail discounts and cashback site.
- We also promote flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours). UKHSA views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they are able to enjoy a long-lasting career with us. All employees have the right to apply for flexible working and there are a range of options available including working from home, compressed hours and job sharing.
- We also offer a generous maternity/ paternity and adoption leave package.
Hybrid Working
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 usually spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted hours (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (approximately 3 days a week pro rata) and the rest of your time working from home.
Disability Confident Scheme
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria at sift to ensure these candidates are invited to interview. If you wish to be included in this scheme please tick the box on your application form.
Reasonable Adjustments
The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone.
To help you during the recruitment process, we will take into account any reasonable adjustments that could help you.
An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work.
This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme.
If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should:
Contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.
You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/
Person specification
Qualifications
Meini prawf hanfodol
- Educated to degree level in relevant subject or equivalent level of qualification and/or equivalent experience
Meini prawf dymunol
- Working towards a post graduate level qualification
Knowledge and Experience
Meini prawf hanfodol
- Experience in emergency preparedness, resilience and response and awareness of BS25999 and the Civil Contingencies Act
- Substantial experience in working with senior managers and professionals across different agencies and professional groups within a results driven environment. As well as experience of managing staff
- You must have IT skills, including advanced Microsoft office experience. You must also have knowledge of the design, development and maintenance of databases/ spreadsheets/ questionnaires/surveys and other intelligence resources and an understanding of data protection legislation.
Meini prawf dymunol
- Experience working across multiple agencies or organisations
- Background in health
Skills / Capabilities / Behaviours
Meini prawf hanfodol
- Highly motivated and able to plan and manage projects to tight deadlines.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills at all levels and an ability to research, analyse and interpret complex material.
Meini prawf dymunol
- Awareness of a range of Health Sector provisions & issues
Equality and diversity
Meini prawf hanfodol
- An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships
Documents
- Job Description (PDF, 600.3KB)
- Civil Service Recruitment Principles (PDF, 2.6MB)
- Civil Service Nationality Rules (PDF, 195.3KB)
- Application Form Guidance Notes (PDF, 77.3KB)
- Information Sheet - Starting salaries and benefits (PDF, 129.4KB)
- Information Sheet - Selection Process (PDF, 110.1KB)
- Working at UKHSA and your benefits (PDF, 219.2KB)
Further details / informal visits contact
- Enw
- Sarah Okonkwo
- Teitl y swydd
- Resourcing Support
- Cyfeiriad ebost
- [email protected]
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