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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
Closed for applications on: 22-Jul-2024 00:05
Vacancy status: Closed
Closed for applications on: 22-Jul-2024 00:05
Key details
Location
- Site
- Bristol
- Town
- Bristol
- Postcode
- BS1 6EH
- Major / Minor Region
- London
Contract type & working pattern
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job share
- Flexible working
Salary
- Salary
- £30,473 - £37,215 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Grade
- (Civil Service: Higher Executive Officer (HEO))
Specialty
- Main area
- South West EPRR Team
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.
Job overview
UKHSA is a Category 1 responder as defined by the Civil Contingencies Act, 2004 and Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) is an important element of its activity. This role is pivotal in ensuring that UKHSA delivers and maintains a high-quality service in this area.
The Emergency Preparedness Officer (EPO) provides local guidance for health emergency preparedness and advice working within the UKHSA South West Region EPRR team and reporting to the Emergency Preparedness Manager (EPM).
The EPO assists in ensuring governance and audit of all UKHSA region emergency plans and will be required to attend Local Resilience Forums, Local Health Resilience Partnerships and associated sub-groups.
The EPO will also work with the colleagues in the EPRR team in delivering business plan priorities that includes lessons identified process following incidents and exercises and provision of training and exercising to staff within UKHSA and external stakeholders.
Advert
The Emergency Preparedness Officer is a development role and will work within the South West EPRR team supporting activities in the assessment, development, production and maintenance of the emergency preparedness and response arrangements as well as governance and audit processes in line with agreed UKHSA standards. They will also be required to contribute to the Local Resilience Fora, Local Health Resilience Partnerships and specific sub-groups representing UKHSA when and where appropriate.
Other key duties will include but not limited to:
• Provide specialist knowledge in emergency planning and the supporting systems
• Assist in the development of UKHSA policies for the development, planning and delivery of emergency preparedness activities
• Support the EPMs to ensure that plans and response systems are tested and exercised as well as review processes following an incident/ emergency by providing written reports which assess lessons identified
• Contribute, in support of the EPMs, to the development and delivery of the staff training programme
• Undergo a programme of on-going development and education to build on existing knowledge and develop skills to meet competencies required to undertake the role
A full list of duties and responsibilities can be found in the job description
Working for our organisation
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.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Working as an Emergency Preparedness Officer (EPO), you will be a key member of the UKHSA SW EPRR team reporting to the Emergency Preparedness Manager (EPM). Your role will involve leading on and supporting elements of the team’s work plan and wider UKHSA SW Business Plan. As an EPO you will be developing an understanding of the cycle of emergency planning and related activities of integrated emergency management (IEM) as this is what the work of the SW EPRR team aligns to enabling UKHSA to fulfil its duties as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (CCA).
The SW EPRR team’s work plan also underpins the corporate Ready to Respond priorities as well as ensuring additional activities are delivered. As a member of the EPRR team you will have an active role in delivering these activities including their monitoring/updating at weekly touchpoint meetings and regular team working days. Examples of current priorities that you will be involved in are:
Stakeholder engagement in the Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) and Local Health Resilience Partnerships (LHRPs) delivering UKHSA duties as a Category 1 responder under the CCA. Working as the Emergency Preparedness Officer you will have an identified locality to support which will include engagement with multiagency partners in the LRF and LHRP business management groups. Within these fora you will be supported by the EPM (and wider EPRR team) to be the UKHSA SW representative ensuring the delivery of our duties under the CCA.
A significant proportion of your time as an EPO will involve attending, supporting, and engaging with stakeholders at multi-agency meetings. This is critical in developing strong working partnerships and aligns with the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP). The work of the LRFs and LHRPs is prioritised by the outcome of risk assessments as part of the National Security Risks Assessment process where current capabilities and identified gaps are assessed and agreed and Community Risk Register work where we support the information on risks that is shared with the public.
Your role will also be to ensure stakeholder understanding of the role of UKHSA and/or signpost to UKHSA services to support the local risk assessment process and inform local capability requirements to mitigate the impact of risks. In addition, you will support the scoping, planning, design, and delivery of the required training and exercising materials to enable the effective activation of arrangements in response to incidents.
Training needs analysis; identifying staff training needs by mapping against their development and competency requirements of their role(s). You will be involved in agreeing priorities and then either signposting to available resources or supporting the development of the staff training programme and delivery of bespoke structured sessions (face to face, virtual or hybrid) on aspects of UKHSA and multi-agency EPRR processes, updating these as required.
Debrief delivery and monitoring of lessons identified; following incident response and exercises your role will be to support and, with training, deliver debrief activities, identifying themes and lessons and through root cause analysis (RCA) agree recommendations and actions to enable the learning of lessons. Your role will also include ensuring that lessons identified are entered onto the Lessons Identified Tool that has been developed across the UKHSA regions.
Regional Response Centre (RRC) implementation and administration; each UKHSA region delivers an RRC capability (linking with the National Response Centre (NRC)), and in the EPO role you will be part of a daily rota where you will monitor the RRC email account (along with other key EPRR email accounts) to flag, categorise and respond to emails in accordance with an agreed standard operating procedure (SOP). In this key role there are agreed processes for you follow but you may also be required to use your own judgement and initiative to escalate and respond appropriately, especially where the task is outside of the scope of the existing SOP.
Your role within the EPRR team will also be to provide a horizon scanning capability, monitoring updates and briefings that are received via emails and intelligence shared at stakeholder meetings and through the Resilience Direct platform, escalating, sharing and actioning as required.
Science and Technical Advice Cell (STAC); UKHSA has responsibility for the coordination of science and technical advice in response to an incident, and for major incidents this may be coordinated through the STAC. As an EPO you will be part of the team supporting the updating and publishing of the plan and the development and delivery of training and exercising of the STAC arrangements, to UKHSA staff and external stakeholders. As an EPO you will fulfil administrative/support roles within the STAC when it is activated either during an incident response or tested in exercises.
Essential criteria - You will be assessed based on the essential/desirable criteria listed in the Person Specification below.
Selection Process:
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 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of:
• A CV/ Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1250 words 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 and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.
Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment
Please do not exceed 1250 words in your statement of Suitability. We will not consider any words over and above this number.
Feedback will not be provided at this stage.
Stage 2: Interview
You will be invited to a (single) remote interview over MS Teams
Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview
“Interviews will be held week commencing 5th August. 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
Please note that Hybrid working is not an option at this site. The location is: Bristol BS1 6EH or Totnes TQ9 5NE
Eligibility Criteria
Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).
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 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 & Benefits attachment
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
Qualification
Essential criteria
- Degree, NVQ level 4 or equivalent level vocational expertise in an emergency planning discipline (two years equivalent level vocational experience in an emergency planning discipline)
- Diploma in Health Emergency planning or working towards it having successfully completed at least the Award and Certificate levels
Knowledge and experience
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of emergency and resilience planning methodologies
- Evidence of continued professional development
- Demonstrated experience of co-ordinating projects in complex and challenging environments
- Commitment to and focused on quality, promotes high standards in all they do
- Values diversity and difference, operates with integrity and openness
Desirable criteria
- Experience of drafting briefing papers and correspondence at SMT level
- Understanding of the public sector
- Comprehensive knowledge of project principles, techniques and tools, such as Prince 2 Foundation and Microsoft Project
Skills and capabilities
Desirable criteria
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
Documents
- Job Description (PDF, 752.3KB)
- Functional Requirement (PDF, 344.6KB)
- 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
- Name
- Lami Olayiwola
- Job title
- Resourcing
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
For enquires about your application please contact recruitment team [email protected] , for enquiries about the role please contact [email protected]
No longer accepting applications
Sorry, this vacancy is no longer accepting applications.
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