Public Health Manager (Health Equity Partnerships) - ref. v31811823

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

The postholder will coordinate and deliver high quality, specialist technical and professional expertise to support the objectives of the health equity and inclusion health division. This role will focus on supporting the UKHSA response to systematic, avoidable, and unjust differences in health and wellbeing between different groups of people, which can arise due to where individuals are born, grow, live, work and become older, and lead to unequal outcomes in communicable diseases and external health hazards.

They will work with staff across UKHSA and with regional teams to deliver programmes that support UKHSA to achieve equitable outcomes, providing specific expertise around developing equitable partnerships with the voluntary and community sector, communities, and people with lived experience of health inequalities.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will also support the Health Equity and Inclusion Health division with communicating effectively with stakeholders and the public to influence and deliver improved health outcomes. The post holder will contribute to the strategic work of the health equity function and deputise where appropriate.

The post holder will undergo a programme of on-going development and education to build on existing knowledge and develop skills to provide specialist public health support and meet competencies required to undertake the role.

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.

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

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.

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The main duties and responsibilities are likely to include:

• Support the development and implementation of the HE strategy, including the development and delivery of the relevant action plan with initial specific focus on the ‘partnerships’ area of focus Work with the public, the HWB Alliance, and other teams in UKHSA to support the fostering and management of relationships with external stakeholders, including supporting co-design of the health equity strategy, policies and programmes
• Support the Deputy Director to develop and provide the organisational approach to partnerships, including community engagement
• Analyse, use and present outcome data to monitor health equity issues and emerging trends; and to inform planning decisions.
• Work with the UKHSA Emergency Planning and Resilience Response (EPRR) team to embed engagement and accessible communications in UKHSA incident planning and response.
• Contribute to the UKHSA response during incidents in line with UKHSA’s Emergency Planning and Resilience Response (EPRR) arrangements.
• Provide expertise to teams in UKHSA on how to package information for different audiences and effectively communicate to catalyse action by partners and the public
• Lead work within the Health Equity and Inclusion Health Division to ensure our evidence and outputs are communicated effectively to different audiences, in line with our communications strategy
• Provide expertise to the division to support divisional business planning and ongoing programme management, working closely with the Directorate Senior Programme manager to embed processes
• Line management, as appropriate

• The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by your line manager.
• The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the Health Equity and Inclusion Health Division

Selection Process Details

Stage 1: Application & Sift

Competency-based assessment

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the 9 listed essential criteria that have been selected from the job description, and this will be in the form of:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application
• 1000 word Statement of Suitability.

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

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

In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the lead criteria of Master’s in Public health, or higher degree in a related subject, or evidence of CPD in public health and documented experience at master’s level practice.

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

Please do not exceed 1000 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.

A five-minute presentation will also form part of the interview- details to be confirmed to candidates invited to interview.

Interviews will be held week commencing 3rd February. 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.

Eligibility Criteria

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

Location

Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates for this role must pass an enhanced disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Master’s in Public health, or higher degree in a related subject, or evidence of CPD in public health and documented experience at master’s level practice

Knowledge and Experience

• Substantial experience in a public health role at a senior level with knowledge and expertise in Health Equity and Partnerships
• Proven experience and ability to prioritise own work effectively and be able to direct activities of/to others including managing and motivating a team and reviewing individual standards
• Co-ordination and management of public health projects and initiatives (e.g. quality improvement and/or research)
• Knowledge and understanding of the wider public health agenda, and working knowledge of the principles of epidemiology

Skills and Capabilities

• Effective verbal, written and presentation communication skills; capable of constructing and delivering clear ideas and concepts concisely and accurately for diverse audiences, and proficient in the use of Microsoft Office including Word, and Excel
• Evidence of ongoing CPD and committed to self-development and willing to share experience with others to influence practice
• Proven capability to plan over short, medium and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly
• Evidence of ability to handle challenging issues taking a problem-solving approach to ensure proactive and effective resolution

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.

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)

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.

You cannot take the post up as a fixed term. 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.

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 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.

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

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/

International Police Check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and could be time accrued over that period.