AddressCS SEO: £38,724 - £44,393
About Us
At the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) our mission is to provide health security for the nation by protecting from infectious disease and external hazards. We are a trusted source of advice to government and to the public, focusing on reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.
Our mission is challenging, innovative and in the spotlight. We will work to ensure our people have the diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds we need to thrive, that our employees are representative of the communities we serve and feel valued and enabled to play their part in delivering our work.
Creating our working culture is an ongoing process which we are developing by listening and learning together, hearing and acting upon diverse voices and opinions to develop a common sense of identity and effective ways of working.
A full list of duties and responsibilities can be found in the job description
The postholder will contribute to operational delivery to ensure high quality, safe delivery of the Health Protection service by providing first point of contact for specialist knowledge/ advice to health professionals Undertake management of routine acute response work & non-complex incidents escalating and referring complex incidents and outbreaks
Support to the development & maintenance of effective systems for the surveillance of communicable disease and environmental hazards. Support the development of effective relationships with a range of individuals and stakeholders, support to research & the development and delivery of teaching resources, role model team standards. Support the development of policies for Health Protection issues & audit as part of quality/service improvement Participate in organisational/professional appraisal, revalidation & CPD as appropriate. Participate in a local on call rota at regional level.
Working for the UKHSA
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
Summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for Health Protection Practitioners (Level 2) to join the UKHSA South West.
At Level 2 it is expected that the postholder will act more autonomously than a level 1 practitioner
The post holder will be part of the multi-disciplinary team contributing to the provision of the Health Protection function, including the management of infectious and environmental hazards, and response to major incidents. They will use specialist knowledge and skills to undertake case management and provide Health Protection advice across a range of partner organisations, professionals, and the public. They will actively contribute to the wider provision and development of the Health Protection function, including the development, training and supervision of others within the team
The post holder will undergo a programme of on-going development and education. They will contribute to the out of hours on-call service
Regular on-site presence will be required at one of the SW offices
Location
This role will be based in Totnes TQ9 5NE or Bristol BS1 6EH, with regular travel within the geographical area of responsibility and travel elsewhere/nationally as maybe required by the post.
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 Totnes or Bristol office. For certain roles, some additional flexibility may be possible, which will be agreed upon with the hiring manager based on individual requirements and business needs.
- Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas. Relocation expenses are not available.*
STAGE 1 - APPLICATION & SIFT:
You will be required to complete an application form and a statement of suitability. Your Statement of Suitability should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, against the essential criteria (outlined in the person specification section). Your Statement of Suitability must not exceed 1,500 words.
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. The sift selection panel will only consider relevant career history information from the last 5 years.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to an interview.
STAGE 2 – INTERVIEW:
This competition will involve an interview via 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 might also be required to prepare and deliver a 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 21/03/2024 – 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.
Interviews: 4 th or 5 th April
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 or NHS Terms & Conditions. Full details on the T&Cs 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/
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.
